Hiring the right team members can make or break your expansion journey. Before making the move to Belgium, you’ll have to learn all of the country’s employment laws, recruit candidates, and establish a subsidiary. Although setting up your subsidiary is a necessary first step, it can take weeks or months to incorporate, potentially causing you to lose time and good job candidates.
As a global Employer of Record (EOR), G-P can help you hire employees in Belgium quickly and compliantly. We’ll use our Belgium subsidiary to hire employees on your behalf, helping you kickstart operations in just a few days.
Recruiting in Belgium
Utilizing the right recruitment channels and following all of the country-specific laws are just as important as understanding the culture when you’re recruiting and hiring in Belgium. When it comes to sourcing talent in the country, corporate job sites are popular among companies looking to fill office positions. Recruitment agencies are somewhat popular as well. You can also use job sites, such as Indeed, to advertise your company’s open positions.
Laws against discrimination in Belgium
Belgium has a set of laws in place to prevent discrimination, and it’s critical for your team to keep this legislation in mind during the recruitment process and beyond. The law forbids discrimination on the following grounds:
- Racial criteria
- Sexual orientation
- Age
- Social background
- Trade union beliefs
- Religious or ideological beliefs
- Disability
- Civil status
- Birth
- Wealth
- Political beliefs
- State of health
- Physical characteristics
With so many protected characteristics to keep in mind, you’ll need to stay mindful of the language you use in interviews and job advertisements. While some of these traits might come up in casual conversations with candidates, be sure to avoid asking direct questions about them.
How to hire employees in Belgium
Learning how to hire employees in Belgium can be a challenge because of the prevalence of trade unions and Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) in the country. Most companies’ wages are fixed through a CBA, and trade unions and employers frequently negotiate changes to these contracts. Salaries increase each year automatically based on the health index and cost of living increases.
Belgium also promotes hiring local employees over non-EU citizens. Employers must apply for work permits for citizens outside of the EU and need to demonstrate that they could not find a local employee to fill the position.
Belgium employment laws
Belgium’s employment laws require employers to draft an employment contract that includes compensation, benefits, and entitlement and termination terms. Your contracts should be in the local language and use euros for all salary and compensation amounts.
Another aspect of employment compliance is working hours. Employees cannot work over 38 hours, and if they do, they should get paid overtime unless they’re a senior executive or manager. Compensation of overtime is compulsory and depends on the day and time the employee works.
Onboarding in Belgium
Onboarding employees looks different for every company, but you can take certain steps to ensure a smooth experience. But before that, you’ll need to register the employee with different government authorities, an insurance agency, a health provider, and Dimona, an electronic system used for social security.
After that, you’re free to onboard employees using a process that works best for your company. We recommend reviewing the employment contract, CBA, and other important documents with employees on their first day. Providing job training can also help prepare employees for their positions and give them more information about your company culture.
Grow globally with G-P.
G-P never forgets that behind every hire is a human being. That’s why we’ve backed our fully customizable suite of global employment products with our robust team of HR and legal experts, so we can remain at your side, ready to support you as you build your global teams. With the #1 global employment platform, you have the recruitment tools and services you need to find your perfect full-time or contract match.
Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you recruit, hire, and onboard anyone, anywhere.