The employer cost is generally estimated at 35% of the employee salary.

• Social welfare fund - Social security - 6%
• Social welfare fund - Pension - 28%
• Injury Insurance - 0.6%
• Bank commission for transferring to employee's card - 0.5%

Pregnant employees, who have worked for a minimum of 6 months with the same employer, are entitled to 126 calendar days of paid leave. This increases to 140 calendar days in cases of complicated childbirth or birth of 2 or more children. The employee will receive 100% of their average salary during this period.

If the employer has 15 or more employees, this leave is paid by the employer. If the employer has less than 15 employees then this leave is paid by social security.

The employee can extend leave through parental (childcare) leave.

Employees are entitled to 3 years of parental leave until the child turns 3 years old. Either parent can take parental leave and both can decide how to distribute the time off. They will receive a childcare leave allowance that is set by law. The allowance for the first child is BYN 539.56, and for subsequent children is BYN 693.72.

If the employer has 15 or more employees, this leave is paid by the employer. If the employer has less than 15 employees then this leave is paid by social security.

Women can start working full-time before the 3 years, but they will lose part of their allowance.

Employees are entitled to paid sick leave for up to 120 calendar days. This leave is paid by the employer and then deducted from the employer’s monthly payments to the State Social Welfare Fund. Leave is paid at different rates depending on the length of sick leave:

Terminations in Belarus can be complex. There is no at-will termination in Belarus for employers, outside of the probation period, and termination must be done for just cause.

Compliant terminations include:

• Voluntarily by the employee
• By mutual agreement
• Unilaterally by the employer based on:
  • Probation period
  • Staff reduction
  • Liquidation of the organization
  • Inconsistency of the employee with the position
  • Inconsistency with the work performed due to the state of health
  • Inadequacy of the employee for the position held due to insufficient qualifications
  • Non-fulfillment of labor duties by an employee without good reason
  • Gross violation of labor duties by an employee, recognized as such in accordance with legislative acts
• By the expiration of the contract

Notice will depend on the reason for termination.

• Mutual agreement - no notice period
• An employment contract is concluded and dismissal is at the employee’s request - 1 month notice period
• Early termination of the contract by the employer - 1 month notice period
• Liquidation of the company - 2 months’ notice period

In Belarus, severance pay depends on the cause for termination.

Belarus celebrates 9 national holidays. National holidays include:

1. New Year
2. Nativity of Christ (Orthodox Christmas)
3. Women's Day
4. Radunitsa
5. Labor Day
6. Victory Day
7. Independence Day
8. October Revolution Day
9. Catholic Christmas

Contracts must be in Russian or Belarusian and can be bilingual. They must be in writing and signed by both parties.

A contract must include:

• Details of the organization and the employee
• Position
• Date of admission
• Terms of work
• Working hours
• Salary
• Bonuses
• Number of vacation days
• Rights and obligations of the employer
• Rights and obligations of the employee