Hiring an employee

An employment contract is made in writing, in two copies: one stays with the employee and one with the employer. It states the parties, workplace, position or profession, start date, pay, working time and working conditions. The contract may be open-ended or fixed-term; a fixed-term contract is made because of the nature of the work or by agreement and ends when the term ends. A probation period may be set at hiring: the employee’s fitness for the work is tested. Probation may not exceed three months and is not set at all for certain groups, for example persons under 18. Unjustified refusal to hire and discrimination by sex, nationality, religion, origin or social position are prohibited; only the qualifications and business qualities that the job itself requires are taken into account. After the employer formalises the hiring, the employee counts as started from the hire date. Using someone without a written contract is a breach of the law and makes protecting the employee’s rights harder.