Employees from Ukraine, Belarus and Russia have become necessary for the continuity of work and development of many companies in a short time. A strong motivation, conscientiousness, willingness to work overtime, flexibility and mobility, as well as cultural and linguistic proximity have made Eastern workers valuable in various industries and eagerly employed both for simple production work, as well as the operation of machines or forklift trucks.
Polish legislation also makes it easier to legalize the employment of workers from six countries – Ukraine, Armenia, Russia, Belarus, Georgia and Moldova – based on a simplified procedure. How to prepare for employing a foreigner? What steps should be taken to make the whole process run smoothly and relatively quickly?
Learn how to get employees from Ukraine in 3 steps:
Step 1: Reaching the right candidates and recruitment
The process of hiring employees from Ukraine should be started earlier. If we already know that during the holiday season we have a greater demand for temporary workers or analyzing the turnover of the previous year we can see that in the pre-Christmas period we need to significantly increase employment – let us not wait with recruitment until the last moment.
Without a network of contacts in Ukraine, an efficient information campaign and planned recruitment it is difficult to reach potential employees on one’s own, to attract their interest and convince them to come to Poland. So if you have decided to take care of the recruitment of candidates from beyond the eastern border on your own or you have commissioned this task to the internal HR department, it is necessary to start acting in advance.
Step 2: Sending “invitations”, i.e. the first stage of legalization of work and stay
We have already selected the right candidates who are motivated and willing to come – it is time to start the process of legalization of their work and stay. Employees from Ukraine can come to Poland on the basis of visa-free travel for 90 days or on the basis of a valid visa. For those who want to take up employment in Poland, a D-type visa is issued, i.e. an employee visa, entitling them to work and stay in Poland for 180 days a year.
What does an entrepreneur have to do to obtain such a visa for an employee? It is necessary to visit the Poviat Employment Office, submit a declaration of entrusting work to a foreigner and pay PLN 30 per document. After the Office had entered the declaration into the register, it is transferred to the employer, who in turn sends it to the candidate (in the original version). On the basis of the declaration received, the foreigner applies for a residence title allowing them to work in Poland – that is, for the aforementioned D-type visa.
Step 3: Signing the contract – the next stage of work validation
Our Candidate received a visa and has come to Poland. We are on the verge of success! Now it is time to sign the contract. It is worth remembering that it should be created in a language that the employee understands – usually employees from the East sign bilingual Polish-Ukrainian contracts. Thanks to this we do not only secure ourselves in case of control by the National Labour inspectorate, but also increase confidence in us as a reliable, credible and safe employer. It is necessary to remember that the terms and conditions of the contract are the same as those in the declaration registered by the Poviat Employment Office.
Upon signing the contract, the entrepreneur who wants to legalize the work of Ukrainian employees in Poland must inform the relevant labour office about a foreigner taking up work – this fact must be reported at the latest on the day the Ukrainian employee starts working. Another visit to the Office will be necessary in case of a change in the rate, position or place of work.
When hiring employees from the East one has to remember about important accommodation issues
People coming to Poland for the first time often cannot take care of their own accommodation, do not know where to go for the necessary medical examination, how to get to the place of work – in all these matters the employer’s help is necessary, especially if we want a stable and motivated crew, whose work will translate into the success of the company.
Many entrepreneurs decide to outsource the whole process of recruitment and employment of workers from Ukraine to specialized external companies. Such a solution provides legal security – employment agencies that provide professional service to entities employing workers from Ukraine keep track of all legal changes, adjust their activities to the new regulations, take care of meeting the deadlines – and also allows to save time, free up resources and optimize the budget.
