Recruitment in Istanbul and Entire Turkey

Content:

• Recruitment Scope
• Advantages of Recruiting with FMC Group
• Our Recruitment Service Offering in Turkey
• Remuneration packages and side benefits for employees
• Working hours in Turkey
• Vacation days for employees in Turkey
• Notice period for employees and probation period

All mid and senior-level positions. We have expertise in finding candidates in niche markets as well as in general industries. Our recruitment team in Istanbul is keen on selecting highly motivated candidates who have an international business mentality and local expertise.

By being determined to understand our client’s needs and company culture, we follow a unique approach in each search and selection project. We use customized recruitment methods and tools to ensure that both our clients’ and the candidates’ expectations are met on a mutual level.

Our search and selection service targets long-term cooperation between our clients and the candidates through objective and transparent communication.

We offer

• 20+ years of recruitment experience in Turkey for international clients
• understanding our clients’ needs, the local dynamics, and the importance of a good cultural fit
• selection of highly motivated and reliable candidates with an international business mentality
• much more than pre-selecting candidates, we support our clients during the whole interview process up to the contract negotiations
• to work like your own local HR department as a real partner and your consultant
• to select candidates that are willing to establish long term co-operation with our clients

Job Description: After assessing our clients’ business targets, FMC Group writes up a job description and re-designs the job profile requirements according to the local understanding.

Advertisement: FMC Group prepares a corporate advertisement and publishes it on online job portals.

Database Search: FMC Group checks and contacts the suitable candidates in its database to check their interest in the position.

Direct Search / Headhunting: FMC Group makes a direct search by contacting candidates who have similar job experience in the related sectors.

Pre-Selection of Candidates: FMC Group evaluates all applications given the listed qualifications and carries out written and oral communications.

Face-to-Face Interviews: FMC Group conducts a long list of face-to-face interviews, assesses the candidates in line with the listed criteria, and selects a shortlist of the best candidates.

Reporting: FMC Group delivers a complete report of the short-listed candidates, including their evaluations, resumes, and profiles.

Joint Interviews: FMC Group invites our clients to conduct joint interviews with the shortlisted candidates.

Reference Checks: FMC Group makes reference checks on the selected candidates by phone interviews.

Personality/Talent Assessment: FMC Group applies an individual assessment on the selected candidate and provides a report on the candidate’s competencies and personality.

Contract Negotiations: FMC Group supports the contract negotiations until the employment of the selected candidate.

In Turkey, in addition to the remuneration system, non-monetary incentive systems, social benefits, and personal relationships at the workplace are very important in personnel management.

Either net or gross salaries might be agreed with the employees, according to the company principles, usually the same for all employees. However, most employees prefer to agree on net due to the increasing tax deduction in gross salary each following month which makes a significant shrinkage in net salaries at the end of the year. The financial managers of the companies prefer gross salaries to have each month the same employee costs.

Salaries can be determined on the basis of 12 months, but from 13 up to 16 salaries are also widely practiced. Employees expect salary increases each year, mainly to protect their income levels against the relatively high inflation rate in Turkey. A clear remuneration system should define when and under which conditions salary increases are made. The Turkish employment market is highly flexible, and employee fluctuation can be very high. Therefore, any remuneration system should be designed in such a way as to give employees the chance to obtain a long-term, performance-based salary increase, in particular the instruments of employee development and advanced training must be properly utilized.

Moreover, upon introduction of a remuneration system companies should primarily ask themselves the following questions:

Q: In which currency should the salaries be? In the local currency, in Euro (or another foreign currency), or should only some salaries be in the local currency and others in other currencies?

A: All these variations are conceivable. Basic workers or clerks mostly get their wages paid in local currency, while employees at the managerial level might receive their salaries in Euro or USD. The payment of salaries in foreign currencies is restricted to certain conditions (subject to changes).

Q: How should the inflation adjustment be made?

A: For salaries paid in local currency, a salary adjustment can be made once or twice a year in line with the official inflation figures. If inflation runs higher than 10%, then a twice-yearly adjustment is to be recommended.

Q: Should part of the salary be performance-related?

A: Most companies define a certain portion of their sales and management team’s salaries as variable and performance related. The required performance assessments are mostly carried out through performance reviews, often involving agreements on KPIs and objectives, sometimes with MBO systems. However, the offered salary package always consists of the monthly or annually fixed amount and the variable is to be mentioned additionally. Thus, fixed salary is the main criteria for the employees in Turkey before they make a decision to change their employer.

The most common side benefits included in the remuneration packages in Turkey are:

Company car – Company car is provided mainly to the executives of sales departments as well as the field sales force. For employees of the top managerial level, company cars, sometimes even chauffeur-driven, are customary as a status symbol. The brand and model is determined according to the position’s level.

Transportation from/to the workplace – For the positions where company car is not provided, employees’ transportation to and from the workplace is usually taken care of by the employer, either through the payment of a transportation allowance or by organized bus transportation from/to certain collection points or their homes.

Private insurance – Since the benefits of the Turkish social security system frequently do not meet the expectations of the employees, in particular the mid- and senior-level positions, employees often lay claim to supplementary private health insurance. As almost all multinational companies offer it to their employees, it can be a meaningful extra benefit for qualified employees to ensure long employment with the company. Management positions are usually offered private insurance for the family as well.

Lunch – It is an almost universal practice in Turkey that companies provide lunch to their employees. There are different systems: Either a free meal is served in the company cafeteria or kitchen, or food is ordered from outside at the company’s expense, or through a ticket system, where meal ticket companies provide restaurant vouchers for the employees that are handed out at the beginning of the month and accepted by most restaurants as means of payment. Should the value of the issued tickets exceed the limit determined by the tax office, the difference must be taxed as fringe benefits together with the salary.

Mobile phones – The allocation of mobile phones is being handled analogous to company cars, meaning that it is relevant for top managers, executives of the sales department, and the field sales force.

Employee development and advanced training – While advanced training is motivating for the employees, they are widely practiced only in big scale companies.

Additional voluntary benefits – Besides, additional voluntary benefits granted by the employer, particularly when they have a personal touch, are popular and common practice in many Turkish companies. Employees can be motivated strongly through small gifts or additional payments at the New Year, Bayram (religious holidays), or on other occasions.

The working week cannot exceed 45 hours. Work over forty-five hours a week and within the framework of the conditions set out in the law are considered overtime. The wage for each overtime is calculated by increasing the normal hourly wage by fifty percent. A maximum of 270 hours of overtime may be worked annually.

Employees who have been employed for at least one year are entitled to annual paid vacation. Depending on the length of employment, employees must be given the following minimum number of paid vacation days for each completed year of employment:

• 1 – 5 years: 14 days
• 5 – 15 years: 20 days
• 15 years and over: 26 days

The probation period for an employment contract cannot exceed two months. The parties can terminate the employment contract within the probationary period without notice or compensation.

The notice period is:

• Up to 6 months: 2 weeks
• 6 months – 1.5 years: 4 weeks
• 5 years – 3 years: 6 weeks
• Over 3 years: 8 weeks