While there are many ways your business can succeed, one of the most important elements of success is your employees. You need to hire Sri Lanka employees who are talented, hardworking, and dedicated to your company. But how can you find those employees and hire them according to Sri Lanka’s employment compliance laws?
G-P offers Sri Lanka hiring outsourcing as part of our Global Expansion solution. We’ll either recruit top candidates for your positions or onboard the employees you’ve already chosen to hire. Your employees will get hired through our Sri Lanka PEO, but we will assign them to work for you. We’ll even manage the compliance on your behalf so that you can focus solely on building your business.
Recruiting in Sri Lanka
Your team will needs to consider the logistics of staffing overseas, such as the most efficient recruitment channels and the laws you’ll need to follow to make sure you stay compliant.
Sourcing talent is one of the first steps of the recruitment process in Sri Lanka. Your company has a few different approaches to choose from to accomplish this, such as:
- Handling recruitment in-house: If your team wants to take on the staffing process without outside assistance, you’ll probably want to start by posting your open positions online. Be sure to take advantage of popular job sites, like https://ikman.lk/en/jobs. You might also try advertising in local papers.
- Working with a traditional recruitment agency: Some international companies choose to speed up the recruitment process by partnering with a local hiring agency. While this option can get faster results than in-house recruiting, you’ll want to look out for hidden fees. Keep in mind that the compliance risks will ultimately fall on your shoulders as well.
- Partnering with a global PEO: Working with a global PEO as your Employer of Record can be an excellent way to save time and money when you’re recruiting in Sri Lanka. You won’t have to invest the time and effort required to set up your own subsidiary or handle compliance.
Laws Against Discrimination in Sri Lanka
As in any other country, it’s crucial to make sure your company follows all relevant laws and regulations when you’re staffing in Sri Lanka. During the recruitment process, most of your legal obligations have to do with providing equal opportunities to candidates. Sri Lanka’s constitution protects the country’s inhabitants from discrimination based on a variety of traits, including the following:
- Religion.
- Race.
- Language.
- Caste.
- Political opinion.
- Sex.
- Place of birth.
To ensure that your business stays compliant from day one in Sri Lanka, you’ll want to avoid making any direct inquiries about these characteristics during interviews, meetings, and conversations with potential hires.
How to Hire Employees in Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka allows you to hire employees using either an oral or written contract. That said, if you’re wondering about the best way to hire Sri Lankan employees, we recommend using a strong written contract that spells out all aspects of employment. You should include information about compensation, benefits, termination requirements, and working hours to stay compliant. Also, ensure that all salary and compensation amounts are in Sri Lankan rupees instead of another currency.
If you would rather hire Sri Lanka employees using a probation period, you can, as long as you negotiate and agree to the terms before they begin working for you. Typical trial periods are six months, with a three-month extension if necessary.
Sri Lanka Employment Laws
During the recruitment process, and even after you hire employees, you need to follow Sri Lanka’s employment compliance laws. For example, different sectors in Sri Lanka have their own laws and working hours. Office and shop workers have a standard 45-hour workweek, while factory workers work a maximum of 48 hours a week.
Overtime is capped at 12 hours per week. Any factory employee who works overtime should get at least 125% of their regular hourly wage, while shop and office workers should be paid at least 150%. While collective bargaining is allowed in Sri Lanka, the laws do not make it easy for unions to conduct business. Always check to see if a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) or trade union has power in your industry, as it could influence your employment contract.
Onboarding in Sri Lanka
After hiring your new employees, you need to create an onboarding system that will benefit both your new employee and your company. Since employment contracts are such a critical part of employment, we recommend reviewing those contracts with employees before they officially start. You can also provide a robust training program for employees to learn everything about their new positions and how your company operates.
Benefits of Hiring Outsourcing in Sri Lanka
If you choose Sri Lanka hiring outsourcing instead of handling the process yourself, you’ll receive many benefits. For example, you won’t have to worry about recruiting if you haven’t chosen candidates. G-P will take care of recruiting, onboarding, and meeting all of Sri Lanka’s employment compliance laws. You can trust that your employees will have a positive hiring experience, and they’ll help your company by being productive right away.
Work With G-P To Expand Globally
G-P is here to help you expand without any additional stress. Contact us today to learn more about Sri Lanka hiring outsourcing.