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Belgium Parliament adopts a vast package of new employment rules

2022-10-24T16:07:27+00:00

There's a new employee right to disconnect. Organisations with more than 20 employees will need to update their work regulations before 31st January 2023, setting out the organisation's policy when it comes to using digital and communications tools outside of the regular working hours. Compressed hours have been a possibility for several years already, where you squeeze your 38 hours into 4 rather long days rather than 5. However, now a full-time employee is entitled to request compressed hours over 2 weeks rather than 1 (working more one week and less the second). This is specifically targeted at co-parenting situations but any employee can request it. As the employer you can refuse to grant the request but you will have to justify your refusal. Compressed hours can be reviewed and either renewed or stopped every 6 months. If you employ more than 20 staff you will have to set up a formal training plan for your team setting out their training objectives for the year(s) to come. This needs to be ready by end of March 2023. If you have between 10 and 19 employees you need to offer one day of training per [...]

Belgium Parliament adopts a vast package of new employment rules2022-10-24T16:07:27+00:00

Employees MUST work from home until 27 April 2022

2022-02-04T10:47:50+00:00

Government guidelines published on 27 January 2022 extend the requirement to work from home until 27 April 2022 (as long as you can actuallydo your job from home). As before a maximum of 20% of employees can be present at any one time in the workplace. Arrêté royal modifiant l'arrêté royal du 28 octobre 2021 portant les mesures de police administrative nécessaires en vue de prévenir ou... (Moniteur belge, 27 janvier 2022, voir article 14)

Employees MUST work from home until 27 April 20222022-02-04T10:47:50+00:00

Start your own Business Seminar : 20 May 2021

2021-06-15T12:08:20+00:00

Start your own business in Belgium - Online Edition Thursday 20 May 2021 Welcome to the 2021 edition of Belgium's premier business start up event. This event is dedicated to helping you set up your business in Belgium. This half day seminar takes you through all the practical and essential steps you need to take to get your business up and running. Local Knowledge has teamed up with ING, The Bulletin, Group S and LBBH to bring you expert advice on how to start your own business in Belgium. Once again this event is running as an interactive webinar – read on for more details. Registration is free but compulsory. Date: 20 May 2021 Platform – Webinar – Room opens 13h45 14h00 Opening session: Introduction to the format and the speakers 14h10 Keynote - hear from a local entrepreneur 14h40 Each expert introduces their subject - company structures, social security for self-employed, tax matters, banking and finance. 15h00 Parallel break out rooms - you move from session to session to get more information on each of the issues that interest you. We also have a facilitated networking room where you can chat informally to other participants. Post your questions in the chat session [...]

Start your own Business Seminar : 20 May 20212021-06-15T12:08:20+00:00

Working from home – here’s how to stay sane!

2021-04-14T16:22:44+00:00

The Louvain4Work team have produced a new paper on staying sane while working from home. Composed of an interdisciplinary consortium of UCLouvain professors and researchers who study different aspects of work in the context of their research the short guide contains some useful tips on how to cope with this prolonged period of home working. You can read the report here: Tips on Working from Home and find out more about their work here: www.uclouvain.be/louvain4work

Working from home – here’s how to stay sane!2021-04-14T16:22:44+00:00

All temporary unemployment measures rolled forward to 30 June 2021

2021-04-14T11:34:59+00:00

Employers can continue to use the Corona temporary unemployment measures but only if they have used the scheme for at least 20% of regular working hours during April, May and June 2020. If not, they need to use the regular temporary unemployment scheme which requires proof of loss of revenue. These new rules have not yet been published in the Official Journal but they are expected to come in the coming days. Source: SDWorx

All temporary unemployment measures rolled forward to 30 June 20212021-04-14T11:34:59+00:00

Quarantine after your summer holidays?

2020-07-24T07:43:05+00:00

What happens if one of your employees has to quarantine for two weeks when they get back from holiday? If she or he can't work from home then his/her employment contract is considered to be suspended for the duration of the quarantine. You can hire a temp or a student to fill in for the duration of the quarantine period.   Source: Partena Professional

Quarantine after your summer holidays?2020-07-24T07:43:05+00:00

Extension of validity of meal vouchers and eco-vouchers?

2021-02-06T15:41:41+00:00

Due to the coronavirus epidemic (COVID-19),  the Belgian government took exceptional and temporary measures and closed many shops and all restaurants. This has had a significant impact on employees' ability to spend  meal vouchers, eco-vouchers, and gift vouchers. They have all now been extended by 6 months. This will be processed automatically on an employee's individual card. Source: viabelgium

Extension of validity of meal vouchers and eco-vouchers?2021-02-06T15:41:41+00:00

Special corona parental leave for May/June 2020

2020-05-05T15:09:47+00:00

Employees who have been working for at least one month can reduce their working schedule by 1/5th or ½ for their children under 12, during the period from 1st May to 30th June 2020 included. This coronavirus parental leave won’t be deducted from their regular parental leave entitlement and the ONEM allowance will be 25% higher. The employer should approve the leave first; the employee must submit a request 3 days prior to the beginning of the leave. Find out more: https://www.onem.be/fr/nouveau/conge-parental-corona Source : ONEM

Special corona parental leave for May/June 20202020-05-05T15:09:47+00:00

Start your own Business Seminar 2020

2021-04-14T11:21:40+00:00

Start your own business in Belgium - Online Edition Thursday 14 May 2020 Welcome to 2020 edition of Belgium's premier business start up event. This event is dedicated to helping you set up your business in Belgium. This half day seminar takes you through all the practical and essential steps you need to take to get your business up and running. Local Knowledge has teamed up with ING, The Bulletin, Group S and LBBH to bring you expert advice on how to start your own business in Belgium. We’re adapting to the times and running the event as an interactive webinar this year – read on for more details. Registration is free but compulsory. Date: 14 May 2020 Platform – Webinar – Room opens 13h30 14h00 Opening session with Anne-Sofie van den Born 14h30 Types of company & freelancer structure in Belgium (Local Knowledge) 15h00 Self-employment & social security (Group S) 15h30 Tax matters (LBBH) 16h00 Banking and finance ING) 16h30 Open session: Ask an expert Key features Our audience is free to come and go as they please so it is not a requirement to attend all sessions – you can zoom in on the sessions that are of interest to you We will [...]

Start your own Business Seminar 20202021-04-14T11:21:40+00:00

Get work permits faster

2020-04-26T11:53:31+00:00

The Belgian authorities have recently taken a series of measures to speed up the work permit application process.   Last year the authorities introduced a single permit (permis unique in French, gecombineerde vergunning in Dutch) which combines the work and residence permits (managed by two different authorities). This was done to speed things up in the long run but in fact the effect was to dramatically increase the processing time. To address the delays the government has introduced two new measures:    First the ‘office des etrangers’ (OE) will received more staff – they suffer from a permanent shortage of staff which is one of the reasons for the lengthy waiting time.     Two, non-EU nationals who are awaiting a work permit renewal can continue to work as usual as long as the regional migration office has approved the renewal – while waiting for the OE’s approval the commune will give the employee a temporary right to reside in Belgium. Third country nationals who change employer can also work under the same arrangements as long as the regional migration service has approved the new employer application.     The national social security office) is in the process of developing [...]

Get work permits faster2020-04-26T11:53:31+00:00