Hiring the right individuals in Serbia can make all the difference in the success of your operations there. To do so, you’ll need to understand the workplace culture and business etiquette in Serbia as well as the laws surrounding hiring, recruiting, and employment.
However, establishing a subsidiary presents challenges to the hiring process. It can take weeks or months to incorporate before you can hire, leading talented candidates to look elsewhere for new positions. Luckily, G-P has an alternative. Our Employer of Record (EOR) solutions enable you to bypass entity setup and begin hiring in Serbia quickly and compliantly.
Recruiting in Serbia
You should spend some time familiarizing yourself with the more technical aspects of the recruitment process, including legal responsibilities. Noncompliance can result in costly setbacks and fees for your business, so it’s essential for you to understand the relevant laws.
Laws against discrimination in Serbia
Like many other countries, Serbia has a set of laws in place to protect employees from discrimination during the recruiting and hiring processes and beyond. Under the labor law in Serbia, employers cannot discriminate against workers or potential hires based on the following characteristics:
- Birth
- Gender
- Race
- Language
- Skin color
- Health condition
- Age
- Pregnancy
- Marital status
- Social background
- Religion
- Invalidity
- Nationality
- Sexual orientation
- Family commitments
- Political or other beliefs
- Financial capability
- Membership in political organizations or labor unions
- Other personal predispositions
With such a comprehensive list of protected characteristics in place, it’s important to be mindful of the language you use when you’re communicating with candidates in Serbia. Don’t list any traits in your job postings unless they are true requirements for the position. You should also think carefully about the questions asked during interviews — even in casual conversation.
Serbia employment laws
You must follow Serbia’s employment compliance laws from start to finish. The country’s labor laws allow fixed-term contracts of up to 24 months with the option to extend for 36 months, the length of the project, or the entire length of the employee’s remaining service if they are within 5 years of retirement.
Serbia requires a fixed-term or indefinite-term contract in the local language every time you hire an employee. The contract should spell out the terms of an employee’s compensation, benefits, and termination requirements. Make sure all compensation amounts are in dinar instead of another currency.
Onboarding in Serbia
Companies in Serbia are free to onboard employees in the way they see fit. Although Serbia’s employment compliance laws do not stipulate one way to onboard employees, there are a few steps employers can take to help employees feel more comfortable. For example, many companies read over the employment contract with new hires during their first day or week and review any company policies that would impact their position.
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 the #1 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.