Bonus for a solar water heater

11 Aug

Bonus for a solar water heater

The City of Brussels gives its inhabitants (postal codes: 1000, 1020, 1120, 1130 Brussels) a bonus for a solar water heater. It is possible to reduce the amount of the energy bill by reducing dependence on fossil fuels (fuel oil, gas) and by using alternative energy sources. Even with our climate, a solar water heater makes it possible to provide 60% of the energy required for the production of hot sanitary water in a home for free. In addition, there is [...]

20 Jul

Returning to the workplace – Incentives and Belgian Law

Belgium has introduced a number of tax-friendly incentives around home working, some of them seemingly overlapping, so one would certainly be excused for not seeing the wood for the trees here. Employers are allowed to pay certain tax-free benefits and allowances, but which are they required to pay? To answer this question, let’s go back to basics, which in this case is National Collective Labour Agreement nr. 85 on working from home. What is required In terms of the actual obligations, CLA nr. 85 states [...]

15 Jul

Designing a hybrid work organisation

Post-pandemic hybrid work models should be carefully planned, taking into account individual and organisational needs. With the end of the pandemic in sight, organisations are rethinking when and where their employees will work. Over half of office workers want to keep working remotely for three or more weekdays and while employer enthusiasm is somewhat lower, this does seem feasible for 20%-25% of the workforces in advanced economies. Many companies will likely adopt a hybrid combination of on-site and remote work, with work from home estimated to [...]

07 Jul

25% more new start-ups in first half of 2021

The first half of this year produced 25% more new start-up companies in Belgium than the same period in 2020, according to figures produced by Graydon for Unizo, the organisation for the self-employed. In the first six months of this year, 60,111 new companies saw the light of day, 25.77% more than in 2020, just at the time when the coronavirus pandemic was at its worst. “Apparently this year’s starters also include entrepreneurs who actually wanted to start last year, but [...]

02 Jul

Business federation Unizo says that many SMEs are running at a loss due to the rising cost of imports

The coronavirus pandemic continues to have a negative impact on the Belgian economy. Many businesses are experiencing difficulties due to the rising cost of imported raw materials and increased transport costs. Small and medium-sized businesses are especially badly hit as they are often unable to increase the prices they charge their customers to compensate for their own increased costs. Unizo, the enterprise federation that represents small and medium-sized businesses has expressed concern. Unizo’s, Danny Van Assche told VRT Radio 1’s morning news [...]

24 Jun

The unions approve social accord, albeit some reluctantly

The socialist, Christian, and liberal trade unions have voted to approve the social accord their representatives reached with the employers from the private sector. The accord covers a host of measures, including a significant increase in the level of the minimum wages and a more flexible regime on overtime. While the agreement received the backing of a sizable majority (88%) of delegates from the liberal trade union there was greater reluctance to accept the deal among those that represent members [...]

08 Apr

Online Business French course

The language school Language Studies International Brussels, member company of the Chamber, is organising online learning courses in “Business French” starting May 10th The use of French in business has been gaining ground and has become one of the most widely spoken languages in the European institutions and international organisations, as well as being one of the official languages in Belgium. Learning business French helps to improve job opportunities, whether it's writing a formal letter, sending a job application, taking part [...]

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Author - EmpleoBeLux