Recruiting and hiring are important steps for all companies, and that includes yours no matter where you’re located. You need to find talented candidates to fill your open positions, and you have to follow Guatemala’s employment compliance laws throughout the entire process. These requirements are on top of growing your company to a new location and handling compensation, benefits, payroll, and more.
G-P offers an easier solution through Guatemala hiring outsourcing. We can source the right employees and hire them through our Employer of Record solution to work on your behalf. Our goal is to help you work smarter and faster without worrying about compliance.
Recruiting in Guatemala
In Guatemala, all official transactions are conducted in Spanish. However, more than 20 Mayan languages exist. Some of the largest Maya groups include:
- Mam: Located in the West
- K’iche’: Mostly in the North and west of Lake Atitlán
- Kaqchikel: Populated from the eastern shores of Lake Atitlán to Guatemala City
- Q’eqchi’: Located in the sierras to the north and west of Lake Izabal
While many Maya know Spanish, more Maya languages are used daily and in literature. Consider having a translator available to help you communicate with potential Maya candidates. You can also translate documents into different languages to make sure everyone in the company can read what you publish.
The next step to staffing and recruiting in Guatemala is knowing where to find the right talent. More recruiters are starting to use information from social networking sites. You can also use websites with classifieds or job search engines to advertise your positions. Some local newspapers and information boards will also present your vacancies.
Some general job boards include:
- Opcion Empleo
- Computrabajo
- Tecoloco
- Go Abroad
If you’re planning to hire English teachers, you can advertise jobs on ESL 101 and ESL employment. A common interview technique today is to use remote video interviews, which can also help you save money, especially if you’re hiring an English teacher or expat abroad.
Legal & Background Checks
Employers do not have any specific restrictions against carrying out background checks on potential employees in this country, but the Guatemalan Constitution says you cannot use police or criminal records to restrict anyone’s right to work. If you’re working with a third party, they can carry out the background check on your behalf. If the background check involves accessing personal information that isn’t voluntarily disclosed by the applicant, however, the potential hire must provide written consent.
Laws Against Discrimination in Guatemala
The Guatemalan Labor Code also prohibits any type of discrimination that would affect an individual’s access to work. You cannot discriminate against someone based on:
- Gender
- Race
- Ethnicity
- Language
- Age
- Religion
- Political beliefs
- Economic situation
- Where they were educated
- Illness, including HIV/AIDS
- Disability
If you practice any kind of discrimination while staffing your Guatemala business, you can be punished with a prison term and a fine, with more severe penalties if the discrimination is based on language, culture, or ethnicity.
How to Hire Employees in Guatemala
Guatemala’s employment compliance laws require you hire employees with either a fixed- or indefinite-term employment contract. These contracts must be in writing, and you’ll need to produce three copies of each. Your employee will keep a copy, you’ll retain another, and the third will go to the Directorate General of Labor within 15 days of hiring the employee.
We recommend writing the employment contract in your employee’s local language. By law, every contract should include important hiring terms such as workplace, duties, schedule, compensation, benefits, entitlement and termination terms, and related factors. All salary and compensation amounts should be in quetzales instead of another currency.
Guatemala Employment Laws
Once you hire Guatemalan employees, you need to meet or exceed all employment laws. For example, Guatemala’s employment compliance laws stipulate that employees should work a 44-hour week. As an employer, you need to approve all overtime before an employee works any additional hours.
Employers with more than three employees are obligated to register their employees with the Social Security Institute and include their start date, social security number, salary amount, and more. Employees who have never reported to social security must apply for identification and social security ID numbers.
Onboarding in Guatemala
Once employees fill out the right paperwork, you can onboard them using a process that makes the most sense for your company. You can onboard multiple employees at one time to streamline the process or work with employees one-on-one. We recommend reviewing the employment contract during the employee’s first day or week. It’s also a good idea to provide any training the employee will need to succeed in their new position.
Benefits of Hiring Outsourcing in Guatemala
Instead of trying to learn Guatemala’s employment compliance laws and how to hire Guatemalan employees, you can reap the benefits of working with G-P. Our Guatemala hiring outsourcing services will help you start working faster and provide a better hiring experience for your employees. Plus, you can feel confident that your company will stay compliant with our experts behind you.
Work With G-P To Expand Globally
At G-P, we understand how important expansion is to your company, and we’ll work hard to help you succeed. Contact us today to learn more about Guatemala hiring outsourcing.