Category: Global Compliance

Payroll Practices in Colombia

An increasing number of companies are continuing to see Latin America as an attractive location to host foreign production and investments. As all global companies know, there are both pros and cons to creating business operations in multiple countries and staying compliant with different labor legislations can be a tricky standard to uphold. Colombia is a country that may be attractive for generating new business operations, but with complex and extensive payroll systems and requirements in this country, it is vital for global business operations to understand the local laws and mandates.

  • The GPS Team
  • 3 December, 2019
  • No Comments

Employment Contract Changes in Italy

Until 2018, Italy preferred using fixed-term employment agreements when hiring employees within organizations. While certain situations are preferable for the use of a fixed-term contract (such as when an employee will be hired to cover another employee’s leave of absence), having a majority of all employment agreements in Italy as fixed-term made employment, in general, more complicated than necessary.

  • The GPS Team
  • 26 November, 2019
  • No Comments

Working Remotely in Costa Rica

New legislation in Costa Rica has created an opportunity for employees to work remotely from their homes instead of traveling into their offices each day. This legislation has been created as a method to create more jobs, and more job opportunities, for those that live in progressively rural areas throughout the country. In this regard, employees that work digitally or in IT related services are no longer required to live and work in large, urbanized areas.

  • The GPS Team
  • 19 November, 2019
  • No Comments

Firing Without Severance in Turkey

In recent news, precedence has been set that employees may be fired without severance pay from their jobs in Turkey if they are gossiping at work. In the case that set the precedence for this ruling an employee was fired without severance pay after being employed at their organization for approximately 18 months. The employee in this case was fired due to the employer indirectly observing their gossiping behaviors in the workplace. These behaviors were, in the view of the employer, causing disruptions in the office based on rumors that were being spread about two other employees.

  • The GPS Team
  • 12 November, 2019
  • No Comments

The Creation of Minimum Wage in Finland

Finland is finally discussing the creation of minimum wage regulations since sector specific minimum pay regulations have not existed in the country, which creates both more opportunities and risk for employees in the country. Since the 1970s, Finland has utilized collective bargaining practices in order to negotiate wage agreements. This has been the case both on a national level, as well as on an industry specific level.

  • The GPS Team
  • 5 November, 2019
  • No Comments

Understanding Local Cultures in Myanmar

In order to facilitate a greater understanding for local cultures in Myanmar, the Directorate of Investment and Company Administration, in alignment with the Myanmar Centre for Responsible Business, have collaborated to create a nation-wide useable guide titled “Respecting Myanmar Culture in the Workplace”. This guide was created in order to provide those working in Myanmar with more background information on the local culture and norms of the country, to educate the many foreign workers in this nation.

  • The GPS Team
  • 29 October, 2019
  • No Comments

Wage Inequality in India

A historic moment was witnessed in India in August 2019, as the Wages Bill was passed in parliament, became an Act, and will now be referred to as the Code on Wages. This act has been established as a way to protect the payment of minimum wage workers in both organized (government, state-owned and private sector enterprises) and unorganized (unlicensed, self-employed or unregistered economic activity) sectors.

  • The GPS Team
  • 22 October, 2019
  • No Comments

Apple Breaks Labor Laws in China

Apple is a company with a huge following and massive demand. When new products are announced, millions of people around the world start planning for how many days they will need to take off work or school in order to line up at their nearest Apple store days in advance of the release. In order to keep up with this massive product demand, Apple appears to have made the calculated decision to violate Chinese Labor Laws in order to cut costs and circumvent regulation.

  • The GPS Team
  • 15 October, 2019
  • No Comments

Switzerland Overhaul of Labor Law 2019

Switzerland is a country commonly praised for creating an environment for employees that encourages positive work life balance, and many Swiss cities are consistently ranked as places with the best quality of life around the world. These positive aspects of the country can be directly linked to the way that employees are treated and the labor laws protecting employees at work. 2019 has been a busy year for Swiss lawmakers with many proposed developments to Swiss labor laws.

  • The GPS Team
  • 8 October, 2019
  • No Comments

New Visa Requirements in New Zealand

New Zealand is currently in the process of developing a new temporary work visa to replace six current visa categories. By doing so, the country is aiming to increase employer, job and worker checks and also to help improve the overall conditions for New Zealand workers.

  • Julie Gaertner
  • 17 September, 2019
  • No Comments