Now that the ‘silly season’ has definitely arrived, we thought it might be fun to look at some different examples of employment law from the around the world and perhaps then count our blessings.
For example, did you know that, as an employer in Portugal, you can’t legally fire a member of staff? It is the employee who chooses to resign with a designated resignation ‘window’, which is a month long in the first two years and two months long thereafter.
So if you really want a member of staff to leave, you have to offer them money to go and hope they take it! If the situation is so bad that you have to sack them, you will need to pay them six months’ salary and could then be open to a claim of ‘abusive dismissal’.
And in Mexico, all businesses must participate in a profit sharing scheme in which employees receive 10 per cent of the company’s annual profits. Companies are also required to pay a year-end Christmas bonus to all employees equivalent to 15 days’ pay before December 20 each year, except those who have worked for the company for less than a year, in which they receive a pro rata bonus. But employees are only allowed 7 legal paid days off per year, although most companies throw in the many religious and national holiday days on top.
Workers in Singapore, apart from domestic servants, seamen, managers and executives – which is unusual collection of staff – are not required to work more than 8 hours per day and must have one rest day per week. Overtime is allowed but not for more than 72 hours per month.
And recruiting in Hungary could be viewed as fraught, as background checks and collecting ‘sensitive information’ are not allowed. Perhaps we do have it easy after all.