Zaposleniku

Zaposleniku is the dative singular form of the noun zaposlenik, used in Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian to refer to the employee. The base form, zaposlenik, denotes a person who is employed, while zaposleniku is used when the sentence requires the sense of “to the employee” or “for the employee.” The term appears in everyday speech as well as in formal contexts such as contracts and labor regulations.

Zaposlenik stems from zaposliti, meaning “to employ,” with the agent suffix -nik. It is related to the noun posao, meaning “job” or “task.” In practical use, the word describes an individual who is part of an employment relationship under an employment contract (ugovor o radu) with an employer (poslodavac). Employees may be engaged on a full-time, part-time, or fixed-term basis, and their status is protected by national labor laws covering wages, working hours, safety, social insurance, and termination procedures. The term helps distinguish the employee from an employer and from self-employed or contractual workers.

Common phrases include plaća zaposleniku (salary to the employee) and reference to the employment contract (ugovor o radu) as it pertains to the rights and duties of the zaposlenik. The concept is a standard element of speaking about work, wages, and workplace relations in the relevant languages.