A proper analysis of workforce data can transform how organisations make decisions and optimise their resources. This has become crucial for today’s talent management, staff engagement, performance management and productivity purposes. In our earlier articles we looked at the significance of adopting human resource (HR) technologies to conduct a proper analysis of HR data and use it for business purposes. In this article we will explore various categories of workforce data that companies can gather in-house. Analysing the accumulated data will help you obtain an idea of what is working and what needs improving, allowing you to identify issues and come up with solutions faster, while revising and improving your processes.
A while ago Riga Regional Court passed Ruling CA-1102-22/7, which deals with a former employee’s right to recover outstanding wages from the employer for a period of posting and how to apply the concept of daily allowance and exercise the resulting right to include it in the worker’s hourly rate. Given the common practice of paying daily allowances to workers, in this article we will look at how this ruling defines the court’s vision for paying a legally reasonable daily allowance and making it part of the total remuneration.
A worker is subject to the employer’s procedures and orders. In addition to a contract of employment that lays down the parties’ mutual rights and duties, the worker also has to comply with his job description and the employer’s internal rules, terms of business, and code of ethics in certain cases. If the rules of conduct described in these documents are seriously breached during working hours, this may lead to dismissal. In this article we will find out if it’s possible to terminate employment because the worker’s breach involves activities outside working hours.
Remote work has become a standard form of employment, as evidenced by increasing numbers of people choosing jobs with the option of working from home. This drives workforce globalisation, with technology allowing people to work anywhere in the world without changing their home. Remote work also allows people to change employers rather quickly. A digital nomad is one who takes maximum advantage of remote work. Despite their popularity, however, these new arrangements pose tax risks for workers and their employers alike. Many tax experts and researchers are therefore convinced that extensive and comprehensive reforms need to be devised in this area as soon as possible to prevent the current tax rules from lagging behind the trends in the international labour market.
The current economic challenges, such as high inflation, scarce resources and pressures to increase profitability, continue pushing businesses towards a global dilemma: either motivate your workers to stay on with a pay rise and then say goodbye to your profit, or cancel your plans for higher pay and perks and then lose skilled workers. This dilemma might have you looking for some more efficient types of employer’s financial support with a low or no tax burden, such as non-taxable fringe benefits. This article offers an overview of exempt fringes and other useful tools employers can use to support their workers in the Baltic States.
The rapid evolution on a global scale leads to changes in all areas of life. What was once seen as something new and innovative has now become a standard, or it’s out of date already and in for a change. The evolving business environment entails changes to the workplace and workers’ needs, which means new challenges for employers. Diversity of benefits available to employees is becoming a key factor in assessing the workplace. According to statistics, activities promoting diversity of benefits have a positive effect on any company’s economic activity and worker productivity. Especially during the post-pandemic period, we could see employees expecting from their employers a package of benefits that’s flexible and tailored to their needs. We have written before about the advantages of flexible reward schemes. In this article we are looking at a new technology solution that will help companies improve their benefits packages by tailoring those to the desires of their employees.
Employee stock ownership plans are becoming increasingly popular as a way to boost staff motivation in companies around the world, including the Baltic States. The popularity of stock options is due to how they benefit both the company and the employee. Stock options give employees the right to receive or buy shares in their company after a specified period and for a price below the market value. The company benefits by having employees who are willing to work towards its goals and increase its stock value. Since the national rules for taxing this fringe benefit vary from country to country, it’s important to review the tax laws of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.
One of the preconditions for securing positive customer experience is a robust organisational culture. Customer satisfaction is critical to any company seeking to maintain long-term profitability and competitiveness on the market.
We have written before about the corporate income tax treatment for the acquisition and maintenance costs of an electric vehicle (EV). Yet employees often charge their corporate EVs at home. This article explores how a company could reimburse an employee’s electricity costs.
Taking care of employees’ mental health is not merely idle chatter or a formal work safety obligation. An employer that fails to pay attention to staff overload issues may face some real legal consequences. This article examines the legal implications of a worker being diagnosed with burnout syndrome and offers a practical overview of how the employer could respond.
We have written before about changes to labour law affecting tax matters. Tax authorities are now scrutinising compliance with local and international law that provides for giving posted workers employment conditions that are consistent with the host country’s national law, including prescribed working hours, rest periods, protection at work and minimum pay. This article explores the rules governing pay and their tax implications.
During the pandemic, Latvian companies faced unprecedented challenges around remote working, when the entire corporate culture came up for overhaul. The biggest challenges arose from the need for flexibility as the traditional eight-hour working day at the office was upgraded with the option to connect remotely at the employee’s convenience. Some companies cancelled the full-time office presence requirement altogether and set up alternative working arrangements with variable hours, places and conditions. Flexibility became a key aspect in keeping employees motivated and loyal. This article explores the rapid development of flexible reward schemes.
PwC US has carried out HR Tech Survey 2022. We believe that MindLink.lv subscribers, too, might be interested in its findings, as they relate to one of the traditional corporate processes – human resources (HR), or more precisely, investing in HR technologies. HR technologies in this article mean IT systems that enable the recording of HR processes, such as vacations, time sheets, training courses, hiring and firing. The survey interviewed 688 HR leaders, who answered questions about their technology challenges and achievements. The full survey is unfortunately restricted to the US market, but a summary offering many valuable insights is available here. This article explores what we see as key findings.
There are various programmes out there aimed at increasing a company’s sales by raising the productivity of its employees joining the programme, by increasing customer loyalty etc. Cross-border programmes are also implemented in Latvia, and their tax issues are very topical as well as complicated. This article explores employee incentive programmes in the light of a recent VAT ruling from the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).