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Working abroad

Working from somewhere else (aka workation or temporary remote work) in the European Union

Housesitting? Workation? Do you plan to work from a different address than your home address? Then please bear this in mind:

  1. Consult with your immediate colleagues whether the work permits it. Make agreements about time zones, for example. At which meetings/standup do you have to be present? Your colleagues are also allowed to change / re-discuss /evaluate the specific working abroad situation.
  2. If you are going to work from a different address for more than a week, tell the HR Officer your residential address. This is necessary because we have to be able to reach you, for example when you are ill.

Please keep the following things in mind

  • You have to arrange (travel) insurances yourself
  • Check if you have to comply with local regulations, such as a work permit
  • Make sure you have a good, i.e. ergonomically workplace so that you can have a good working posture
  • Inform yourself about the security requirements of the workplace (and e.g. the wifi connection, VPN etc), but also ask someone in the security circle.
  • The same rules about being accessible to the employer and arbodienst (occ. health care provider), as well as the same rules for reporting sick, apply.
  • Your entitlement to commuting expenses lapses.
  • If the employer obliges you to return to the country of employment (standplaats) and if this involves costs, then these costs are for the colleague's own account. This is non-discussable.
  • Working abroad could be possible for a maximum of 5 months a year.

Disclaimer:

  • No form of rights can be derived from the fact that the possibility is offered to perform the work in another European country.

Business travel from the Netherlands/Belgium to South Africa

We also have a beautiful office in South Africa. Because we like to work together and stimulate cohesion, read below how we deal with travel and accommodation costs when visiting our work location (office) in South Africa. To objectify the decision to travel to South Africa to work there, you have to discuss this with your (parent) circle lead. Write a short story why its businesslike, Finance needs this for the accountants/tax agencies. Think about 10 lines with maybe links to specific projects.. Share this with the responsible finance administration role. 100% businesslike In case of a completely businesslike nature of a visit (example: if you need to go to SA from out of your role - f.e. Finance needs to visit a notary in Cape Town) than this part is in place. Voys is responsible for 100% of the accommodation and travel costs, for the days its businesslike. When spending money, think about what would be seen as ‘normal’ cost wise. If you want to stay longer, than that’s on your own expense. Partially businesslike

Visiting South Africa is subject to an additional principle, that your visit should contribute to further development and the success of Voys in South Africa. Therefore you have to arrange this with your circle members and with colleagues in South Africa. We see this as partially businesslike and therefore the following compensation shall apply:

To South Africa: - 500 EUR as a contribution to flight tickets. - A maximum of 15 overnight stays (maximum of 50 EUR per night). - A travel allowance of 150 EUR.

*If you visit SA with other reasons, than this does not apply. And good to mention: if you stay longer than a month other compensations will stop. This is paid by the entity you get your paycheck from. In this case it’s the Netherlands/ Belgium.

🇿🇦Tips and Tricks for working for Voys Europe at Voys South Africa

✈️Flight Policy

Business travel from South Africa to the Netherlands/Belgium

We have a beautiful office in Groningen, Netherlands. Because we like to work together and stimulate cohesion, read below how we deal with travel and accommodation costs when visiting our location in NL. Write a short story why its businesslike, Finance needs this for the accountants/tax agencies. Think about 10 lines with maybe links to specific projects.. Share this with the responsible finance administration role. This arrangement is the same as from the Netherlands to South Africa, with a few differences. Differences for 100% businesslike Visa: as a South African citizen, you must apply for a visa before entering the Netherlands. Make sure you take the processing time into account before arranging your trip. Voys will cover the visa cost. Differences for the partially

To the Netherlands: - 10,000 RAND | 500 EUR as a contribution to flight tickets - A maximum of 15 overnight stays (maximum of 2,000 RAND | 100 EUR per night) - A travel allowance of 6,000 RAND | 300 EUR

This is paid by the entity you get your paycheck from. In this case, it’s South Africa.

Ready to go? Then, present your request to Budget Billy and the VSA Circle Lead, who will advise you about its feasibility. Please share the intended travel dates and what you will focus on while there. In principle, the above guidelines will be followed, but a few exceptions might arise (not all colleagues can go in the same year, for instance, or we are facing unusual budget constraints at that time, etc.).

Permanent remote work → Emigrating!

Working location independently is something we encourage as an organization. However, till now this has always had a temporary character (e.g. working in South Africa for 3 months).

Within the European Union, we have freedom of goods, services, and people. Unfortunately, it is not the case that on your own initiative, you can settle permanently abroad, taking your current employment contract with you.

This is because Dutch law applies to your employment contract. You pay taxes within the Netherlands, you are insured for illness, and have a Dutch 'place of employment' according to Dutch labor law, etc. If you do not meet these requirements, you are acting unlawfully, and your employment contract cannot, therefore, be upheld under Dutch law.

Current Dutch government regulations do make it possible to work outside the Netherlands, but with a maximum of 183 days. You are registered at a Dutch address according to the BRP (basic registration of persons), regardless of whether you are physically present there, and you will keep your current employment contract.

Researching the possibilities of emigrating and continuing to work for Voys are interesting issues in the phase we are into with our organization. We would like to refer you to another notion page to read more on ✈️ The future of hybrid work - the organizational and legal side of working abroad.

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