EU vs Ukraine workplace: the hidden differences

Alla Penalba (Resheten)QA Lead

InvisibleCRM

Who am I?

• I’m a QA engineer since April 2007

• QA experience:• 3 years in UA product company (banks and

telecom)

• 1 year in EPAM on e-commerce project

• 3 years in Belgian product company

• Few months in UA product company

• Lived for 4 years in Belgium and came back to Ukraine 6 months ago

Overview

• Myths & truths– You earn more in Europe ?– Free social protection ?– Taxes are high ?

• Difference in hiring process– Legal constraint

• Working attitude– Team work & overtime– Growth & promotion in company

• The good, the bad, the ugly

Myths & truths : You earn more in Europe ?

• Income & taxes on 3000€ salary in Belgium

• 42% in your pocket : 1250 €

• Income & taxes on 1500€ salary in Ukraine (self-employed)

• 90% in your pocket : 1350 €

• Gross & Net are 2 different world

Myths & truths : free social protection

• Lot of taxes but at least social security is great !– 40% of salary goes to social security…. (hardly free)

• Hospital costs : pretty much free

• Doctors : 30-50% reimbursed– GP : 10$– Dentist : 50$

• Appointment ? Earliest one is in 3 weeks, interested ?

Myths & truths : taxes are high ?

• Euphemism

• Taxes on income : up to 50%

• Taxes on bonus : up to 70%

• Social security : up to 40%

• Engineers with salary above 2500$ a month will pay up to 60-70% of taxes

Difference in hiring process

• LinkedIn is more used

• Majority of recruiting company

• Length of process :– Multiple interview (recruiter, HR, technical lead, manager, HR)– Legal constraint : work permit (couple weeks), residency permit

(months)

• Contract signing & package negotiation

Working attitude : teamwork & overtime

• Internal resources : cheaper, hard to fire

• Consultant : expensive, easy to fire

• Outsource : SLA based, expensive

• Paid/compensated overtime

Working attitude : Growth & promotion

• Internal growth :– Training– Promotion– Salary increase

• Promotion– depending on internal turnover & external turnover– Age/gender based

Good, the bad & the ugly

• Good:– Job safety– Benefit in kind : company car, phone, home internet, hospital

protection– Vacation, parental leave, sabbatical leave– Social security : hospital, unemployment (non limited in time…)

• Bad– Salary increase (1-2% a year)– Difficulty to get promotion– Legal constraint : work permit, residency– Cultural challenges & mentality

• Ugly– Taxes

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