Working Remotely

There are two ways to benefit from working remotely:

• Working in Istanbul (Home Office)
• Working outside Istanbul

In Istanbul (Home Office)

• Be reachable during core working hours, 10:00-16:00.

• Work only at the location, where you declared to be working at (via Home Office Request Form). E.g, it is not allowed to be working @Starbucks due to client data protection

• Attend to all meetings online, or inform the scrum team, in case you cannot attend.

Outside Istanbul

On top of the rules from working in Istanbul parts, you might want to take a look the bullets below:

• Talk to the people you work closely (in your projects and teams) and make sure you are on the same page about working somewhere outside Istanbul.

• Make sure you have all the things you need while working (e.g. computer, client hardware, adapters and etc.)

• Send the related Working outside Istanbul Request Form

Health & Work

Some of you might be fighting sickness off, and that’s totally okay! Here’s how to handle it and stay on top of things:

1. Doctor’s Orders: If you’re feeling unwell, listen to your body! Need time to rest and recover? Do you need to lie down and sleep? Go see the doctor – they’re the experts on getting you back in tip-top shape. Don’t forget to get your report for sickness absence before leaving the doctor’s room!

2. Work from Home HQ: Feeling a little too under the weather for the office? You are not feeling weakened but you’re worried your symptoms might be contagious? No problem! Work from home and stay comfy. Let your team know you’ll be tackling tasks from your home base, all while wearing cozy clothes and sipping hot tea.

3. Laughter is the Best Medicine: Feeling gloomy? Share some fun with your team! Send some funny memes, crack a joke or two, and spread some cheer. It can help you feel better and keep everyone’s spirits up.

4. Stay Hydrated: Drink plenty of water! It’s good for you and can help you feel more energized and focused throughout the day. Keep a water bottle nearby and take regular sips – you got this!

Remember, taking care of yourself is important! Don’t try to be a hero. Rest, relax, and focus on getting better. And don’t hesitate to ask for help from your team – they’re there to support you. ❤

Teams

About Teams

So how does BISS run? Who is responsible of all of these?

Actually WE. You, me and all of us! We are stronger together! We are not waiting things to handle by themselves.
We have teams to handle non-project responsibilities. Everyone has at least one team. Thanks to these teams, all work is done by the whole team.

• Organization & PR Team
  They are responsible for our happiness and sharing it with the others. If you have an idea that contributes to the happiness of everybody, now you know whom to go! Please add our event calendar to your calendar!

• Office Network & Cloud Team
  If you come to this point, you have already met with someone from our lovely team(thanks to them again). If you still have some questions to them, please check their gitlab page if it’s in their scope and you can get support easily by opening a task on their board.

• Training Team
  There is always something new to learn! So we have BISS ACADEMY! Follow their weekly journal for more!

• Resource Planning Team
  Our whole capacity is managed by them!

• Process Design Team
  Way of working, git strategies and all other proccesses are designed by them.

• Technology Team
  Our technical quality and used technologies in our projects are in their hands.

• Recruitment Team
  You have just become our new teammate, thanks to them!

Of course we are not done! Click for the detailed information: teams.

Travel Rules

Before

• If it is a client visit, make sure the travel dates are confirmed by the client as soon as possible. This is important not only from the ticket & hotel costs’ perspective, but also for the client contact person to be able to plan his agenda in time.

• Check the travel dates with your manager as well.

• Confirm travel dates, and destination with the client. If possible, do it in a WRITTEN way. Ask them to fill following information:

  • Address of the client site to be visited: xxx
  • Number of days planned to cowork with the BISS team: xxx
  • Planned activities for cowork days: xxx
  • Date of arrival to client site: xxx
  • Date of return: xxx

• Once the travel dates, and destination is confirmed. Book the flight and hotel as soon as possible. Now, this is for cost saving, of course :-)

• Add Company Calendar to your Calendar and feed your travel information into the Calendar, so that your colleagues can see when and where you will be. This might seem unnecessary but wait until we are 50 people ;-)

• Claim your Per Diem at least 3 days before traveling. Check out Per Diem. If not claimed within the given time, you travel from your own pocket and get Per Diem after the travel, together with your other expenses. See Employee Expenses

• Confirm with your mobile operator that you can use your phone abroad as well.

• Make sure you have the contact information of your local colleagues, other than their names and email addresses ;-).

During

• Don’t forget that your BISS Team is always with you, no matter what happens, where it happens or whether it is your fault or not. DO CONTACT YOUR MANAGER ASAP, day or night, for any problem you are stuck with. We got you ;-)

• Collect the bills and invoices for all of your spendings, whether or not it is covered by your Per Diem. For a list of things covered by BISS, check this out.

• Try to enjoy your time as well; drink some local beer or enjoy a nice cup of cappuccino together with a pice of tiramisu (and tell your friends about it :-))

• Always keep in mind that you represent:

  • Yourself
  • Your project team
  • Your company, BISS, yey! :-)_
  • Your country, Yes, this may seem odd, but hey, you are in another country with different culture! and think before acting. If you are not sure about anything, ask your teammates and your manager.

After

• Share some love, and don’t forget to bring something for your colleagues. :-)

• Enter your expenses into the system. Check out Employee Expenses

• Give all the hard copies of the invoices/bills to your manager in an envelope, with your name written on it.

Passport Fees

Calling all wanderlusting tech wizards! Packing your bags for a business trip abroad? No need to fret over your passport fees!

Here’s the deal:

We know passports are essential for conquering international projects, so we’re excited to announce a passport fee assistance program!

Who’s eligible?

Full-time globetrotters required to travel for work (sorry, no personal vacay reimbursements this time!). ✈️

New passport applicants and renewal champs are both welcome! 🆕

What’s covered?

We will cover your passport fee for 2 years. ⚡️

This covers the government-issued fee, not photos or express services (sorry, instant passport printing hasn’t been invented yet!).

How to claim your passport power-up:

Once you’ve secured your passport, submit your completed expense report to your Paraşüt account with a copy of the receipt.

We’ll fast-track your reimbursement within one month.

Need more info?

Reach out to the HR, they’re the map experts here! ️

Now go forth and explore, tech adventurers!

Expenses

• For more detailed information please follow this link: Expenses

Visas

Germany Business Visa

A Germany Business visa is a short-stay Schengen visa, which permits its holder to enter and remain in Germany up to 90 days within 6 months unless, it is not specified differently in the visa sticker. It is issued to people who come to Germany to perform business making, attend meetings, sign contracts, etc.

Germany Business Visa Requirements

Starting from 2024, there is a new appointment system for visa applications. Please see: https://tuerkei.diplo.de/tr-de/service/05-VisaEinreise/-/2646152

There is a number of requirements not only for German business visa, but for all types of German visas, which you will have to meet one by one, in order to be able to obtain a visa that allows you to enter the country.

The list of required documents for Business visa to Germany are as following:

• Short-stay visa application form – fully completed with correct and honest information that complies with the information given in the other documents.

• Identical photographs – 35x45 mm, 2 pieces, no older than six months, and according to the set standards that must be strictly met.

• Valid national passport

  • no older than 10 years, with a validity of three months beyond your planned stay in Germany and the whole Schengen Zone
  • at least two blank page in order to be able to affix visa sticker, and in accordance with the other passport requirements.
  • copy of page with photo of passport
  • old passports must also be presented

• Copy of identity card

• Birth Certificate aka Nufus Kayıt örneği, the whole family should be in sight, must have barcode

• Travel health insurance – a document that confirms you have obtained health insurance, which will cover costs of at least 30,000 Euros in case of an accident or illness and repatriation in case of death. The insurance must cover the whole Schengen territory and not only Germany. You can get your insurance in IDATA during visa procedures. Check on IDATA website if this is still valid.

• Service scheme - (aka SGK Hizmet Dökümü)

• Bank Account Statement - for last 3 months

• Pricing

  • Visa fee
  • Visa Service fee

• Send the following information to your project manager:

  Surname:XXX

  Given name: XXX

  Gender: XXX

  Nationality: XXX

  Date of birth: XXX

  Passport no.: XXX

  Passport Expire date: XXX

  and ask your project manager for:

  • Statement of employment - (aka SGK İşe Giriş Bildirgesi)

  • Proof of financial status - Payrools of the past three months

  • Employment contract - if you don’t have “Proof of financial status”

  • Invitation letter - from the business partner, includes:

    • Client name and address
    • Employee’s name, BosphorusISS full name, and employee’s title
    • The dates and purpose of the trip, and if your expenses are being covered by the client or not.
    • Requested visa period, mention if employee enter more than once in Germany in a given period.

  • Company covering letter

    • with entire travel plan (itinerary)
    • mentioning your position, duration of your service,
    • the dates and purpose of the trip
    • if your expenses are being covered by the employer or not.
    • mention if employee enter more than once in Germany in a given period

  • Visa Request Letter Example of visa request letter: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16qUZpE8rotr7cYQI2o4m574QvasJH1er_Bfi3fEHNuU/edit?usp=sharing

  • Flight itinerary – which include flight reservation, rail tickets or other means of transport which you are planning to use to reach Germany. Send manager assistant an email with departure dates and city; they are going to send you the flight ticket. Refer to the following requirements and send all the required information in one email.

  • Proof of accommodation - for your entire stay in the Schengen area – which could be a hotel booking (with details including the address, phone number and email of the hotel)

    • hotel booking details
      • go to booking.com website
      • find a hotel with free cancellation and no prepayment (be careful about last cancellation day of reservation, otherwise we have to pay for it)
      • specify a hotel, check needed information.
      • send manager assistant an email with all required information. They will book the hotel with company’s virtual card and send it to you (also see the following requirement before sending the e-mail).
      • do not forget to cancel your reservation after receiving your visa. You can cancel your reservation via email coming from Booking.com.

  • Certificate of incorporation of the company aka Ticari Sicil Kaydı, Vergi Levhası, İmza Sirküleri. Send an email to manager assistant, asking for these documents.

  • For more detailed information please follow this link: Visa Guide

Per Diem

• To get per diem before trip, fill and sign this template and hand it over to your manager.