Independent contractors or freelancers are self-employed individuals who provide services to companies as a non-employee. This is one of the most common ways companies tend to hire non-local designers, engineers, support reps, etc.
For legal and tax purposes, independent contractors are not classified as employees. They may work for multiple clients, set their own work hours, negotiate their pay rate, and decide how a job gets done.
For example, the IRS says that if an independent contractor or freelancer does work that can be controlled (what will be done and how it will be done) by an employer then they are, in fact, classified as an employee.
As you can imagine, hiring someone as an independent contractor versus an employee is a fine line to tread.
While there are benefits when you choose the contractor route, there are quite a few drawbacks to consider and you’ll need to weigh them carefully to determine the best fit for your company.
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A foreign subsidiary is a company that operates overseas as part of a larger company who’s HQ is in another country.
Establishing a foreign entity is great for having an international presence and accessing new markets. Though, setting up a subsidiary in Belarus can be expensive, stressful, and time-consuming. It's not for the faint of heart.
To set up a subsidiary in Belarus, you have to:
If you're lucky, this process can take months. If you're not so lucky, it can take up to a year. And on average, it costs about $50k-$80k, all-in-all, to get setup. And that's just for Belarus.
An employer-of-record (EOR) is a company that hires and pays an employee on behalf of another company.
An EOR is typically used to overcome the financial and regulatory hurdles that often come with employing remote workers.
Each country has its own payroll, employment, and work permit requirements for non-resident companies doing business in their jurisdiction. Meeting those demands can be a huge obstacle when it comes to hiring remotely.
At Panther, we help companies employ and pay people in over 160 countries, without having to set up a foreign subsidiary. Payroll, benefits, taxes, compliance, and more are all handled by us, at a fraction of the cost.
Outside of saving you months and tens of thousands of dollars, other advantages of using Panther are:
Because you no longer have to set up your own subsidiary, you’ll save a ton of time and tens of thousands of dollars using Panther.
Paying employees in Belarus is not the same as paying workers in your own country. Employees have to be paid using Belarus’s employment and payroll standards.
This means that you have to know, understand, and keep up with 1) fluctuating currency changes, and 2) local payroll and tax laws in the countries you’re looking to hire in.
Outside of the laws and regulations around payroll, there may be different conditions surrounding leave, overtime, termination, and more. As you can imagine, maintaining this kind of regulatory knowledge can be challenging. But it is crucial and necessary to follow local legislation.
After, you’ll have to determine the best way to pay your international employees. This can be done in a number of ways, including but not limited to:
One of the most challenging (and expensive) parts of paying international employees is setting up the infrastructure to do so.
Before you start to run payroll, you have to register your company as the local employer in the country the worker resides in. As you can see in the “Set up a subsidiary” section, this is a multi-step process that can take up to a year and put you on your way to bankruptcy.
Outside of EORs acting as the full admin employer, many also provide remote payroll.
For example, at Panther, in just 1-click, you’re able to pay your entire global team, anywhere in the world. We send you an invoice each month, charge you in US Dollars, and pay your employees the same amount in their local currency.
We factor in currency fluctuations and use the mid-market rate plus any applicable fee passed on by our provider at cost at the time of billing.
Full Time employment is considered 40 hours weekly, and 8 hours daily.
Overtime should not exceed 12 hours daily, 10 hours weekly, and 180 hours annually. Time off is given in lieu of payment for overtime.
Employer
Salaries are paid on monthly basis, usually at the beginning of the following month. Also, it is possible for the company to pay a part of the salary in advance, approximately 40% of the salary is paid in the mid of the current month.
13th salaries are not required but are established by collective agreements or employment contracts. Although it is not required, it is common for CFOs or logistic managers to receive 13th salaries.
PTO is calculated by the:
There are 9 non-working public holidays.
The duration of sick leave entitlement provided to workers is dependent on how long they have been employed by their employer:
Current maternity leave in Belarus is:
126 days’ paid maternity leave (140 days if there are medical complications or if two and more kids are born),
3 years’ unpaid maternity leave during which time the job position must be kept open (the mother can resume work earlier if she wants to),
If another child is born during these 3 years, the maternity leave entitlement starts again.
Fathers can receive up to 14 days of unpaid leave in the first six months after the birth of a child.
See paternity leave.
Family Care Leave -An employee can take leave to care for a sick child under 14 years of age or a disabled child under 18.
None.
Employees are entitled to up to 2 days of paid leave following the death of a close family member.
In Belarus, an employment contract can be terminated in the following circumstances:
The notice period in Belarus is:
One month notice is required.
Severance payments are determined in the employment contract but generally should amount to 2 weeks of the employee’s average salary.
Employers can establish a probationary period of up to 3 months. For early termination during the probationary period, a minimum of 3 days’ notice is required.
