Hiring & Team Building
EU Labor Law Essentials
Employment Contracts
Required written terms (Directive 2019/1152, "Transparent Working Conditions"):
- Job title, description, start date, workplace
- Salary, pay frequency, benefits
- Working hours, overtime rules
- Notice period, probation period (max 6 months)
- Applicable collective bargaining agreements
- Social security contributions
Key rules by jurisdiction: See references/eu-labor-law-by-country.md
| Topic | Typical EU Range | Watch Out |
|---|---|---|
| Probation | 1-6 months | Some countries cap at 3 months for short contracts |
| Notice period | 1-3 months (scales with tenure) | Germany: up to 7 months after 20 years |
| Paid leave | 20-30 days/year | EU minimum 4 weeks (Directive 2003/88/EC, Art. 7) |
| Max weekly hours | 48h average (Working Time Directive) | Opt-out only in UK (post-Brexit), not EU |
| Works councils | Mandatory above thresholds | Germany: ≥5 employees; France: ≥11; Netherlands: ≥50 |
TUPE Transfers (Directive 2001/23/EC)
When acquiring a company or outsourcing services: employees transfer automatically with existing terms. Cannot dismiss due to transfer. Must inform/consult employee representatives.
Job Description Framework
# [Role Title] — [Team]
## Impact
What this person will achieve in first 12 months (3 bullet max)
## Responsibilities (6-8 bullets)
## Requirements (hard filters only — things you'd reject a CV for)
- X years experience with [specific technology]
- Legally authorized to work in [country]
## Preferred (nice-to-haves — never used to reject)
- Experience with [adjacent tech]
- Background in [domain]
## What We Offer
- Compensation range: €X-Y (transparent)
- Benefits, equity, remote policy
Inclusive language checklist:
- No gendered pronouns or coded language ("rockstar", "ninja", "manpower")
- Requirements list ≤5 items (women apply at 100% match; men at 60%)
- State salary range (required by law in some EU jurisdictions)
- Mention accommodations available
Structured Interview Design
Interview Scorecard
| Competency | Question | 1 (Miss) | 3 (Meet) | 5 (Exceed) | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technical depth | "Walk me through how you'd design [system]" | Cannot articulate trade-offs | Solid design with reasonable trade-offs | Novel insights, anticipates edge cases | _ |
| Problem-solving | "Tell me about a time you debugged a complex issue" | Vague, no structure | STAR format, clear resolution | Systemic fix, prevented recurrence | _ |
| Collaboration | "Describe a disagreement with a colleague" | Blames others | Resolved constructively | Changed team process for the better | _ |
| Ownership | "Tell me about a project you drove end-to-end" | Executed tasks only | Owned scope and delivery | Identified the need, proposed and delivered | _ |
Process:
- Screen (30 min) — Recruiter: role fit, expectations, salary alignment
- Technical (60 min) — Live problem-solving or take-home (respect candidate time: max 3h)
- System design (45 min) — Architecture discussion, trade-offs
- Culture/values (45 min) — Behavioral questions, scorecard above
- Debrief — All interviewers score independently BEFORE group discussion (avoid anchoring)
Anti-bias rules: Same questions for all candidates. Score before discussing. No "gut feeling" — evidence only.
Remote Work in the EU
Right to Disconnect
Enacted or proposed in: France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Ireland, Italy. Employers must define policies on after-hours communication. See references/right-to-disconnect-by-country.md.
Cross-Border Tax & Social Security
| Scenario | Rule |
|---|---|
| Employee in Country A, employer in Country B | Social security: generally where employee works (Reg. 883/2004) |
| Remote worker >25% in home country | Social security in home country (A1 certificate required) |
| Permanent establishment risk | >183 days or fixed place of business may create tax presence |
| Posted Workers Directive (96/71/EC, revised 2018/957) | Must apply host country minimum pay, max work periods, safety standards |
Action: For each cross-border remote employee: get A1 certificate, check PE risk, apply host-country minimum terms.
Onboarding Framework (30-60-90)
| Phase | Focus | Deliverables |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-boarding (before day 1) | Admin + welcome | Signed contract, equipment shipped, accounts provisioned, welcome pack |
| Days 1-30 | Learn | Meet team, understand architecture, complete first small PR/task, assigned buddy |
| Days 31-60 | Contribute | Own a feature or project area, attend on-call rotation (shadow), give first demo |
| Days 61-90 | Own | Independent delivery, first performance check-in, feedback both directions |
30-60-90 check-in template: See references/onboarding-checkin-template.md
Compensation & Equity
Benchmarking Sources
- levels.fyi, Glassdoor, Figures.hr (EU-specific), Ravio, Mercer
- Compare by: role, seniority, city/region, company stage
ESOP in EU Context
| Country | Tax Event | Favorable Regime |
|---|---|---|
| Germany | Exercise (dry income problem) | §19a EStG: defer tax until liquidity event (for startups <€100M revenue) |
| France | Exercise + sale | BSPCE: favorable 12.8% flat tax for qualifying startups |
| Netherlands | Exercise | Stock option deferral possible for startups since 2023 |
| Ireland | Exercise | KEEP scheme: CGT rate (33%) instead of income tax for qualifying |
Key issues: Dry income (tax on exercise with no cash), cliff/vesting enforceability, leaver provisions. Always get local tax + employment counsel. See references/esop-eu-comparison.md.
Team Topology Patterns
| Pattern | When to Use | Communication |
|---|---|---|
| Stream-aligned | Default. Teams own a product/service area end-to-end | Low cross-team dependency |
| Platform | Shared infrastructure (CI/CD, auth, data) | Self-service APIs, minimal tickets |
| Enabling | Temporary coaching (e.g., help team adopt k8s) | Time-boxed, skill transfer focus |
| Complicated subsystem | Deep specialist domain (ML, video codec) | Clear interface contract |
Rule of thumb: Minimize cognitive load per team. If a team can't hold their domain in their heads, split it.
Performance Reviews (OKR-Based)
Quarterly cycle:
- Set OKRs — 3-5 objectives, 2-4 key results each. Mix output (ship X) and outcome (improve Y by Z%)
- Monthly check-in — Progress on KRs, blockers, support needed (15 min 1:1 agenda item)
- Quarter end — Self-assessment + manager assessment. Score KRs 0-1.0. Target 0.6-0.7 (stretch goals)
- Calibration — Cross-team calibration to ensure consistency
Decouple from comp: OKR scores should NOT directly determine bonuses. Otherwise people sandbag targets.
Diversity & Inclusion
- Blind CV screening (remove name, photo, university)
- Diverse interview panels (min 1 underrepresented interviewer)
- Track pipeline diversity at each stage (application→screen→interview→offer→accept)
- Set targets (not quotas) and report progress quarterly
- Inclusive benefits: parental leave (all genders), flexible hours, mental health support
- Pay equity audit annually — correct gaps proactively
- EU Pay Transparency Directive (2023/970): companies >100 employees must report gender pay gap by June 2027
Hiring Process Checklist
- Write inclusive job description with salary range
- Define scorecard before opening role
- Source candidates (job boards, referrals, direct outreach — diversify channels)
- Structured interviews with independent scoring
- Reference checks (2 minimum, ask about collaboration not just skills)
- Written offer with all terms per Directive 2019/1152
- Pre-boarding checklist triggered on acceptance
- 30-60-90 onboarding plan shared with new hire and manager
- Probation review scheduled at midpoint and end
See references/hiring-process-flowchart.md for the full workflow diagram.