Officially known as the Republic of Belarus, this eastern European country is landlocked between Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Lithuania and Latvia. Russian and Belarusian are both official languages. Belarus shares close trading ties with Russia and has a robust agricultural industry. With favorable business conditions and direct access to the Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) markets, Belarus is an ideal location for expansion.
An employment contract must be written and there must be two copies. All pages must be signed. The employment contract must include:
It must also include the probation period. Employers can use fixed-term employment contracts, which must have a start and end date. These contracts end when the contract is complete if the specific task has been finished or if the climate ends seasonal work. Permanent contracts must have a start date but do not need an end date.
The standard workweek is 40 hours over five days. Overtime is capped at 180 hours a year, 10 hours a week and paid at a percentage of the basic rate.
Employees receive a large percentage of their salary for the first 12 days of illness and then 100% beyond that. The employer is responsible for paying this leave.
Female employees receive 126 days of maternity leave which increases to 140 days in the event of complications or multiple births. Female employees also receive three years of unpaid maternity leave, during which her position is secured. Maternity leave is covered by social security. Male employees can request 30 days of unpaid leave. There is no paid paternity leave.
Employees in Belarus are entitled to a minimum monthly. Bonuses are common, as is a 13th month of pay, although this is not required by law.
Employees receive 24 days of paid annual leave.
The state provides public healthcare. However, it is common for employers to offer supplementary private healthcare.
The probation period is capped at three months while a fixed-term contract can be a maximum of five years with no limit on renewals. The notice period is typically a month. However, if it is not specified in the contract, then it is three days during the probation period and then two months afterwards. Severance pay is capped at two weeks and is paid if the employee refuses to be relocated for work, is unwell, lacks the necessary qualifications or is called up for military service. It increases to three months for redundancies or bankruptcy.
We understand that local laws and regulations change and sourcing an accurate reference guide is not easy. Our data is researched and verified by our team of local international Employment Attorneys, HR and Benefit Professionals and Tax Accountants through our Atlas team and consultants, to ensure information up-to-date and accurate.
Our team of regional experts are here to support you with your global expansion plans. If you have any questions, just get in touch and we will be delighted to help.