An important aspect of any expansion is sourcing the correct compensation and benefits for employees. First, you have to learn all of Ukraine's compensation laws, then ensure every employee receives the right...
Read MoreAn important aspect of any expansion is sourcing the correct compensation and benefits for employees. First, you have to learn all of Ukraine's compensation laws, then ensure every employee receives the right guaranteed and supplemental benefits. This work is all on top of running a new location in a foreign country.
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An important aspect of any expansion is sourcing the correct compensation and benefits for employees. First, you have to learn all of Ukraine’s compensation laws, then ensure every employee receives the right guaranteed and supplemental benefits. This work is all on top of running a new location in a foreign country.
Globalization Partners can help the process through Ukraine compensation and benefit outsourcing. As a global PEO, we can use our existing subsidiary and connections to find top talent for your open positions. Then, we’ll create a Ukraine benefit management plan that will cover all your employees and keep you compliant.
Ukraine’s minimum wage was raised to UAH 60,000 per month in 2021. Ukraine changes these wages frequently, so it’s important to check for any new wages to ensure you’re staying compliant. If you’re hiring for skilled positions, you can negotiate a monthly salary with the employee.
Any hours over a typical 40-hour workweek are considered overtime and should get paid at 100% over an employee’s normal salary. Employees cannot work more than two hours a day of overtime in two days or more than 120 hours per year. However, these compensation laws can change depending on certain labor agreements.
Your Ukraine benefit management plan must include guaranteed benefits required by law. For example, the country celebrates 11 public holidays for which employees get the day off. Employees are also entitled to a minimum of 24 vacation days each year. Disabled employees, caretakers, and individuals over 55 get an additional three days off. Plus, employees can take a maximum of seven days paid for personal situations such as a marriage or death in the family.
Maternity leave is another guaranteed benefit in Ukraine. Female employees get 70 days of maternity leave before the delivery and then 56 or 70 days off after the delivery. Women can also take partially paid leave until their child gets to be three years old. The country does not offer any statutory paternity leave.
When you’re ready to disperse benefits, you need to add supplemental ones into your Ukraine benefit management plan. Ukraine does not have a high-quality public healthcare system, so employees often provide private health insurance coverage. Meal vouchers are another optional benefit commonly provided to Ukrainian employees.
Although Ukraine does not require a 13th-month bonus like other countries, many employees still provide one. This bonus is considered a gratuity, and employees will provide either that or other performance-based bonuses.
If you do not take advantage of Ukraine benefit outsourcing, you must establish a subsidiary before working in Ukraine. The subsidiary setup process can take months and cost a significant amount of money. With Globalization Partners, you won’t have to establish a subsidiary first. We’ll help you start working in a few days and source all the benefits and compensation you need to encourage employees to stay at your company.
To support your company’s growth internationally, you need to balance legal compliance with budget requirements as you build a benefits program. You also want to meet local market standards and be competitive in the region. When you address these considerations, you’ll be able to more effectively build your hiring, recruiting, and retention strategies in Ukraine.
Engaging your employees is a top priority whenever you’re building a team in a new country. Your company must balance several critical considerations as you develop a benefits plan, including legal compliance and local market standards. Beyond balancing these factors, you also want to demonstrate that you value your employees’ contributions to your team. Taking the time to understand your workers’ top requirements and tailoring your benefits offerings to meet those needs can help you more successfully recruit and retain employees.
You can provide benefits to support your employees throughout various life events and help set them up for success. From coverage to help in a crisis to a company mobile phone or car to meet practical needs, your benefits provisions can go a long way toward supporting your employees’ individual and professional growth.
Some supplemental benefits you could provide for your workers include:
National labor laws outline specific provisions that you must include in your benefits packages. To stay compliant, you’ll need to provide these mandatory benefits:
Your benefits strategy will look somewhat different in every country, as each locale will have unique regulations and market conditions. That said, you can follow some general principles.
Establishing a benefits budget is one of the first steps you’ll need to take. You might opt to set aside a percentage of revenue rather than a specific amount, as doing so will make it easier to scale your offerings as your company grows.
Your program scope and priorities will depend on your company’s goals. Consider how you want to support your employees and what resources you have available. If you want to hire a small core team and focus on retention, you might offer a wider range of supplemental benefits.
If you want your plan to be competitive, you’ll need to research what other companies in your area and industry are offering. You can also explore local employees’ needs during this stage. Talk with them directly about the offerings they value most. Conduct interviews or send out questionnaires to discuss their top concerns and benefits they’d like to have.
Use your research to inform your benefits planning. Structure your offerings around the requirements, then apply the rest of your budget toward key benefits employees want. As you calculate your program costs, ensure that you factor in cost containment features, employee contributions, outsourcing requirements, and administration expenses.
Each company will have different benefits program costs based on their location, industry, and other unique considerations. A national average price for benefits administration may not be the most accurate metric for your calculations. Instead, focus on your own resources as you create a budget.
You are responsible for providing full pay for vacation and holiday leave. The state’s social insurance fund covers maternity benefits.
For sickness leave, you must pay for the first five days. The social insurance fund will cover any subsequent days.
You can calculate supplementary benefits based on market standards to provide competitive offerings for your employees.
You must pay a 22 percent tax for each employee as your employer contribution to the social insurance system. The medical insurance premiums you provide are considered part of taxable income for your employees, so you’ll need to withhold appropriate amounts.
Ukraine does have a public healthcare system that citizens can access. However, private health insurance options are also available, and many companies opt to provide supplemental coverage for workers.
At Globalization Partners, we provide tools and resources to help your company grow globally. Request a proposal today.
If you’re ready to grow your business, or you have questions about a specific country, complete the form. One of our experts will be in touch shortly.
