Business Travel in Belarus: Everything You Need to Know About Working Hours, Pay, and Days Off

One of the issues that usually greatly concerns employees during business travel planning is the length of the workday at the new location. Timekeeping rules affect how a specialist will plan their work and how much pay they will receive. We’ll walk you through the nuances of this topic, and you can open the business travel platform and start booking what you need.

The law

The Labor Code of the Republic of Belarus (Art. 92) clearly states that an employee who has been sent on a business trip is subject to the working time and rest time schedule in effect at the place of the business trip. However, the average wage is retained for all working days of the week according to the schedule at the employee’s permanent place of work. Only after you confirm the travel dates should you proceed with booking flights.

Example

If at their primary place of work an employee works 8 hours every day, but at the business trip location a 12-hour workday is in effect, they must perform their duties in accordance with the standards at the temporary location and work 12 hours. But their pay will be calculated as for a standard 8-hour workday. However, the employer may compensate overtime hours during business travel, which is often set out in the company’s local legal acts.

Timesheet

To track working time, most companies use a timesheet. It’s filled out monthly by the department manager. It lists the number of hours worked each day, days off, and sick leave, and pay is calculated based on this information. Most often, the letter K is used to mark an employee’s time on a business trip, but this is a recommendation, not a requirement. 

Days off during a business trip

Under the laws of the Republic of Belarus, an employee who is on a business trip has days off according to the schedule in effect at the place of the business trip. If an employee is sent on a work trip on their day off, but performing job duties is not planned for that date, the day is not considered a workday, but the employer must provide the employee with another day off in exchange. It’s best to clarify this in the business trip order to avoid conflicts later. 

And if an employee is sent on a business trip on their day off and will be performing job duties, the employer is required not only to provide all mandatory reimbursements (transportation and lodging expenses, as well as per diem) and pay for a standard workday, but also to provide either additional pay for each hour or one extra day off. If you don’t know in advance what day the business trip will start, use flexible-date flight search.

Workplace misconduct while on a business trip

If an employee sent on a business trip is absent from work without a valid reason, the appropriate document must be prepared, such as a memo or an incident report. In that case, the employee will not receive pay or any reimbursements for that day.