01.02.2022
WHEN WE ARE ENTITLED TO BIRTHDAY LEAVE
There is no explicit provision in the Labor Code that entitles an employee to use leave because he or she has a personal holiday (birthday in this case).
Leave due to personal holiday (birthday) can be agreed in the collective labor agreement (CLA) or by agreement between the employee and the employer. This means that if there is no collective agreement (CLA) that applies to the individual employee, the only way to obtain the right to use such leave is by individual agreement between the parties (which can be concluded at any time during the operation of the employment relationship), otherwise the employee will not be entitled to leave. If the employer does not agree to conclude an individual agreement or collective agreement in which this right is regulated, then the birthday leave is not due to the employee.
Reference:
Art. 50 of the Labor Code
Art. 66, para. 2 of the Labor Code
01.02.2022
NEW ACCEPTANCE OF DOCUMENTS FROM EMPLOYERS UNDER MEASURE 60/40
As of today, February 1, the Employment Agency has launched a new application procedure for the measure, which has gained popularity as 60/40.
It may include employers seeking support for maintaining the employment of their staff in the period January - February 2022. This possibility is provided by Decree of the Council of Ministers № 482 of 30.12.2021, amending the already well-known Decree № 151/2020, which builds on the anti-crisis measure to support employment, which started in March 2020.
The terms and conditions for receiving support in the period January - February 2022 are similar to those applied in the previous months August - December 2021. The measure continues to support the maintenance of employment in enterprises engaged in economic activity in Decree of the Council of Ministers № 151/2020 sectors whose average monthly sales revenue in 2020 decreased compared to 2019.
The regulated support at this stage also amounts to 60% of the income and social security contributions of each employee in enterprises whose sales revenues have decreased by at least 40% during the month for which the support is provided, but already compared to the average monthly income for the whole of 2019.
For employees in enterprises whose sales revenues have decreased compared to the average monthly revenues for 2019 by not less than 30 percent in the month for which the support is provided, funds in the amount of 50% will continue to be paid. For those established after January 1, 2020, the decline in income for the month for which they apply will be determined compared to the average monthly income for 2020. The amount of funds provided for each employee will now be determined based on his insurance income for October 2021.
The funds for the current design of the measure will be paid monthly, as the documents for those who worked in January 2022 will be accepted from 1 to 28 February, and for those who worked in February 2022 documents will be accepted only within March.
Employers who meet the conditions of the Council of Ministers Decree № 151/2020, as amended with CMD № 482/30.12.2021, and wishing to receive support for January and February 2022, may apply consecutively for the two months using the same forms and sample documents.
At this stage of measure 60/40, the application and the documents for payment of funds under the Decree are submitted to the Directorate "Labor Office", serving the territory of the place of work of employees, regardless of the method of submission. Applications and accompanying documents may be submitted electronically through the Secure Electronic Service System (SЕSS), sent through a licensed postal operator, and submitted on site to the relevant labor office with mandatory and strict compliance with all anti-epidemic measures.
On the website of the Employment Agency, in the section "Financial incentives for employment" will be published materials for information of employers, the application procedure, containing the conditions, requirements, procedure and manner of application, application forms and annexes to it and other auxiliary materials.
01.02.2022
ENTREPRENEURSHIP: 4 WAYS TO PRESENT YOUR BUSINESS TO LOCAL CONSUMERS
Engaging your local community is essential if you want your business to succeed. Every local marketing effort aims to nurture lasting relationships that will help raise brand and revenue awareness. To do this, you need to build real relationships with the people in your community, develop an effective strategy, and remain patient. With the right local advertising strategy, it will be easier to start your business or create a new customer base, both of which are essential for your long-term success. Here are some tips for building your local marketing strategy.
Participate in activities that benefit the community
You can volunteer to help with local events, help with cleaning or do gardening in nearby parks, or sponsor a charity event at a local school. Participating in such events allows you to meet amazing people in your neighborhood who can become your customers or direct you to other people who will become your customers. Volunteering is in most cases a winning strategy. Through it, you have the chance to help those in need, while expanding your network and increasing the visibility of the business.
Work with other local companies
Another way to effectively market is to contact some local companies. It may come as a surprise to find out how willing they are to partner with you in some way. For example, a business may have a lot of traffic, but a limited email list. In this case, you can offer to mention their business in your online newsletter against some kind of physical advertising on their premises. You can create the partnership that works best for you.
Offer local discounts
Distributing coupon codes and free shipping to your area will help encourage more people to order from you. This will also help increase loyalty in the local area.
Use personalized messages
Take the time to personalize your brand to the local community. For example, if you sell physical products, pay more attention to the local area by designing them with the colors of local sports teams, mascots and more. You can also offer a "special edition" of your product that is accessible to your community, creating the attitude that there is even more value behind this product.
28.01.2022
FEES FOR WITHDRAWAL FROM AN ATM DEVICE
Fees for withdrawing money from an ATM device are around BGN 0.30 for using an ATM of the bank issuing the debit card and between BGN 1.10 and BGN 1.50 for withdrawing money from an ATM of a foreign bank, experts of the site "My money" have calculated ". There are also banks that apply lower or higher fees.
In the ranking of the site for withdrawing money from an ATM of the issuing bank, BACB, which does not collect fees, is ranked first. No money is collected for withdrawing money with TBI - MasterCard Gold for the first 20 withdrawals of the year, and the next fees are BGN 0.99 per operation.
Most other banks charge BGN 0.30 per withdrawal. There are also banks that charge a minimum of BGN 0.30 plus 0.15 or 0.16 percent of the amount withdrawn, but here too the fees are usually a few tens of stotinki.
Withdrawing from an ATM of a foreign bank is more expensive and ranges from BGN 1.00 to BGN 1.50 per operation. In the first place in the cassation of the site is "TBI - MasterCard Gold", where the conditions for withdrawal are not different from those of the issuing bank. In second place is BACB with a fee of BGN 0.80. Most other banks charge about BGN 1.25 to BGN 1.50. Some banks charge a fee as a percentage of the amount withdrawn, which is at least 0.20 percent of it.
The Bulgarian National Bank (BNB) has already disseminated information on the financial effect of raising fees. There are still no data for the beginning of the year, information is summarized only for the third quarter of 2021. According to the BNB, on an annual basis the total net operating income of banks in the third quarter of 2021 increased by BGN 176 million (5.7 percent) to BGN 3.3 billion, to which it contributed mostly by the large amount of net income from fees and commissions.
Compared to the first nine months of 2020, the net income from fees and commissions increased by BGN 145 million (19.2 percent) to BGN 904 million and its share in the net operating income of banks increased from 24.4 percent to 27.5 percent, according to the central bank.
28.01.2022
FOUR "UNPRODUCTIVE" HABITS THAT CAN MAKE YOU MORE PRODUCTIVE
2020 has brought new challenges in the way entrepreneurs attract customers, use technology and outperform their competitors.
Many business leaders are working hard to adapt to these changes. Unfortunately, using this approach is exhausting for the mind and body and counterproductive for finding innovative ideas, writes wellness coach Stacy Stratton at Entrepreneur.com.
If you are looking for ways to be more productive, try these four "unproductive" habits to improve your energy levels and creativity and take your business to the next level.
How long should you sleep? The amount of sleep depends on the needs of your body, but your goal is to wake up rested. While you sleep, your body performs the basic maintenance it needs. Your cells recover, your brain processes information, and your nervous system relaxes.
When you steal from your sleep, you steal from yourself. If you like waking up early, try to get things in order so you go to bed earlier. If you want to stay up late at night, start allowing yourself to sleep until later.
When deadlines are running out, it's easy to forget what's best for the brain. You may think you just have to keep going, but a 2011 University of Illinois study shows that focusing too long on a task actually lowers productivity.
Something simple, such as a brisk walk, can help creativity and increase energy. There are several different methods and techniques you can choose to follow. One is to take breaks every 25 minutes, and another is to work non-stop for 90 minutes. The most important thing is to determine which approach works best for you.
Take enough time for activities that provide your mind and body with what you need. One of the breaks may include stretching, another for healthy eating and a short nap to cheer you up.
Children laugh many times a day, while the average adult laughs much less. Adults have a lot of responsibilities and stress, but it is important to find ways to do things every day that make you laugh and bring you joy.
A few years ago, the World Health Organization (WHO) described "stress" as the "21st Century Health Epidemic." Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the levels of stress that people are exposed to at work and at home.
One way to deal with stress is through laughter. When you laugh, your body releases endorphins, which lower stress and improve your mood. Studies also show that laughter can help lower blood pressure.
Every day, try to find ways to laugh more. It only takes a few minutes to quickly watch a video or talk to a funny friend, and then you will immediately begin to feel the benefits.
Is your calendar full of appointments, projects, and endless things to do? Constantly working on several tasks at once and a busy schedule can make you feel overwhelmed and exhausted. It is important to take the time to spend in silence every day.
Meditation can be an effective way to relax the mind while promoting creativity and concentration. It can also help reduce stress levels and negative emotions.
Meditation may seem daunting or even difficult because your thoughts are wandering, but there are many great applications that can help you with this process. It may be helpful to start with just a few minutes a day and then increase the time.
28.01.2022
EUROSTAT: BULGARIA HAS THE LOWEST MINIMUM WAGE
As of 1 January 2022, there is a national minimum wage in 21 of the 27 EU Member States, not only in Denmark, Italy, Cyprus, Austria, Finland and Sweden.
Based on the levels of the minimum wage in euros, these 21 Member States can be divided into three main groups, according to Eurostat data.
Monthly minimum wages (before deducting all taxes and social security contributions) are below € 1,000 in 13 EU countries, and in 6 they are over € 1,500.
In January this year, 13 Member States located in the east and south of the EU had minimum wages of less than € 1,000 a month.
It is the lowest in Bulgaria (332 euros), followed by Latvia (500 euros), Romania (€ 515), Hungary (€ 542), Croatia (€ 624), Slovakia (€ 646), the Czech Republic (€ 652), Estonia (€ 654), Poland (€ 655), Lithuania (€ 730), Greece (€ 774), Malta (€ 792) and Portugal (€ 823).
In Slovenia (€ 1,074) and Spain (€ 1,126) the minimum wage varies just over € 1,000 per month, while in the other six Member States the minimum wage is over € 1,500 per month: France (€ 1,603), Germany (€ 1,621), Belgium (€ 1,658), the Netherlands (€ 1,725), Ireland (€ 1,775) and Luxembourg (€ 2,257).
By comparison, the federal minimum wage in the United States was 1,110 euros in January 2022.
It can be seen that the lowest minimum wage in Bulgaria is almost 7 times lower than the highest in Luxembourg. However, the differences are significantly smaller when differences in price levels are taken into account.
In terms of the Purchasing Power Standard (PPS), minimum wages in Member States with lower price levels become relatively higher than those in Member States with higher price levels.
By eliminating price differences, the minimum wage varies from 604 PPS per month in Bulgaria to 1,707 PPS in Luxembourg, which means that the highest minimum wage was almost 3 times higher than the lowest.
Based on this, it is possible to distinguish two main groups: group 1 with a national minimum wage above 1,000 PPS and group 2 with a national minimum wage below 1,000 PPS, according to official European statistics.
Group 1 includes Luxembourg, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Ireland, Slovenia, Spain, Poland and Lithuania. Their national minimum wages range from 1,038 PPS in Lithuania to 1,707 PPS in Luxembourg.
The second group includes Romania, Portugal, Malta, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Slovakia, Latvia and Bulgaria. The national minimum wages for this group range from 604 PPS in Bulgaria to 949 PPS in Romania.
All candidate and potential EU candidate countries with a national minimum wage belong to Group 2, with minimum wage levels ranging from 401 PPS in Albania to 888 PPS in Montenegro.
According to this indicator, the United States also falls into the second group with 920 PPS.
28.01.2022
LOANS FOR SMALL COMPANIES WITH 5% SELF-PARTICIPATION WILL BE GRANTED BY BDB
The Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) has renewed the terms of its program in partnership with the Pan-European Guarantee Fund in support of small and medium-sized businesses, creative industries and start-ups, BDB said.
Credits for businesses and creative professions have already been reduced self-participation up to 5 percent, and the application deadline has been extended to June 30, 2022.
BDB's "Business: Creative: StartUP" program provides funding to some of the most affected by the pandemic sectors with preferential interest rates and lower than standard collateral and deductible requirements.
The amount of loans granted for creative businesses is up to BGN 500,000. Start-up companies can benefit from financing up to BGN 250,000 without having to pledge their property, as a guarantee will be the purchased asset.
Small and medium enterprises from all sectors that do not fall into the other two segments can also apply for a loan on better terms: from BGN 100,000 to 5 million, for up to 10 years and a grace period of up to 18 months.
So far, the program in partnership with the Pan-European Guarantee Fund has granted loans totaling almost BGN 3 million. The companies that have received support operate in the field of production and trade, and one of them is start up - registered in the middle of last year and is engaged in plastic recycling.
Companies in need of funding can now apply online or on site at the BDB office in Sofia.
28.01.2022
THE SECOND SCHEME IN SUPPORT OF TOURISM HAS BEEN OPENED
The Ministry of Tourism has opened for application the second measure for providing grants worth BGN 30 million under Scheme BG-176789478-2021-06-Providing grants to support the tourism sector to compensate for losses incurred directly and/or indirectly from the restrictions in the activity of the enterprises, due to the introduced anti-epidemic measures and appendices to them.
The grant will be awarded once and will be distributed on a proportional basis to the number of submitted and admitted for consideration applications for support and turnover without VAT in 2019, but not more than 20% of the same.
The guidelines and rules are published in the National Investment Management System (NIMS). The scheme is already open for applications as of today, January 28, 2022.
The deadline for applications expires on 04.02.2022 at 16:30.
Instructions for applying for the scheme can be found HERE
Any clarifications and questions about the scheme can be asked in writing, by e-mail: shema6@tourism.government.bg.
27.01.2022
WHO ARE THE BDB PARTNER BANKS IN SUPPORT OF BUSINESS
From the beginning of February, UniCredit Bulbank will start work on the guarantee program of the Bulgarian Development Bank (BDB) in support of small and medium-sized businesses affected by the measures against the pandemic, the state bank announced.
UniCredit Bulbank joins BDB's partner banks, which provide financing under the renewed terms of the Recovery Program - BACB, Allianz Bank Bulgaria, Eurobank Bulgaria, FIBank, DSK Bank, UBB and Investbank. The deadline for applying for the anti-crisis measure has been extended to June 30, 2022, BDB clarified.
The program provides loans of up to BGN 3 million with a repayment period of up to 7 years and with the possibility of using a grace period for payment of principal and interest up to 36 months. The terms of approval for financing are up to 5 working days after receiving all the necessary documents from the banks, and the time for absorption of funds is 10 working days.
The BDB guarantee program is open to micro, small and medium-sized companies or "small companies with medium market capitalization" from all sectors of the economy (with up to/including 499 staff meeting one of the following criteria: up to/including 100 million EUR amount of the asset or up to/including EUR 86 million in sales revenue).
The condition is that they operate and are registered in Bulgaria, suffer adverse economic consequences from the spread of the pandemic and have at least three completed financial statements with sales revenue and accounting profit for at least one of the last three years.
BDB covers up to 80 percent of the loan principal, and as collateral requires personal guarantees from the beneficial owners of the companies or related parties, as well as, if applicable, pledges of receivables from accounts under the Law on Obligations and Contracts (LOC), the Law for special pledges (LSP) and through a financial collateral agreement, according to the Financial Collateral Contracts Act (FCCA).
The Recovery Program has been developed by the Ministries of Economy and Finance. Since its launch until now, BDB has confirmed loans in the amount of BGN 427,298,549.
27.01.2022
COVID-19 VACCINES FOR CHILDREN: ADVICE ON WHAT TO DO AND WHAT NOT TO DO
COVID-19 vaccination is now recommended for children aged 5 to 11 years. Evidence shows that it offers excellent protection against COVID-19 in children. Although the coronavirus is often milder in them than in adults, there is strong evidence to support the vaccination of children. This is stated in a publication on the official website of the Australian state of New South Wales, quoted by Darik.
Vaccines lend a hand to the immune system to protect against serious diseases and possible long-term effects of COVID-19. Vaccination also helps protect friends, family and the community by reducing the spread of the virus, the statement said.
And it offers advice on what to do and not to do when vaccinated against COVID-19 in children between 5 and 11 years old.
What should we do:
What not to do:
• Be sure to encourage your child to wear a mask indoors, even if vaccinated. This will help limit the spread of COVID-19.
