Features of the Registration of Employees for Distribution in an IT company

The keys to business success in information technology are the orientation of the employees’ work, professional development, and a comfortable atmosphere in the team. However, working with IT personnel in Belarus may cause difficulties in compliance with the legislation. This article considers the main features of registering employees who enter an IT company.

How a company can “receive” a distribution employee

Most often, educational institutions distribute graduates about 2 months before graduation. Therefore, the IT company can take care in advance to “receive” yesterday’s students by distribution. How to receive such an employee:

  1. An IT company can assign an employee who, for example, has already interned at the company during his studies or completed a mandatory internship. To do this, the head of the company prepares a letter to a university or college on behalf of the company, in which he guarantees the hiring of a student and asks to assign him to a specific position in the company. The letter also indicates the amount of the monthly salary of a specialist in this position.
  2. Another way is to cooperate with an educational institution. Based on the company’s application, young specialists are assigned to it. You must also specify the job titles and monthly salaries in the application. If the company loses the opportunity to employ graduates, it is necessary to inform the educational institution 2 months before the start of the distribution.
  3. When the IT company agreed to pay for the student’s tuition, it undertook to hire him for a distribution job. In this case, the period of mandatory distribution work is determined in such an agreement.

Registration of employees for distribution in an IT company in Belarus

How to find out that an employee has arrived at work on an assignment

A graduate of an educational institution, while issuing a diploma of education, is issued a certificate of employment based on a letter from the company or an application. The certificate contains certain mandatory information. This includes, in particular, the name of the educational institution where the specialist studied, at the expense of which funds he studied (budget or his own), the name of the company where he is assigned, the title of the position and the amount of the monthly official salary. The certificate also indicates the time of arrival and the period of mandatory work on the distribution. Currently, the period of compulsory work on assignments after graduation from higher education institutions is 2 years, and after college – 1 year.

The information that the employer fills in is part of the certificate. This completed part must be returned to the educational institution within a month after an employment contract has been concluded with the young specialist. This is a confirmation of the certificate. In it, they write the date of hiring a specialist, the position, and the date of his arrival at the company. The head of the company signs this information. The company sends this document by registered mail with a return delivery notification.

Who is a “young specialist”?

An employee sent by an institution to work on an assignment has the status of a young specialist during the period of mandatory work, which gives him a number of rights and obligations to himself and to the IT company to which he is sent. At the request of a young specialist, the period of compulsory military service under conscription, under contract, and the period of parental leave until he reaches the age of three years can be counted in the period of compulsory work.

If an IT company employs a graduate of an educational institution who presents a Certificate of self-employment, such an employee is not assigned by assignment and does not have the status of a young specialist.

What documents should be asked for from a young specialist who arrived at the distribution

A young specialist who brought a certificate of employment should be asked to apply for a job:

  • A passport.
  • For those who are liable for military service, a military ID card.
  • Diploma of education.

It is impossible to refuse employment without grounds to specialists assigned to work by a state educational institution. When there are grounds for refusing to hire a young specialist, he must be given a written refusal of employment within three working days from the date of his arrival at the company, which specifies why he cannot be hired.

They hire a young specialist on the date following the date of his arrival at the distribution.

What documents does an IT company issue for a young specialist?

For an employee whose IT company is the first place of work, you need to issue a work record and an insurance certificate with a social security number. 

After hiring a young specialist, a PU-1 or PU-2 form is filled out and transferred to the Social Protection Fund.

How to calculate the period of mandatory work on the distribution

The period of mandatory work on the distribution is considered from the date of admission of a specialist to work on the distribution.

When a graduate is hired before receiving a certificate of employment, the period of mandatory work begins on the date the certificate of employment is issued.

Compulsory distribution and urgent service 

When a graduate is called up for military service before the deadline for arrival at the company, he must notify the employer himself. In this case, he must also inform the employer in writing 2 months before the end of military service about his intention to find a job after graduation (or that he does not intend to work in this company).

If a young specialist managed to work on an assignment before being drafted, he has the right to return to his previous job within three months after the end of the service. 

What kind of employment contract should I sign with a young specialist?

  1. An employment contract for an indefinite period.
  2. For a certain period of no more than 5 years, it is possible to conclude a contract only in cases when it is impossible to establish an employment relationship for a certain period. It is possible in the case of mandatory distribution to an IT company. Then, you will have to sign several employment contracts during compulsory work.

A contract is a type of fixed-term employment contract. It can be contracted to perform work that is of a permanent nature. As a rule, the contract term with a young specialist is set for the period of mandatory working out. The maximum term of the contract is 5 years, and the minimum is 1 year.

An employment contract is concluded in writing in two copies, numbered and signed on each page by both the employer and the employee.

An employment order is issued after signing an employment contract with a young specialist.

What is forbidden to do with a young specialist

You can not set a preliminary probation period when hiring a young specialist and transfer him during mandatory work-off to a job that is not related to his qualifications.

How the employer communicate with the educational institution

In addition to sending a confirmation of employment to an educational institution, it is necessary to inform the educational institution in writing every year by November 30:

  1. About mandatory training by a young specialist.
  2. About the end of compulsory work and further employment.

Payments to young professionals

The employer pays the young specialist monetary assistance in the amount of a monthly scholarship awarded to them in the last semester before graduation. If a scholarship has not been awarded, assistance is paid in the amount of a social scholarship on the graduation date. A certificate from an educational institution determines the amount of the scholarship.

If a graduate moves by assignment to another locality, he is compensated for the move.

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How to issue a power of attorney

A power of attorney is a document that authorizes one person to perform certain actions on behalf of another. It may be necessary in buying real estate, managing financial affairs, receiving a salary, or representing interests in court. This article will tell you how to properly issue a power of attorney so that everything goes smoothly and without trouble.

Who can issue a power of attorney?

An individual and a company can issue a power of attorney. 

Here are the features of issuing a power of attorney by an individual:

1. A person aged 18 can issue a power of attorney. A child from 14 to 18 can issue a power of attorney only to dispose of his income, for example, a scholarship.

2. The power of attorney of an individual must be notarized. This means that the person who issues the power of attorney should come to the notary with a passport to compose the text and issue the power of attorney to another person. It is unnecessary to come along with the person to whom you plan to issue a power of attorney. It is enough to know his data: first name, last name, patronymic, date of birth, and citizenship. You can take a photocopy of this person’s passport with you.

In some life circumstances, issuing a notarized power of attorney is problematic. For example, when the principal is in a hospital, or a closed institution, instead of notarization, a power of attorney can be certified by the hospital’s or the closed institution’s head physician.

The company’s director certifies the employee’s power of attorney to receive his salary and other payments at the place of work. When a notary does not certify a power of attorney, you do not need to pay the notary fee.

3. When a power of attorney is issued to close relatives, you must bring a document to the notary confirming the close relationship. In this case, the notary fee is reduced.

4. When a pensioner or a disabled person issues a power of attorney, benefits are provided at the notary tariff—it is reduced by 50%. Therefore, it is logical to show the notary the appropriate document: a pension certificate or a certificate of a disabled person.

5. You can contact any notary to draw up and certify a power of attorney. You can also call a notary at home: bring it yourself or call a taxi.

6. Principals—citizens of Belarus who live abroad: From September 2023, a power of attorney must be issued in Belarus. If a power of attorney has already been issued in a foreign institution, it will not be valid for selling real estate or cars.

7. Some powers of attorney must be notarized. This is a power of attorney for the sale of real estate, for driving a car with the right to travel abroad, a power of attorney with the right of transfer, when a representative can transfer his powers of attorney to another person.

Power of attorney in Belarus

Features of issuing a power of attorney to represent the interests of the company

  • Notarization is not required. The power of attorney is certified by the head of the company.
  • A power of attorney to represent the company’s interests is issued to an employee who can confirm that he is an employee and not an outsider to the company or a person who does not work for the company. But you need to make sure what documents are required for the place where the person will represent the company’s interests by proxy. For example, confirming that its employee or lawyer represents the company’s interests in court is necessary.
  • The company director represents interests without a power of attorney; the director does not need one. Directors of branches and representative offices of the company need a power of attorney.

What are the powers of attorney?

Powers of attorney are conditionally divided into several types:

  1. To perform all actions on behalf of the representative. Such actions are not listed in the power of attorney since the attorney (the person to whom the power of attorney was issued) has the same powers as the principal. This is a general power of attorney, which is issued, for example, to branch directors. 
  2. To perform specific actions on behalf of the represented person for a certain period. Such actions are listed in the power of attorney. An example would be a power of attorney to represent interests in court. This is a special power of attorney.
  3. A power of attorney to perform a specific one-time action. For example, to sign a contract and receive a bank deposit. This is a one-time power of attorney.

What is the validity period of the power of attorney?

The power of attorney is valid for a maximum of 3 years. The validity period is counted from the date of registration of the power of attorney or another date specified in the power of attorney. 

A power of attorney always contains the date it was issued; otherwise, it is invalid. When a power of attorney has no expiration date, it is valid for one year from the issue date.

What to specify in the power of attorney

The power of attorney cannot be in electronic form. It can only be on paper.

Coming to the notary with the written text of the power of attorney is unnecessary. It is enough to confirm your personal data and the data of the representative and formulate the powers you plan to transfer to the representative. In this case, the notary will draft the power of attorney himself. This is a paid service – you must pay a notary fee of 30% of the base amount.

The notarized power of attorney indicates the following:

  1. The place of issue of the power of attorney and the date of issue.
  2. The surname, first name, patronymic and residential address of the representative and principal.
  3. The validity period of the power of attorney. It is valid for one year if it is not written in the power of attorney.

This is mandatory information. 

Depending on the powers that are transferred to the representative, the powers of attorney indicate:

  • In a power of attorney for the sale of real estate – the address of this property, the price and other conditions of sale, or prescribe that the representative has the right to determine the price and conditions of purchase himself.
  • A power of attorney for the disposal of the bank account contains the bank’s name and the account number.
  • In a power of attorney for receiving periodic payments – months, years for which the representative can receive payments.
  • An essential part of the power of attorney is the powers transferred to the representative.

In all cases, the power of attorney is signed by the person who issued the power of attorney.

The price of the issue

When the power of attorney is certified by a notary, you need to pay the notary fee. A notary will certify a power of attorney for pension, alimony, and benefits for free. For preparing the draft of such a power of attorney, the notary fee is 0.2 basic value. This is 8 rubles. In other cases, to prepare a draft power of attorney, you must pay half the base amount – 20 rubles.

Notary fees for issuing a power of attorney

  • When a power of attorney is issued to close relatives, the notary tariff is 1 basic value (40 rubles).
  • When a power of attorney is issued to other persons, the notary tariff is 2 basic values (80 rubles).
  • When a pensioner or a disabled person issues a power of attorney, benefits are provided for the notary tariff – it is reduced by 50%.

Power of attorney for actions abroad

A power of attorney issued by a notary in Belarus needs to be legalized so that it is recognized abroad that it was issued by a notary whose signature is in the power of attorney and that the power of attorney is certified by his seal.

There are two ways to legalize a power of attorney: apostille and consular legalization.

An apostille is affixed when a power of attorney is needed to represent interests in the member States of the Apostille Convention. These are 115 countries.

An apostille is a unique stamp that is affixed to a document. The Belarusian Ministry of Justice apostilles the power of attorney issued by Belarusian notaries.

For consular legalization, power of attorney is applied to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. If there is no consulate or representative office of the State for which a power of attorney was issued in Belarus, confirmation of the signature in another state may be required.

In the same way, foreign powers of attorney are legalized and recognized in Belarus.

Foreign powers of attorney 

You should also remember translating a foreign power of attorney into Russian or Belarusian. The translation of the power of attorney is certified by a notary if he speaks the language in which the power of attorney is drawn up. A foreign power of attorney can be translated by an interpreter. A notary attests to the authenticity of his signature.

It makes sense to transfer the power of attorney issued abroad in Belarus.

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What sole proprietors and NPDs in IT will be allowed to do

The discussion “On Entrepreneurial Activity” organized by the Ministry of Economy of Belarus ended on May 25, 2024. This project includes three lists of activities that can be carried out without opening companies:

  1. The types of activities allowed for individual entrepreneurs.
  2. Types of activities allowed as independent professional activities (this applies to payers of professional income tax – NPD).
  3. Types of activities permitted for artisans.

The participants in the public discussion had many questions about the wording of the types of activities. Let’s consider what in the draft lists concerns work performance and the provision of IT-related services.

sole proprietors and NPDs in IT in Belarus

What does the project offer for individual entrepreneurs in the IT field?

The draft list, which includes types of business activities, has an “Information and communication” section. In this section, along with film and video production and postproduction, the following activities are offered for sole proprietors:

  • 62 Computer programming, consulting and other related services.
  • 63119 Other data processing, provision of information placement associated with services and activities (in terms of providing space and time for advertising on the Internet (except for advertising in the media on the Internet).

According to the project, programming will be left to individual entrepreneurs, or individual entrepreneurs will be allowed to engage in programming.

What does the project offer for self-employed professional income taxpayers

Today, there is a list of activities in which, in one paragraph, the types of IT activities available to the self-employed are listed.

Since December 2022, professional income taxpayers can develop websites, install (configure) computer software, restore computers after a failure, repair and maintain computers and peripheral equipment, and train to work on a personal computer. 

In the draft list, the permitted computer-related activities were divided:

  1. Learning to work on a personal computer.
  2. Website development.
  3. Installation (configuration) of computers and software.
  4. Computer recovery after a failure, repair, and maintenance of computers and peripheral equipment.

There are 81 items on the list.

The draft added an item from the rules in force, which, according to the explanations of the Ministry of Taxes and Duties of Belarus, makes it available to almost all IT specialists to work with the payment of professional income tax without registration as an individual entrepreneur:

Performing works (rendering services) on orders from other individuals, including those engaged in individual business activities, and (or) organizations outside the location of the customer (its branch, another separate structural unit), territory or facility under the control of the customer, with the use of the Internet for the performance of such work (provision of such services) and the transfer of the results of the work performed (services rendered) (if such activity is not subject to state accreditation for the right to carry out activities for the development of physical culture and sports). Currently, as in the future, a freelancer cannot hire employees to perform such work and services. He must independently carry out activities for which professional income tax is paid.

Will artisans be able to work in IT?

It is quite logical that there is no IT activity among the types of craft activities in the project. Although the same person can be a freelancer in the IT field with the payment of professional income tax and, simultaneously, an artisan engaged in activities from the list of craft activities unrelated to the IT sphere.

When the lists become effective

The lists of permitted activities will be approved by July 1, 2024. Not all types of activities that are currently available to individual entrepreneurs will remain on the list. 

What should those individual entrepreneurs whose activities will not be included in the approved list

By the end of 2025, individual entrepreneurs registered before October 1, 2024, will have the opportunity to engage in activities not included in the official list of permitted activities. By this date, such entrepreneurs must either cease their business activities or choose another activity from the approved list. 

There is also an opportunity to choose the third option: by December 31, 2025, an individual entrepreneur can create a company with one founder that will engage in activities not included in the list of permitted activities for individual entrepreneurs. For example, wholesale is not included in this list at the moment.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
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+375 (29) 366 44 77

New surname – new documents 

A change of surname can be caused by various reasons, from marriage to the desire to abandon the paternal surname. However, in addition to formalities, such a procedure entails changing documents, which can be a rather complicated and time-consuming process. This article will examine main steps and nuances when changing the last name and documents.

When it is possible to change the last name

Changing a surname is a voluntary matter. In Belarus, you can change your last name for good reasons, for example:

  • Upon entering into marriage, an application is submitted before the registration. You can express a desire to take the surname of your husband or wife after marriage registration. It can also be done if you want to share the same surname with your husband or wife.
  • After the death of a spouse or divorce, you can return your premarital surname.
  • The discordance of the surname or a difficult-to-pronounce surname.
  • Assign the surname of the stepfather or stepmother who raised the person.
  • You can ask to return the surname when it is incorrectly written in Russian or take a pseudonym already used as a surname.
  • In all these and other cases, if you want to change your surname, you need to submit an application to the civil registry office at your place of residence.

Change of surname in Belarus

Where to apply to change your last name

In addition to applying to the registry office at your residence, you can use the registry office during your temporary stay or at a foreign institution where a Belarusian citizen abroad is on consular registration.

In addition to the application, you need to collect documents: a passport and confirmation of the reason for changing the surname and reasons for the change.

If the request for a change of surname is satisfied, a certificate of a change of surname will be issued. To obtain a certificate, you must pay a state fee—2 basic values, which is 80 Belarusian rubles.

After receiving the certificate, you must consider replacing the documents with the old surname.

Which documents need to be replaced, and which ones are not necessary

Several documents containing the old surname must be replaced; some can be replaced at will, and some documents are amended after changing the surname without replacing the documents themselves.

Which documents need to be replaced

1. Identification documents

First of all, it is necessary to replace identity documents, such as a passport, ID card, and residence permit. Many people do not think about changing their passports, but in this case, there is a risk of not flying on vacation or not leaving Belarus (not entering Belarus from another state). When issuing a certificate of the name change, a note is made in the passport about the need for replacement; at checkpoints across the state border, the validity of the passport is checked against the database. 

A month is given to replace the passport and identification card, if any, after the name change at the registry office. If you change your surname at a consular office abroad, you must change your passport within six months. When this period ends, the passport becomes invalid. And for using an invalid passport, a fine of up to 4 basic units is set – this is up to 160 Belarusian rubles.

You can learn about the documents for replacing your passport from the passport officer at your residence. This is usually:

  1. An application, the form of which will be given to you at the passport office.
  2. An old passport.
  3. Photo.
  4. Birth certificate (birth certificate).
  5. The document is based on which the certificate of surname change was issued.
  6. A certificate of a change of surname.

You must pay a state fee to change a passport—1 basic amount (40 Belarusian rubles). In this case, the new passport will be ready within a month. You can change your passport quickly: in 15 days. The state fee has two basic values for the exchange of a passport within a week. 

2. Exchange of passport for ID card and exchange of ID card

You can exchange your old passport for an identification card and your old identification card for a new one. The state fee is 1.5 basic values in this case, and the documents are replaced within 15 working days. The exchange of a passport for an identification card and the exchange of an identification card takes place at the Citizenship and Migration Office at your place of residence.

3. Biometric passport

A biometric passport is a document for leaving, entering Belarus, or temporarily staying abroad. It must be replaced along with the identification card, which becomes invalid after the identification card is changed. 

To replace a biometric passport, you must contact the Citizenship and Migration Office at your residence.

The state fee for replacing a biometric passport is 2 basic values, and a new passport will be ready within 15 working days.

4. Certificate of state registration of an individual entrepreneur

Those who conduct entrepreneurial activities need to replace an individual entrepreneur’s certificate of state registration within one month after changing the surname. To do this, you need to contact the registration authority that issued the certificate.

To replace the certificate, you need to submit an application and collect several documents:

  1. Certificate of state registration of an individual entrepreneur with an old surname.
  2. A photo.
  3. The document confirming payment of the state fee is 0.25 basic units, which is 10 Belarusian rubles. The certificate will be replaced very quickly—no later than the next business day.

If you do not replace the certificate of state registration within a month, you will have to do it anyway in the future, but a fine of up to 20 basic units is possible.

What to say at work?

Employees must notify the HR officer or supervisor that they have changed their last name. Based on your application and other documents on the change of surname at work, changes will be made to the work record. The deadline for informing the employer and making such changes to the work record has not been set. 

After receiving a new passport, the employer or customer must be informed of the latest passport data under the contract. Based on these data, the employer will replace the employee’s social security certificate and amend the agreement. 

Driver’s license replacement

There is no obligation to replace the driver’s license. Still, questions may arise regarding document verification when insurance is issued for a new passport and the driver’s license is for the old surname. If you have already replaced your passport, we recommend carrying it. 

You can replace your driver’s license at any State Automobile Inspection (SAI) department. In addition to a passport with a new surname, an application and an old driver’s license, a medical certificate and payment of a state fee – 3.2 basic values will be required. The replacement takes place within 5 business days.

Replacement of documents for car registration (technical passport)

It is recommended that those whose name the car is registered make changes to the documents. This can be done at the State Automobile Inspection at the place of residence.

As a standard, an application is submitted for this. You need a passport, an old car registration certificate (technical passport), and payment of a state fee in the region of 3 basic values. 

Such a replacement is made after receiving a passport for a new surname. 

Replacing documents for a car will be helpful if you sell the car: to confirm that the seller of the car is its owner.

In this case, 10 working days are allotted for the replacement of documents.

Do not forget about the companies you have concluded contracts

According to contracts with banks, insurance and leasing companies, and mobile operators, the client must inform the company about changes in personal data. There is usually a time limit within which such changes must be reported.

For example, suppose you have changed your driver’s license and technical passport for a car. In that case, you can change the insurance certificate of compulsory civil liability insurance of the vehicle owner.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
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+375 (29) 366 44 77

Are There Limits to an Irregular Working Day

Overtime can help an employer save money and get the project completed faster than the deadline, but such a solution has its own nuances. This article tells about the features of working hours and the importance of establishing clear boundaries for working time.

What is the standard working time?

Working time standards are determined weekly. It is usually accepted that the employer has a five-day working week with two days off. 

The government sets the estimated working hours for each calendar year. The standards are for a five-day working week with two days off and a six-day working week with one day off. For 2024, the norms are set accordingly—no more than 2016 and 2022 hours.

Are there limits to an irregular working day in Belarus

What is the normal working time?

The normal standard is the full working time or reduced standard established by the employer and employee agreement. The standard also applies to certain categories of employees. Employees under 18, disabled people, part-time workers, and some other categories of employees do not work irregular working hours.

Irregular and normalized working hours

To deal with irregular working hours, you must understand what standardized working hours are.

Working hours are usually prescribed in an employment contract as the time during which an employee must be at work and perform their work tasks. This is called “standardized working hours.” Over time, he works on weekends and public holidays and works beyond the duration of his working time also referred to as working hours.

The norm of working time is the time based on which the employer plans and takes into account the periods worked by employees. The working week and day norms are determined.

An irregular working day is a particular mode of work in which employees may occasionally work outside the established working hours.

What is the abnormality of working hours?

The condition for an irregular working day is prescribed in the contract, which is concluded with an employee. The irregularity of the working day means:

  1. An employee may perform work outside normal working hours. The employer issues a written or oral order to do this, and the employee’s consent is not required.
  2. On his own initiative, an employee may work outside the working day, notifying the employer or an official of the company in words.

Work in the abnormal mode should:

  • Be performed sporadically, not daily, regularly.
  • Relate to the work tasks and functions of the employee.

Who does not have irregular working hours

  • Irregular working hours are not set for the following categories of employees:
  • Employees under the age of 18.
  • Disabled people of groups 1 and 2.
  • For part-timers.
  • Categories of employees with part-time working hours..
  • Employees who keep a summary record of their working hours.
  • Employees who are paid by the piece.

How to set irregular working hours

The condition of irregular working hours, which individual employees of the company establish, differs from the general rules of the employer prescribed in the employment contract and the contract when hiring an employee.

Irregular working hours can be set for an employee in the course of his work. In this case, it is necessary to follow the procedure for changing essential working conditions: 

  • To justify establishing an irregular working day for reasonable economic and industrial reasons.
  • Notify the employee in writing one month in advance. In the warning, in addition to justifying the change in working hours, specify the date from which the working time will be irregular and the duration of additional leave for an irregular working day.
  • With the employee’s consent, changes are made to his employment contract based on the employer’s order.
  • The timesheet does not display work outside the set working hours.

Compensation for irregular working hours

Employees with irregular working hours prescribed in their employment contract are granted additional leave for an irregular working day. Such a vacation should be set for 1 to 7 calendar days and added to the regular vacation of 24 calendar days.

The employer determines the number of days of additional leave for an irregular working day and the conditions for granting this leave. 

The duration of the irregular working day

Employees with irregular working hours should work outside the normal hours occasionally and when necessary. Belarusian legislation does not limit the working hours of those who work overtime. This is the possibility of working around the clock under the cover of an irregular working day. This mode of work has a harmful effect on the results of work and affects the employee’s health. 

What is helpful for an employer to remember

Employers who set irregular working hours for employees need to remember:

  • About the negative consequences for the business and the employee of daily involvement in work outside the working day.
  • On the proportionality of compensation for the irregularity of the work performed.

Simply put, if an employee with an irregular working day is involved in work outside the normal working day, and to compensate for this with only one day of additional leave, the employee will quickly leave such a workplace. Such employers have a bad reputation, as former employees actively share information in professional communities.

Provide adequate compensation for irregular working hours; it is also not necessary to involve employees in work outside their daily working hours. 

The Labor Code assumes that workers with irregular working hours can be employed sporadically and if necessary. An employee can collect evidence of daily irregular work and apply to regulatory authorities or to the court with a complaint against the company in which such work is allowed, shaking the company’s reputation.

Litigation with government agencies and lawsuits damage the company’s reputation as an employer and can lead to financial losses in fines, legal costs, and employee compensation.

What is important for an employee to remember

Of course, when an employer engages in round-the-clock work every day under the guise of having an irregular working day, you can collect evidence of this and file a complaint with government agencies. You can also think about changing jobs.

It is also not worth working daily beyond the usual hours just because an irregular working day has been established. Compliance with the work and rest regime helps to maintain clarity of thought and mental health, which helps achieve work goals and improves relationships in the family, with colleagues, and with the people around them.

OUR EXPERIENCE

Choosing the right recruitment agency is very important when recruiting staff. Recruitment.by has successful experience in hiring for various positions for companies in different industries and banks. 

We guarantee the replacement of the candidate if the candidate we select leaves during the probation period.

We have extensive contacts and experience in recruitment. There are more than 1,500 candidates in our database.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
8 Kirova street, office 21, Minsk 220003
+375 (29) 366 44 77

What Applicants Need to Know Before Contacting a Recruitment Agency

Finding a job can be difficult and exhausting, especially if you don’t know how to start in Belarus. Recruitment agencies can become your reliable assistants in this matter. However, before contacting them, it is essential to consider several important points. This article will examine the main aspects that will help you competently approach the job search through a recruitment agency and increase your chances of successful employment.

What applicants need to know before applying to a recruitment agency in Belarus

What kind of agencies are there 

There are three types of intermediary agencies in the labour market that help employers and job candidates meet:

Recruiters

The employers pay for the recruitment companies’ services. The recruiter gets paid for recruitment. The employer submits a list of vacancies and requirements for candidates to the recruiting agency. Recruitment agencies close the employer’s request on a turnkey basis, from the placement of a vacancy to the initial interview stages. In this case, the selected candidates meet the employer’s needs as much as possible.

Outsourcing companies

Such companies employ employees and conclude contracts with them. The hired employees perform the tasks of those companies with which the hiring company has concluded outsourcing agreements. In this case, the outsourcing company employing employees is a contractor of those companies whose tasks are performed by employees of the outsourcing company. This is often how companies that provide merchandising, cleaning, loading and unloading, repair, accounting, and personnel accounting services work.

Employment agencies

Employment agencies usually provide paid employment assistance to applicants for various vacancies – consulting services. To receive help from an employment agency, the applicant enters into a service agreement with the agency. Agencies assist in resume writing, interview and psychological training. Agencies do not guarantee employment but only prepare the applicant for it. The agency charges the payment regardless of the applicant’s achievement of the result of cooperation.

Arguments “for”

Since all three recruitment agencies successfully operate in the labour market, let’s consider the advantages of working with them.

1. Saving time

You do not need to waste time and sort through many vacancies on job sites in search of suitable offers. The agency will select suitable offers for you. You will also not need to search for information about employers who need candidates for vacancies. The agency will provide you with this information.

2. Access to more vacancies

Several companies do not post their vacancies in open sources but cooperate only with employment agencies. That is, in addition to selecting suitable vacancies from open sources, you can expect exclusive offers from the agency.

3. More favourable conditions

Recruiters try to make a favourable offer to the applicant because they want to close the vacancy quickly. The rate of job closure affects recruits’ income and reputation.

4. Help with resume and interview

Several agencies help applicants to create a more “selling” resume and provide advice on preparing for an interview. 

5. Feedback

After the interviews, the agency gives the applicant feedback. In case of erroneous behaviour, feedback helps the candidate avoid mistakes in future interviews.

6. It’s all free

The employer usually pays for the services of a recruitment agency, which is one of the advantages for an applicant for whom the agency’s services are free.

7. Precise description of responsibilities

The agency examines the employer’s list of requirements before publishing a vacancy and asks for clarification of the requirements in case of inaccuracies or discrepancies. Therefore, the applicant immediately understands whether it is necessary to respond to the vacancy.

8. The bench

Even when the employer refuses a candidate selected by the agency, your resume will not be lost. Promising candidates fall into the reserve of the recruitment agency and can receive a good offer at any time.

9. Valuable information

In between, a recruiter can give valuable advice on the “packaging” of a resume or the state of affairs in your employment segment. Such information can be heard in a regular free conversation, mainly if you use your soft skills.

Arguments “against”

The arguments against applying for employment services from recruitment agencies are worth considering.

1. Recruitment agencies are not engaged in hiring in all professions and industries

Several recruitment agencies are industry-specific and not engaged in hiring in all professions and industries. Some agencies only hire for a few large clients.

2. You will compete with other candidates from the recruitment agency’s database

Other applicants who have entered the agency’s database may have impressive experience and competencies. 

3. The recruiter may distort the truth a little

The recruiter may slightly distort reality to get you interested in a specific vacancy to complete the job placement task.

4. The agency acts in the interests of the employing company

You may be persuaded to lower your expectations or even change the direction of your search since the agency is interested in closing vacancies for a certain employer and receiving remuneration from him for closing a vacancy.

When it’s not worth looking for a job through a recruitment agency

If you are applying for a massive vacancy – with a salary that will be average or low, you should not contact a recruitment agency. Usually, employers place such vacancies independently, saving on the hiring process – without contacting intermediaries through recruitment agencies.

How to choose a recruitment agency

There are many recruitment agencies; you can contact several at once, but first, we recommend choosing a genuinely professional recruitment agency. What to pay attention to:

  1. To the recruitment agency’s website. Ask if there is information about the company on the site, whether expert articles and news are published there, and when the last update of the analytics was.
  2. For the agency’s clients. Such information is usually available on the agency’s website. This will tell you about his specialisation. You will find a job faster if you contact an agency that selects staff for your specialisation.
  3. To review the agency. You can ask the recruiter for feedback if he wrote to you himself.
  4. For information from agency employees, talk personally with an agency employee, specifying what his assistance in finding employment will be and how he will present you to potential employers.
  5. The politeness in communication between the agency’s employees, including by phone and in messengers, and the speed of their answers to your questions.
  6. The quality and depth of communication between an agency employee and you as an applicant. At the beginning of communication, the recruitment agency should devote time and attention to you in order to see you as a suitable candidate and understand your experience and personality traits.

How to find a job through an agency

The process of finding a job through an agency can be presented step by step:

Step 1. Create a resume

Step 2. Send your resume to the recruitment agency.

Step 3. Receiving feedback from the agency and discussing the terms of cooperation.

Step 4. Fill out the applicant’s application form for inclusion in the agency’s database.

Step 5. Optional: making changes to the resume at the suggestion of the recruiter.

Step 6. Getting the agency’s help in preparing for and going to the interview.

Step 7. Receiving a job offer and deciding on employment.

Step 8. Getting feedback from the recruiter if no job offer has been received. 

Can the agency help us with EOR / Payroll

Agencies that are outsourcers may well help with EOR and Payroll. Such agencies carry out a complete cycle of employment, including accrual and payment of wages. The staff works and receives a salary in such an outsourcer company, performing tasks for the company with which the outsourcer has agreed. Such an agreement stipulates, among other things, the terms of compensation to the outsourcer for risks and obligations to pay salary taxes, employee insurance, and solve social issues of employees. 

Applying to such agencies by employers is especially beneficial when the employers are non-residents and do not plan to open a company in Belarus. For applicants, such agencies often offer opportunities to work remotely for foreign and international companies without relocation.

Our experience

Choosing the right recruitment agency is very important when recruiting staff. Recruitment.by has successful experience in hiring for various positions for companies in different industries and banks. 

We guarantee the replacement of the candidate if the candidate we select leaves during the probation period.

We have extensive contacts and experience in recruitment. There are more than 1,500 candidates in our database.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
8 Kirova street, office 21, Minsk 220003
+375 (29) 366 44 77

How not to Make a Mistake when Choosing a Recruitment Agency

The process of finding high-quality specialists in Belarus looks quite simple. However, searching on your own can take a long time. In this case, a recruitment agency can ensure high recruitment speed and stable team performance. This article examines the main criteria that should be considered when choosing a recruitment agency in order to minimise the risk of mistakes and find the perfect candidate for your company.

What are the features of finding employees through a recruitment agency

The search for employees through a recruitment agency has characteristics that make this process more convenient and efficient. Here are some of the main features of finding employees through a recruitment agency:

  1. Professional selection of candidates: Recruitment agencies have the experience and knowledge to select candidates for the company’s specific requirements properly. They pre-select, conduct interviews, and check references to find the best candidate.
  2. Access to a comprehensive database of candidates: recruitment agencies have access to an extensive database of candidates of various profiles and specialisations. This allows you to find the right specialist for your company quickly.
  3. Saving time and resources: Contacting a recruitment agency allows you to save time and resources for the company when searching for and selecting candidates. The recruitment agency takes over all the work of searching and pre-selection candidates.

Now let’s look at the benefits for a company that has applied to a recruitment agency.

1. Reducing financial costs

The employer does not need to spend time on an internal recruiter and organise the placement of vacancies. Instead, he pays the recruiter for a successful result.

2. Quick results

Several specialists may be sent to complete the task, not just one recruiter, especially if the customer needs to quickly close a vacancy or search for many candidates. This approach allows the employer to get results faster: candidates begin to arrive in the first week after contacting the agency’s experts. The specific time frame depends on the complexity of the task.

3. Advanced features

A specialised recruitment agency has much broader opportunities to find personnel in the market than an internal HR specialist. Professional experts have an extensive database of candidates accumulated over the years. In successful agencies, applicants’ profiles are divided by industry and contain up-to-date data on their employment. For example, there may be specialists in the database who are already working but are ready to consider new proposals.

4. Proactive search strategy

The recruitment agency is aware that it operates in a competitive labour market. Therefore, recruiters do not limit their search capabilities only to the database and job sites with candidates’ resumes but actively contact those specialists who are not currently considering new job offers. Various social networks, messengers and other non-standard sources of information are used to find suitable candidates. Experienced professionals know how to successfully negotiate and convince a potential employee to consider the proposed offer. Thus, the employer gets access to candidates who are challenging to find in the labour market with a standard search approach.

How to choose a recruitment agency in Belarus.

Criteria for choosing a recruitment agency

1. The price must be adequate

This is a critical condition for a potential recruitment agency client company. It is better to contact the agencies directly to get reliable price information. You can call them, briefly outline the requirements for a specialist and clarify the cost of recruitment services. Or send a completed application for recruitment (you can use the application forms on the agency’s websites) and request information in a reply letter about prices and approximate dates for finding a suitable candidate. Determining the average market prices for recruitment services in the region where you plan to find a new employee is essential.

2. A reliable recruitment agency does not take prepayment for personnel search services

The beginning of cooperation with the agency involves signing an agreement in which it is necessary to specify that the company pays for recruitment services after the candidate chosen by the employer starts work. It is important to note that the contract should have no prepayment clause.

3. Professional recruitment is impossible without an individual approach

The recruitment agency manager must establish contact with the person under whose leadership the new employee will work in order to accumulate the most complete information about the company, its corporate culture, team, etc. These steps are fundamental in the work of an agency manager with a client. Of course, you can limit yourself to choosing candidates according to formal criteria. In this case, the selection of a candidate corresponds to the level of express recruitment and is paid much cheaper than classical recruiting.

The best option is cooperation, where the agency manager visits your office before signing the contract. Thus, he sees the situation through the eyes of a potential candidate and first evaluates what he pays attention to – the location of the office, its interior, style and manner of communication. A personal meeting allows you to assess the person you will be working with and understand their working methods and work efficiency. The manager can conduct interviews directly in your company’s office at your request. This collaboration is often referred to as HR outsourcing.

4. A recruitment agency should have a face – the development of its brand

At the start of cooperation, finding the specialist you will have to work with and asking questions about his experience, specialisation and recruitment methods is essential. For example, if you, as an employer, are told that posting vacancies on job sites is an active search for staff, this is incorrect. Active search includes searching for candidates in resume databases, using social media, participating in job fairs, collaborating with universities, and other methods. Posting vacancies on job sites can be considered a passive search method.

5. Work experience and positive feedback

A successful recruitment agency does not hide its work experience, openly shares customer reviews, and provides verifiable recommendations. It is recommended that you consult with the agency’s clients and find out their experience working with this company before making a decision on cooperation.

6. Provide a work plan and follow the basic steps of working with the customer

A recruitment agency that can be trusted always provides a work plan for finding a candidate and adheres to the primary stages of the work plan with the customer:

  • Identification of the customer’s needs. 
  • Determination of the required qualities of the candidate. 
  • Recruitment before the start of the selection process. 
  • Receiving applications from potential candidates. 
  • Pre-selection of candidates. 
  • The final selection and hiring of staff. 
  • Making a decision.

7. Knows the scope of business and the size of your company

The specialist of the recruitment agency who works with you must understand the needs and scope of your business and cooperate with you to achieve the goal.

8. Always in touch

Employees of the recruitment agency must answer the customer’s calls and messages, not ignore questions and suggestions, and respond to the customer’s feedback on selected candidates.

9. Follows the selection process and shows candidates within the agreed time frame

The recruitment agency strictly adheres to the established personnel selection process, which includes an analysis of the company’s needs, determining the profile of candidates, and preliminary and final selection. It takes care to present suitable candidates to the customer within the agreed time frame, ensuring an effective and professional staff search.

10. Vacancies from the agency must correspond to reality

The employer must be sure that the job description corresponds to the actual situation in the company to avoid misunderstandings and disappointments for both applicants and the employer.

11. Qualifications of recruiters

An experienced employee will be able to take into account the specifics of the business and the needs of customers and demonstrate an understanding of the problems and current market situation in their industry.

12. Guarantees

A reliable recruitment agency guarantees free replacement of selected employees during probation. A guarantee’s availability is one indicator that a recruitment agency can be trusted.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
8 Kirova street, office 21, Minsk 220003
+375 (29) 366 44 77

Finding the Perfect Candidates: Top 20 Ways

Finding the perfect candidates can be time-consuming. However, knowing the various search methods can simplify the recruitment process and help to find real professionals who will ideally suit the company’s requirements.This article by recruiters will look at the top 20 ways to find the perfect candidates, helping you find the best employees for your business.

How to make a Portrait of a candidate

The concept of a “candidate portrait” is an image of an ideal employee conceived by a recruiter. This term is associated with a similar term marketers use – a portrait of a buyer or client. With its help, companies determine their target audience and develop a sales strategy. This tool helps HR specialists focus on finding the right employee. The process uses industry research data, statistics, trends of recent years and unofficial information.

It is not enough to pay attention only to the candidate’s resume, experience, and competencies. To bring out the elements of a candidate’s portrait, you need to feel the team’s values and spirit.

One of the significant advantages of a well-designed candidate portrait is the opportunity to look at the vacancy through the eyes of a potential applicant. This allows you to understand the candidate’s desires accurately, determine where to find him and establish contact with him.

IT recruitment in Belarus

The process of drawing up a portrait of a candidate can be presented step by step:

Step 1. Data collection

Fact-checking will help with this. Abandon patterns and assumptions and pay attention to the facts. Analyzing the facts will make it possible to create a successful portrait of the candidate. It is necessary to explore examples of successful hiring of specialists who have already been hired and are working successfully and to study their resumes.

Step 2. Determining the qualities of the candidate

At this stage, you need to ask colleagues about the qualities of successfully employed specialists and find out which leads to successful hiring.

You can also ask professionals already in the required position about what qualities help them in their work.

Based on these data, it is possible to deduce the general qualities of the candidate.

Step 3. Final portrait modelling

When finalising a candidate’s portrait, remember that you are making up a portrait, not a job description. Do not overestimate the requirements because the candidate must be a real person and not a figment of fantasy. If the requirements are too high, the search may not be successful.

Why is this necessary?

Every recruiter has a portrait of the ideal candidate in his or her head. The right choice would be to transfer this portrait to paper. Put your ideas in writing, systematise and expand them, set minimum and maximum requirements—so the process of finding the perfect candidate will become clearer and easier. 

What exactly creating a portrait of a candidate will help you with:

  • Create job texts that are understandable to candidates and employers.
  • Close vacancies for brands.
  • Work with passive candidates.
  • Keep statistics on successful candidate search and recruitment.

You can create an “itinerary” for yourself to find a suitable candidate, in which you list the requirements for the candidate and how to find him. You can write to the checklist:

  • Soft skills of the candidate. List the desired personal characteristics.
  • The candidate’s hard skills. List the required set of professional skills.
  • What motivation a candidate should have. What attracts him to work with your company?
  • The range of search for suitable candidates: where to look, through whom you can get the candidate’s contacts.

Define the requirements for the candidate

Before starting the search for a candidate, you need to make a list of his requirements. It’s like a marketing sales funnel when narrowing the search for customers. This way, it is possible to focus on candidates who meet the specified requirements. 

How can adequate requirements be determined? We hope that our tips will help you:

  1. Specify what tasks are assigned to the employee.
  2. Analyse what tasks successful employees already working in a similar position are solving.
  3. Get acquainted with job descriptions, professional standards, and qualification requirements if you don’t quite understand what a particular candidate should know and be able to do.

What to include in the requirements for the candidate

Usually, the requirements for candidates include:

  • Competencies.
  • Work experience.
  • Qualities that are necessary for successful work in the company.
  • Depending on the company and the vacancy, among the requirements may be a certain education or an area of economics in which experience is needed.

Requirements for the gender and age of candidates are considered discriminatory and can lead to negativity from potential candidates and interest from regulatory authorities.

Search sources

There are many sources of searching for the ideal candidate. There is no need to focus only on specific sources and be afraid to try new ways to find candidates. Let’s look at the top 20 possible sources for finding ideal candidates.

1.A career website or a section on the website with vacancies

Career websites and job sections on company websites allow you to promote a company among candidates as an employer.

It is recommended that candidates transition from the vacancy announcement to the company’s career website. Also, some candidates turn directly to the websites of the companies they are interested in and look for a section with vacancies there.

To ensure that only suitable candidates come to you, we recommend that you pay attention to the content and design of a career website or a section with vacancies on the company’s website. On such a site, the candidate should have the opportunity to:

  • To feel the corporate culture of the company and its values.
  • Understand the prospects of working in this company.
  • Learn about the history of the company and its leaders.

On a career website, you can implement a representation of your HR brand and organise its SEO promotion so that when searching through a browser, your career website appears on the first page of the search results.

2.Posting vacancies on social networks

Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Telegram, Vkontakte, Odnoklassniki, and other available social networks provide a good response. Each social network has job search communities where you can post your vacancies and wait for feedback from candidates.

3.Direct access to candidates

Sometimes, it is optimal to reach out to the environment of a suitable candidate on social networks or write directly to the candidate. A direct question can lead to the correct answer for the recruit. It is possible that the candidate himself is not engaged in job monitoring, but you can make him a tempting offer through his entourage or directly.

4.E-mail marketing (mass mailing)

This way of finding the perfect candidate is suitable when you have a large base, and you know your target audience. For broader coverage, you can partner with a company with a similar target audience and make mailings using each other’s databases.

In such a newsletter, you can informally describe the pros and cons of your vacancy. The benefit of mailing lists is the ability to collect statistics, optimise the mailing list and improve its effectiveness.

5.Be active on your social media pages and messengers

Publishing interesting posts on behalf of the brand, benefits, and analytics helps to convey to subscribers that the company is expanding and is open to cooperation. Describing the projects and cases of your employees will help to involve people. If the company becomes interesting and more understandable for candidates, they will want to come even for less money.

6.Contextual advertising

Contextual advertising refers to advertising on the Internet when an ad is displayed in accordance with the context of a page on the Internet: content, audience, place, and time. Contextual advertising is configured according to these parameters so that when candidates search for their broad queries in the browser, the ad appears in the output.

7.Targeted advertising

Targeting is the definition of a target audience for a particular ad and launching it to that audience. The targeted advertising settings indicate the target audience’s characteristics for a particular vacancy. Unlike contextual advertising for targeting on social networks, we do not choose pages for displaying vacancies but the attributes of those users of social networks who will see this ad. Social networks themselves offer sets of user characteristics to launch targeted advertising.

8.Old resumes

There are probably a lot of old resumes in the archives. You can contact, call and write to messengers with these people. They can recommend someone even if they are not looking for a job. 

9. Employee recommendations

Already hired employees can be financially rewarded for the recommendations of successfully hired candidates after they have passed the probation period. You can also seek recommendations from former candidates who are already employed and with whom contact has been established.

10. Recruiting at specialised and other events

The search for candidates for specific positions can be successful at events of various professional communities and business events. Such events are usually attended by specialists who want professional development, are looking for professional connections among colleagues, and have new opportunities to apply their skills. That is, such professionals may be interested in career development not only in the company where they are employed. 

11.Professional and near-professional thematic forums

Professional forums on social networks, messengers, and professional websites often exist. There, you can even track the activity and competencies of the participants, including their ability to express their thoughts and be convinced of their rightness. Thanks to contextual advertising, forums of the right specialists are not challenging to find.

12.Blogs of experts and opinion leaders

Company employees’ blogs on social networks may be suitable for messages to potential candidates who are not actively looking for a new job. In addition, you can arrange with bloggers with a suitable target audience to publish an appropriate convention to increase loyalty to the company and search for suitable candidates.

13.Contact a recruitment agency

Choose a reputable agency that will find you the perfect candidate. A genuinely professional agency will help you create a job description, conduct an interview, and conduct a high-quality selection of candidates.

14. Freelance exchanges

When your tasks for a candidate do not involve permanent employment, you can hire a freelancer. Exchanges usually look for specialists who can work remotely and have a suitable portfolio. 

When hiring a freelancer through the exchange, you can save time and money on hiring an employee and paying for labour. However, there is a risk of attracting an unreliable contractor who abandons the project halfway or refuses to complete it.

15. Labour exchange

Belarusian employers must submit information about vacancies to the labour exchange within 5 days. This is how the Republican Job Bank is formed. Candidates can contact the employer using the contact information indicated in the vacancy announcement. 

Also, the Republican Bank of Vacancies has a database of specialists who are registered there as unemployed. The recruiter may contact such people. They may be interested in your offer.

16.Educational institutions

Students are often interested in working for internships and gaining the necessary experience. They are energetic, interested in new things, and not demanding the amount of remuneration. When a company wants to grow staff “for itself,” it makes sense to cooperate with educational institutions. To do this, you need to be interested in career events held by academic institutions, present your company there, invite interested students for internships, and ask for teacher recommendations.

17.Use chatbots to communicate with candidates

The advantage of chatbots is that they can be placed on almost any online platform. At the same time, communication with the candidate begins immediately – you do not need to wait for the recruiter to answer the call or return from a coffee break. The chatbot asks the same questions as the recruiter, but the company saves resources because it does not need to involve a live specialist.

18.Make a video about hiring / Create a website or a recruiting page

An excellent solution for attracting candidates is videos created by company employees for social networks. The company can manage with minimal investments to shoot and promote video content containing the employer’s message. Such videos involve employees and create a positive company image for candidates.

Creating a recruiting website for companies that require a lot of staff makes sense. The company’s values and corporate culture are visualised on the site, and vacancies are posted.

A properly completed company website usually contains information about the company’s executives, areas of work, mission, and values. The recruitment page on such a site allows candidates who want to work in this particular company to fill out an application for a vacancy without going to the job aggregator site.

19.Encourage the return of former employees

Of course, you need to consider the circumstances of the employee’s departure. In general, the company receives several advantages when returning former employees:

  1. There is no need to spend resources on adapting such an employee.
  2. The effectiveness of such an employee will usually be high from the beginning.
  3. As a rule, the company and the employee have a certain level of trust, so it is clear what tasks can be assigned to the employee. 
  4. The return of former employees contributes to a positive image of the company in the employment market.

20.Don’t be afraid of new formats

You can try a creative approach to finding candidates. A video with a survey of employees about their love for their work, which makes it clear that the company’s employees are not among the overwhelming number of employees who do not like their work, can show the peculiarities of the corporate culture in the company and even go viral.

Creating a resume bank for candidates who, for various reasons, did not apply for vacancies after the interview and maintaining contact with these candidates will increase their loyalty. You can send them job offers so they are the first to find out about possible employment in your company. This will help employ candidates interested in working in your company. 

OUR EXPERIENCE

Choosing the right recruitment agency is vital in an effective recruitment process. Recruitment.by having successful experience hiring professionals and top management for companies in various industries and specialisations. Our company has an excellent reputation and stable partnerships. 

We guarantee that if the candidate we select fails to complete the probation period or leaves during this period, we will provide a replacement at no additional cost.

We have extensive contacts and experience in recruitment and will help you find the ideal candidates who fully meet your needs. Our database includes more than 1,500 candidates who are ready to consider new offers.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
8 Kirova street, office 21, Minsk 220003
+375 (29) 366 44 77

Burnout of Employees

Professional burnout is a serious problem for both employees and companies. Burnout can affect a person’s physical and mental health, as well as their professional abilities. In this article, we will look at the causes and signs of professional burnout, how to prevent it and what to do.

What is professional burnout

Professional burnout is a state of exhaustion caused by prolonged stress and overload at work. Burnout can be attributed to the protective reaction of the human psyche to traumatic events. Burnout is most often caused by internal corporate processes, and burnout at work can be a consequence of prolonged stress caused by various reasons unrelated to work. 

According to the definition of the World Health Organization, burnout is a syndrome that occurs as a result of chronic stress at work, which a person cannot cope with. This syndrome is even included in the ICD – the International Classification of Diseases. 

It would be a mistake to take up work with triple strength, feeling signs of burnout. It often leads to a state of even greater depression and a sense of hopelessness. This is how a person gets trapped in a routine and loses the strength and energy to find a way out of a vicious circle. The level of the stress hormone cortisol is increasing in the body, a person feels exhausted, but constant anxiety does not allow them to take a break and allow themselves to rest.

Professional Burnout IT Belarus

What types of professional burnout are divided into

There are several types of professional burnout, depending on the reasons why this happened:

  1. It appears when an employee risks his health and personal life for working results. This type of burnout is associated with overload.
  2. It appears when an employee feels underestimated and does not see opportunities for growth. This type of burnout can occur even when an employee is not overloaded.
  3. It appears when an employee, according to internal feelings, believes he is not coping with the assigned functions and feels uselessness and lack of competence, even when this is not the case.

What are the symptoms and stages of burnout

Symptoms of burnout

The symptoms of burnout faced by tired workers include:

  • Lack of joy and satisfaction from work.
  • Feelings of guilt and anxiety.
  • Inability to focus on work tasks.
  • Insomnia or drowsiness and a constant feeling of fatigue.
  • There are physiological, emotional and behavioural symptoms of professional burnout. From the outside, one can only notice behavioural symptoms that manifest as a result of negative emotions and physiological ailments.
  • Among the emotional symptoms of burnout, one can distinguish a decrease in self-esteem, motivation, satisfaction from life, negative thoughts, a feeling of being trapped, and a sense of loneliness.
  • Among the physiological symptoms of burnout, there is often a change in appetite towards an uncontrolled increase or vice versa, refusal to eat, a feeling of various pains in the body, digestive disorders, and a tendency to frequent colds.
  • Behavioural symptoms that are difficult to miss include:
    • Unwillingness to communicate and work.
    • Irritability.
    • A tendency to postpone work until deadlines are over.
    • The appearance or aggravation of bad habits.
    • A decrease in employee efficiency.

Burnout stages

The stages of burnout vary according to the increase in the employee’s negativity towards work.

  1. The first stage of “Saving the world” is that the employee is full of energy, works without lunch breaks, often at the expense of weekends and night sleep, and eats randomly.
  2. The second stage is “Something is going wrong”: continuous work does not go unnoticed, health worries, but the desire to work is still strong, the employee shrugs off the symptoms of ill health.
  3. The third stage is “Tension increases”: there is a dispersion of attention and forgetfulness about work tasks. The old desire to “catch up and overtake” disappears. Deadlines are disrupted, conflicts with management and colleagues arise, and dissatisfaction with work accumulates.
  4. The fourth stage is “Waiting for the Big Bang”: health problems worsen, and sleep problems appear. Additionally, relationships with loved ones deteriorate, and there is a desire to be isolated. Work tasks are demotivating, and performance is reduced. An employee loses the meaning of work, but the “diagnosis” is often not yet apparent to him.

How to distinguish burnout from depression and fatigue

Fatigue and laziness still pass after resting and engaging in an exciting hobby. You will not be able to get out of the burnout state by willpower, or distract yourself from it by switching to something else, since there are no more forces left. Unlike fatigue, burnout symptoms do not go away after rest. A person himself may think that he is just lazy, thinking that something needs to be done, but laziness leads to anxiety. 

The fact that you are not tired, but the presence of the following symptoms can determine burnout:

  • Pessimism and increased anxiety.
  • The feeling that everyone is unhappy with you, that you are guilty of something.
  • Constant negative thoughts and memory impairment.
  • Uncontrolled appetite or unwillingness to eat.
  • Colds, fatigue.
  • Lack of interest in what used to interest you.
  • Being late for work and not wanting to do it.
  • A decrease in enthusiasm for work and a fascination with mood stimulants.

It is sometimes difficult to distinguish between burnout and depression on your own since depression follows from burnout if you do not determine your condition in time. Symptoms of depression are often similar to symptoms of burnout. We recommend contacting a psychotherapist when you have thoughts of suicide, a pathological sense of guilt, a lack of faith in the future, and a feeling of extreme fatigue. You will not be able to cope with depression on your own.

Who can burn out

The peculiarity of burnout is that people who are highly motivated and involved in work from the beginning can burn out, lose interest in life, and work faster than others. Employees wholly absorbed in work devote as much time to it as possible. However, this can lead to overworking, inability to disconnect from work and a constant desire to work even in your spare time. The lack of rest begins to affect your well-being negatively, and when you realise this, it’s too late: the work has taken all your strength, and it has become difficult and unpleasant.

The causes of burnout may be the same, but they manifest themselves differently depending on the circumstances. Hyper-responsible and striving for perfection, people who always try to please and achieve high results are especially susceptible to this.

Employees who face constant criticism and pressure, contradictory instructions, and a lack of communication culture in the team and from management can burn out. An irregular work schedule with high responsibility and no switching options also leads to professional burnout.

At risk for burnout:

  • Top management and heads of company departments due to multitasking and irregular employment.
  • Employees whose functions are related to constant communication with people include doctors, teachers, psychologists, customer service specialists, and emergency services staff.
  • Freelancers and remote workers often burn out due to the demands from management and clients to always be online or in touch, even after hours. Therefore, they cannot disconnect their thoughts from work tasks.

How not to burn out

You can prevent professional burnout if you learn how to set goals, plan, and act. The anticipation of positive results stimulates the production of the hormone dopamine in the body, which helps to avoid burnout. Actions aimed at achieving your goals increase self-esteem and self-worth.

If you feel that burnout is possible, make two lists:

  1. A list of activities you enjoy. Try to do at least some things on this list daily.
  2. A list of things that take away your strength. Try to delegate such cases or do them less often.

If you have already discovered burnout, take urgent measures to improve your condition:

1. Conversation with the supervisor

Try to formulate your problem and talk to your supervisor. You may be able to remove what causes burnout from your work.

2. Support

Close people can listen to your problems, contact them. When this is not possible, or you are not sure that your loved ones are ready to support you, contact a psychotherapist.

3. Physical activity

Get into the habit of going to the gym regularly or at least doing exercises. Physical activity helps to cope with stress, distracts from sad thoughts and leads to an excellent physical shape as a bonus.

4. Sleep

Try to fall asleep and wake up at the same time. This way, you will restore your well-being.

5. Mindfulness practices

Try to focus on your breathing, on your feelings and sensations, on what you are doing. Mindfulness practices help you be more open.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
8 Kirova street, office 21, Minsk 220003
+375 (29) 366 44 77

How to Onboarding IT Specialists Remotely

The transition to remote work has become the norm for many companies, especially in the IT sector in Belarus. In remote work, ensuring the effective onboarding of specialists is essential for the formation of a productive work environment. Remote work provides unique opportunities but requires a particular approach to adapting to new employees.

Recruiters discusses the main features of onboarding remote employees of IT companies in this article , which will help integrate new employees into the team, support their professional development and increase overall productivity in remote work.

What is onboarding? Why is it important?

Onboarding can be described as staff adaptation, introduction to work tasks, familiarisation with the company structure, colleagues and management, setting up corporate access, support during the trial period, supervision, and mentoring. It is crucial for the triumphant entry of an employee into the team, their understanding of the project, their tasks, and the rules of communication with colleagues. 

The lack of a corporate onboarding strategy and employees who are “guides” to the world of a new company leads to a decrease in the enthusiasm and effectiveness of specialists, especially at a remote location. A new employee may seem to have received a remote dream job but was left confused with a computer and a list of tasks, without understanding who to turn to, how and when. In such a situation, the employee’s enthusiasm quickly fades, and he usually changes his place of work or stops performing tasks. It slows the project, deadlines are violated, customers and management are dissatisfied, and the company’s reputation suffers. Of course, these are extremes, but there is a need to understand the importance of onboarding new employees to work on projects and successfully complete company tasks.

What is the difference between onboarding in the office and on the remote?

First, about the general thing: both on the remote and in the office, the onboarding goals are the same. In each case, the company needs to make sure that the employee understands the company’s rules, integrates into the team, and knows his responsibilities. However, onboarding a remote employee is a separate problem related to interaction and socialisation.

Technical problems

In the office, in case of problems with equipment, it’s possible to go to the admins. You can ask a colleague at the following table about where to go. 

In the case of removal, the work schedules of different employees may differ, a new specialist, in the absence of technical information, will be nervous in case of problems, and the timing of work on the project may suffer. 

It is crucial to provide employees with access to equipment before they start performing work tasks on schedule. If something goes wrong, there will be time to sort out the problems before the task is timed.

Communication issues

In the offices of the scrum master, managers solve the problem of social adaptation for a new team member by introducing him to colleagues and encouraging conversations during coffee breaks and other work events.

In remote conditions, a different strategy is needed. It is necessary to think over and create online channels for interacting with new employees and colleagues, organise the possibility of video calls and document exchange in group chats, and set up informal chats for one-on-one communication.

Compliance issues

Implementation of corporate compliance (compliance with the rules) when working in the office has been worked out enough: employees are introduced to corporate policies. With regard to IT specialists, it is usually about meeting information security requirements, following the company’s values, and following the rules of communication with colleagues, managers, customers, and government agencies.

In a remote environment, controlling employees’ fulfilment of compliance requirements is much more difficult. Companies usually develop online reference books and video courses to familiarise themselves with the values. The submission form should allow new freedom-loving employees to learn the company’s basic rules. Video calls are periodically held to discuss compliance issues in a conversation format.

Social issues

When working in the office, such issues are solved easier since the employee turns to colleagues, the head, whom he knows.

When working remotely, you need to consider the scheme of online interaction of a new employee on social issues and inform him about who and how he can contact, in what form, and how quickly he will receive feedback. In the case of onboarding remote IT employees from different countries, you need to learn more about the differences in traditions and legislation not only from the employee but also from an independent expert.

Getting to know the team

In the office, a newcomer is usually introduced to the team. Then, he begins to perform his tasks with or without a mentor, talks during coffee breaks and learns more about the team’s role distribution and colleagues’ personalities.

In remoteness conditions, they organise a beginner’s acquaintance with the team on a video call. Part of the meeting is reserved for informal communication, where each employee tells himself what he considers possible and his role in the team, and the same is offered to the newcomer. 

Paperwork issues

On the first day of work in the office, a beginner signs all documents related to his employment and compliance. 

On a remote basis, a beginner will have to come to the office himself, or the company will have to arrange the transfer of physical documents for signing. For the employee to see, read the necessary documents, they organise the placement of documents in the confluence. If required, the employee can find a document that he saw on paper for a short time and read it.

Onboarding IT Specialists Remotely Belarus

Onboarding checklist

We recommend checking your onboarding system for remote IT employees using the checklist.

1. Create a 90-day employee adaptation roadmap.

In most cases, employees leave during the first 90 days of work. Therefore, 90 days of employee adaptation coincides with the maximum probation period under the law.

Start by developing a 90-day plan defining the goals, milestones, and critical steps that need to be completed in adapting to remote work. Of course, you can be flexible: shorten or extend the time depending on the specific role. The adaptation plan can be structured as follows:

  • Week 1: orientation, introduction to the company and initial training.
  • Weeks 2-4: In-depth training, virtual learning and goal setting.
  • Weeks 5-8: Participation in company-wide training, regular checks and discussion of productivity feedback.
  • Weeks 9-12: Increased autonomy, active participation in team projects and discussion of career growth.

2. Send a preliminary resource pack or a “welcome pack”.

A welcome package is a set of materials that contains valuable information and resources for a new team member. Depending on the content, it can be provided in print, physical, or digital form. The employee must receive it before the first working day to have enough time to familiarise himself with the material and resolve all issues.

We recommend that you include in the “welcome pack”:

  • A welcome letter from the management.
  • A booklet or presentation about the company’s mission, history, values and structure.
  • A guide for employees describing the company’s internal processes, policies, and contacts on various issues.
  • Access information.
  • Branded accessories can be physical gifts.

3. Explain the communication channels

Explain to the employee in the welcome package or separately about the communication methods used in the company. Introduce him to the communication channels adopted by the company for different purposes and explain how to use them. 

4. Plan the first day

On the first day with a new employee, explain what he should do, what and where to watch and read, with whom, in which messenger, at what time to communicate, and what to discuss. It is a good idea to arrange a video call at a convenient time for the employee to ensure that he is guided and to remind him that he is not alone. During the call, indicate to the employee his work for the day.

5. Arrange a virtual meeting “let’s get to know each other”

A few days after starting work, the employee already realises he is among colleagues, although remotely. At this time, it is better to organise an online team meeting so that everyone can introduce themselves and talk about themselves and their tasks on the project and in the company, and a new employee can do the same. Team members should be asked to create a supportive atmosphere.

6. Conduct training sessions

In the early days of a new company, any employee needs assistance with information. Training relevant to the employee’s role will help him better understand the company’s products and services. It can be a two-hour training session or several days, depending on the employee’s role and immersion in the tasks. You can even formally evaluate the employee’s training.

7. Carry out regular checks

The employee’s compliance with the adaptation guidelines should be checked regularly. Ask the employee to periodically fill out online questionnaires to analyse his adaptation and plan his individual development in the company. Allocate time at each meeting to receive feedback from the employee about his experience in a new company.

Collecting feedback from an employee for all 90 days according to the plan will help in subsequent work with this and other employees. It will be helpful to collect feedback from the employee’s immediate supervisor.

How to know that the onboarding was successful on the remote?

A new employee may be looking for a new job, although his supervisor believes the onboarding was successful. To prevent this, onboarding success should be evaluated during regular video meetings before the adaptation program’s end.

It is also possible to think of metrics to evaluate the success of onboarding a remote specialist. Metrics can be financial and “human”. Financial ones help to calculate the costs of adapting an employee, and human ones help to assess how quickly an employee got to work effectively and how satisfied he is with the adaptation.

Performance review

PR (Performance Review) is the last stage of onboarding. In a video meeting, a new employee, mentor and supervisor discuss how the employee has completed the “roadmap” over the past three months. Feedback is exchanged. 

Before such a meeting, an employee can send a questionnaire evaluating his adaptation to the company. These questionnaires will help to assess the quality of the onboarding process in the company and identify growth points and what can be changed.

There are many ideas to make the remote onboarding process of IT specialists successful and useful for the company and for the specialists. We recommend getting acquainted with the cases of large companies and improving your experience based on feedback from new employees. The most important thing in onboarding a remote IT employee is to keep in touch with them and receive feedback. It is necessary to define the goals that should be achieved by each planned meeting and compare these goals with the adaptation “roadmap”.

We’re Here to Help

If you contact us by the email we guarantee that you will receive a feedback from us within 2 (two) hours on any business day and within 6 (six) hours on any other day (holidays etc.).

info@recruitment.by
8 Kirova street, office 21, Minsk 220003
+375 (29) 366 44 77