Once you decide to open a new business location in Montenegro, you’ll have to focus on recruiting, hiring, and onboarding local talent in compliance with the country’s laws.
That’s where G-P can help. Our Employer of Record solutions are backed by the largest team of legal and HR experts to handle the complexities of compliance throughout the employee lifecycle, so you can focus on building your teams.
Recruiting in Montenegro
Understanding local employment laws and regulations is the first step to ensure you’re able to attract top talent compliantly.
As you being building your teams in Montenegro, your company has a few options to choose from:
- You can have your recruiting team handle the process in-house. You’ll want to advertise your open positions in local newspapers and post on job boards. You could also try connecting with candidates on social media. This process could take time, so it’s a good idea to start as soon as possible.
- You can hire a local recruitment agency. If you do, look out for hidden costs like fees built into your employees’ salaries. It’s also important to remember that you’re still responsible for compliance if you hire through a traditional agency.
- Your company could work with a global Employer of Record (EOR). An EOR streamlines each step of the global employment process, from hiring and onboarding to payroll setup and benefits administration, so you can ensure you’re building teams of the best talent in compliance with local laws.
Per law, employers are also required to notify Montenegro’s Employment Bureau of any job vacancy. However, these vacancies will only be made public at the request of the employer.
Laws against discrimination in Montenegro
Montenegro has laws in place to prevent discrimination during the recruiting and hiring process, so your company will need to be mindful of the language you use in job descriptions and advertisements, as well as throughout your conversations with potential hires. Montenegrin law prohibits discrimination on the following grounds:
- Social or ethnic origin
- Race
- National affiliation
- Skin color
- Language
- Gender
- Gender identity
- Religion or belief
- Health condition
- Age
- Disability
- Political or other opinions
- Sexual orientation or gender identity
- Financial status
- Marital or family status
- Pregnancy
- Membership of a group
- Other personal characteristics
How to hire employees in Montenegro
You’re required by law to hire all Montenegro employees using a written employment contract confirmed prior to their start date. You can tailor the contract to the employee’s position and choose a fixed-term or indefinite option. However, fixed-term contracts are only permitted for up to 3 years. All contracts should be in the local language and include certain terms such as salary, benefits, working hours, and termination requirements. Your offer letter and contract should also include monetary amounts in euros.
Montenegro employment laws
Montenegro’s employment laws include several important provisions for everything from non-discrimination to representation. As an employer, you cannot directly or indirectly discriminate against workers based on their gender, language, religion, race, age, or similar factors.
The country’s labor law also allows employees to organize and create unions. If employees belong to an organization, the trade union or Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) will outline separate laws you need to follow and also settle disputes between you and your team members.
It’s important to note that Montenegro’s Labour Act was updated and entered into force in 2020, replacing the 2008 Labour Act, and includes revised compliance regulations for CBAs, fixed-term contracts, working hours, and more.
Onboarding in Montenegro
The onboarding process differs for every company depending on size, operations, and more. Generally, it’s best to have employees sign their employment contract on their first day or during their first week. You should also start training employees right away so that they can succeed in their new positions. If you have the time to travel to Montenegro, you can onboard several employees at one time and hold a team meeting for new hires to meet each other and learn about your company.
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 our 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.