Employer of Record (EOR) in Botswana

G-P’s Employer of Record (EOR) model allows your company to start hiring talent in minutes via our global entity infrastructure. Unlike a Professional Employer Organization (PEO), G-P allows your company to expand your global footprint without the hassle of entity setup and management.

Our global employment products, including G-P Meridian Prime™ and G-P Meridian Core™, are backed by the largest team of HR and legal experts in the industry. We handle the growing complexities of compliant global expansion — so you can focus on opportunities ahead.

As a global EOR expert, we manage payroll, employment contract best practices, statutory and market norm benefits, employee expenses, as well as severance and termination. You’ll have peace of mind knowing you have a team of dedicated employment experts assisting with every hire. G-P allows you to harness the talent of the brightest people in 180+ countries around the world, quickly and easily.

Hiring in Botswana

Botswana is a country in Southern Africa. It’s one of the least densely populated countries in the world and has an unemployment rate of 22%. The country’s major exports include diamonds, copper and nickel, beef, and textiles.

When negotiating terms of an employment contract and offer letter with an employee in Botswana, it may be useful to keep the following in mind:

Employment contracts in Botswana

While it is not legally required to put a written employment contract in place in Botswana, it is best practice. The contract should be in the local language and should spell out the terms of the employee’s compensation, benefits, and termination requirements. An offer letter and employment contract in Botswana should always state the salary and any compensation amounts in pula rather than another currency.

Working hours in Botswana

In general, the workweek is limited to 48 hours, with no more than 9 hours per day for a 5-day week, or 8 hours per day for a 6-day week.

Employees are limited to 14 hours of overtime per week and are eligible for 1.5 times their normal hourly rate. Work on public holidays or rest time should be paid at twice the normal wage rate.

Holidays in Botswana

Botswana celebrates 8 national holidays:

• New Year’s Day
• Good Friday
• Easter Monday
• Labor Day
• President’s Day
• Day Following President’s Day
• Botswana Day
• Christmas Day

Vacation days in Botswana

Employees are generally entitled to 15 days of paid leave per year, 8 days of which must be taken within 6 months. The remaining days must be taken within 3 years.

Botswana sick leave

Employees are generally entitled to 20 days of paid sick leave per year and must provide a doctor’s certificate.

Maternity/paternity leave in Botswana

Expecting employees are generally entitled to 12 weeks of maternity leave, 6 weeks must be taken before the birth and 6 after. The employee must present a doctor’s certificate. Employees are eligible to receive at least 50% of their basic pay.

There is no statutory paternity leave.

Health insurance in Botswana

Public healthcare is available in Botswana, but it predominantly caters to lower socioeconomic groups, while expats and affluent locals rely on the private healthcare system or travel abroad for treatment.

Botswana supplementary benefits

It is customary to provide allowances to employees for medical insurance, pension, transportation, etc. These are not mandatory but rather discretionary.

Termination/severance in Botswana

Unskilled employees may serve a probationary period of up to 3 months and skilled employees for 12 months. Unskilled worker means any person employed in any industry which requires no particular training or skill. The probationary terms must be provided to the employee in writing before employment begins.

Both the employee and the employer may terminate the employment contract. Minimum notice, equivalent to the wage period, must be given or pay in lieu unless the employee is guilty of serious misconduct, then no notice is needed.

Managers, administrators, executives, and professional staff are generally entitled to severance after serving 60 months of continuous employment. The payment is equal to the rate of 1 day’s basic pay for each month served during the first 60 months and 2 days for each additional month served. Employees who receive a gratuity or pension at the end of employment are not entitled to the severance benefit.

Paying taxes in Botswana

There are no social security taxes in Botswana. All employees are required to pay income tax (PAYE).

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