coronavirus: most frequently asked questions.

We remain available by telephone and e-mail. Feel free to call or message us at any time, but please do not visit our branches.

Talk to your consultant to arrange a way to collect safety shoes or workwear. You can contact them by telephone or e-mail.

Absolutely! A large number of our clients are currently looking for an extra pair of hands, as they are seeing a huge increase in demand for their services or products. You can view our vacancies online. If you’re interested, you can apply online by clicking the “Apply” button. We’re also continuing to work for companies that are temporarily closed for the time being, but that will need extra staff when they reopen

Yes, you can! Make sure you notify your benefit payment agency, as you won’t be able to claim benefits for the days you’re working in your flexi job. That way, you can avoid any corrections needing to be applied in retrospect.

Applying for a job counts as essential travel, so yes, you can. With circumstances being as they are, we are trying to organise interviews online as much as possible. Regardless, some situations require a face-to-face interview. In this case, all basic rules, such as social distancing and proper hand hygiene, continue to apply. Make sure you also request a certificate from your consultant to prove you are travelling for essential reasons. If you get stopped by the police on the way, simply show them the certificate. We wish you all the best at your job interview!

This largely depends on exactly which external service is involved. Ask your consultant for the most recent information.

If your contract is no longer being extended, we’ll arrange a C4 for you. You can send this form to your benefit payment agency to claim standard unemployment benefit.

No. In Belgium, you are under no obligation to carry a document in which your employer confirms the travelling you are doing for your job is essential, unless you are travelling during curfew hours. If you haven’t received this document, you can request it from your consultant.

Anything we can do digitally, we will do digitally. Please contact your consultant for more information.

As a rule, creches will stay open. Generally speaking, a lack of childcare does not qualify as a reason for temporary unemployment due to force majeure.

If you are unable to get to work, you will need to use annual leave/reduced working hours/overtime/authorised absence.

Yes, you can. As your employment contract has been suspended due to temporary unemployment, you can take a job at a different employer (e.g. through an employment agency). Please note that you will not be entitled to temporary unemployment benefit if you do take a different job. 

You will receive a percentage of your gross wages.

For normal unemployment, this stands at 65%. For temporary unemployment due to force majeure, this is currently 70%.



Benefits are capped at a gross maximum of EUR 2,754.76. If you earn more, this means you will never receive more than 65% or 70% of EUR 2,754.76. If you have been placed on temporary unemployment due to force majeure, you will receive a supplement of EUR 5.63 per day on top of your unemployment benefit. Please note that these amounts are all subject to withholding tax at a rate of 26.75%.

You can use a simplified form (form C3.2 - EMPLOYEE - CORONAVIRUS) to apply for benefits from your benefit payment agency (trade union or mutual fund).

Only you need to complete this form; no one else is involved.

You may be eligible for temporary unemployment due to force majeure if you are on a contract and the employer you ae working for is in a force majeure situation. There is no waiting period for temporary unemployment due to force majeure.

“If you are placed on temporary unemployment, you will enjoy special exemption from holding a C3.2 A control form. This exemption applies for the months of March, April, May and June 2020. For the time being, your employment agency will not need to submit this form. You can use a simplified form (form C3.2 - EMPLOYEE - CORONAVIRUS) to apply for benefits from your benefit payment agency (trade union or mutual fund). Only you need to complete this form; no one else is involved.”

All the information you need can be found on: www.nsso.be.

If you fall ill while on temporary unemployment, you will not be eligible for temporary unemployment benefits. In principle, you will be paid by your health insurance fund. To receive payment, you must send a medical certificate to your health insurance fund within 48 hours and notify your employment agency of the days you’ve taken off due to illness.

At Randstad, we submit all information about wages and working hours (that is required for the correct payment of your unemployment benefits and allowances under temporary unemployment due to force majeure) to the benefit payment agencies by no later than the third working day of the following month.

These data are then processed by the benefit payment agencies. They will be able to tell you exactly when you will receive your benefits, so please do not hesitate to contact them.

This benefit will be paid subject to the same conditions as usual: you have built up sufficient length of service or you are under contract on the public holiday in question.

If the public holiday falls more than 14 days after the start or your temporary unemployment, it will be paid by the NSSO (together with your unemployment benefit).

If the public holiday falls within the first 14 days of your unemployment, it will be paid by your employer, i.e. Randstad.

You are allowed to work if you’re a student. We assume that you won’t have stopped your course voluntarily, so ‘student’ will still be your main status. Please note that we do differentiate between students over 18 and students under 18.

Students over 18 are free to work whenever they want. In principle, students under 18 can only work ‘outside of normal school hours’. This rule remains applicable during this time.

For non-EU students, the 20-hour rule remains applicable.

The normal rules will apply during the Easter break, meaning you will be able to work if you’re a student (just like during a normal school holiday). You can view our outstanding student vacancies here. 

 

No — if ‘student’ is your main status, you cannot be placed on temporary unemployment. As such, you are not entitled to any benefits or wages.

If you are unable to work due to force majeure, you are eligible for temporary unemployment. Cross-border workers must contact a benefit payment agency (ABVV/FGTB, ACLVB/GCSLB, ACV/CSC or HVW/CAPAC) in Belgium to open a file at the authorised unemployment agency in Mouscron, Turnhout, Verviers or Arlon, depending on whether the main residence of the cross-border worker is situated in France, the Netherlands, Germany or the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.

You need to carry a travel certificate in both of the following situations: you are unable to work from home due to the nature of your job, or you need to travel for work from your home country to Belgium (or the other way round). This certificate will confirm that any travelling you do for work is essential. Your consultant can arrange this certificate for you, so make sure you enquire about it.

The government has recommended that companies limit the number of employees in one space. In practical terms, this means:

• Home working/remote working is the norm in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels for all roles where this is possible.
• At companies where remote working is not possible, the social distancing rules must be respected. A social distance of 1.5 metres must be guaranteed at all times.
• Companies that cannot guarantee social distancing will be forced to close.
• Certain crucial sectors (such as medical and essential services) are only obliged to apply the remote working and social distancing rules as far as it is possible to do so.

If the company you are working at is not respecting the rules, you must notify us immediately. We will compact our client/the company in question and keep you informed.

• Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water.
• Cough/sneeze into a paper tissue and throw it away immediately in a sealed bin.
• Use paper tissues.
• Stay at home if you are ill. Do not visit a doctor; call them instead.
• Avoid touching your face with your hands as far as possible.
• Avoid physical contact: don't shake hands, don't kiss.
• Respect a social distance of 1.5 metres.