Bulgaria is a country in southeastern Europe that borders the Black Sea. Although it’s a great location in which to expand and pursue business relationships in western and eastern Europe, Bulgaria has a population of only 7 million people, which can make it challenging to hire.
Instead of searching endlessly for the right candidates and learning how to hire Bulgarian employees, you can rely on G-P to help. When we act as the Employer of Record, we can hire employees that work on your behalf. Our Bulgaria hiring outsourcing services will help take the stress of both recruiting and compliance off your shoulders.
Recruiting in Bulgaria
Consider the logistics of recruiting and staffing overseas. Using the most lucrative recruitment channels and ensuring that your company is compliant with country-specific legal requirements will go a long way toward a recruitment process that’s as quick and successful as possible.
When it comes to sourcing talent, your company can choose from a few recruitment channels. If you’re handling staffing on your own, you might want to advertise your open positions online or list them in Bulgarian newspapers. You can also outsource the recruitment process using a local agency or global PEO. If you do, make sure the organization you select has the experience and qualifications to deliver the results you want.
Laws Against Discrimination in Bulgaria
Bulgaria has several legal protections in place to prevent discrimination. The Bulgarian constitution states that all citizens are equal before the law, and further legislation forbids direct or indirect discrimination based on the following traits and characteristics:
- Nationality
- Race
- Gender
- Human genome
- Origin
- Ethnicity
- Citizenship
- Religion or belief
- Marital status
- Sexual orientation
- Age
- Disability
- Property status
As the employer, it’s up to you to comply with these laws throughout the recruiting and hiring processes and beyond. To stay compliant, be selective with the language you use in your job postings. Avoid mentioning protected traits, such as age, unless they are inherent requirements for the open position. You should also avoid direct inquiries about these protected characteristics, even in casual conversations with prospective employees.
How to Hire Employees in Bulgaria
Before hiring Bulgarian employees, you should understand how culture impacts the hiring process. Bulgarians are known for being friendly and helpful, and many speak multiple languages. Instead of emailing, calling, or texting to communicate, they prefer face-to-face meetings.
Unlike citizens in the US, Bulgarians nod their heads to signal “no” and shake their heads to say “yes.” Most people in the country are extremely talkative and find it rude to get interrupted, so you should plan for long meetings. Organizations in Bulgaria are very hierarchical, which can impact how you hire employees and run meetings.
Bulgaria Employment Laws
Bulgaria employment compliance laws require employers to create a written employment contract for all employees they hire and inform the authorities of all new contracts. Most contracts extend indefinitely, but fixed-term contracts are allowed if the employment period is less than three years, an employee is completing a specific project, or you’re replacing an employee on legal leave such as maternity leave.
All employment contracts should include information about compensation, benefits, termination terms, and similar factors. Make sure your employment contract is in your employee’s native language and all compensation and salary amounts are in Bulgarian Lev instead of foreign currency.
The standard workweek for employees in Bulgaria is 40 hours, worked eight hours daily over a five-day period. Overtime is generally prohibited, but there are some exceptions, including emergencies and intensive seasonal work. When permitted, overtime is allowed up to three hours per day over two days, 6 hours in a week, 30 hours in a month, and 150 hours in a year. Overtime limits are lower for night work. Overtime should be compensated as follows:
- 150% on regular days
- 175% on weekends
- 200% on holidays
Onboarding in Bulgaria
Every person learns differently, and every company has a specific way to introduce employees to their processes. Bulgaria employment compliance laws do not stipulate one way to onboard employees, so we recommend following a plan that works best for your company. You should provide any training the employee will need to succeed and review the employment contract during their first day to make sure both parties accept all the terms of employment.
Benefits of Hiring Outsourcing in Bulgaria
Instead of hiring employees in Bulgaria alone, you can choose to outsource. Your Bulgaria hiring outsourcing choices include a recruitment agency or a global PEO. While a recruitment or hiring agency can help you find worthy candidates, you’ll still be responsible for onboarding those employees and making sure you’re meeting Bulgaria’s employment compliance laws.
G-P is a global PEO that can do both. We’ll hire Bulgarian employees who work on your behalf, then we’ll take on all the responsibility of compliance. With us on your team, you can focus on running your company instead of worrying about hiring and employment compliance.
Work With G-P To Expand Globally
G-P will strive to make your expansion easier and more productive. Contact us today to learn more.