Quick and trouble-free onboarding

We simplify adding an employee’s details to Remote and send an automated invite to your new starter

Once your employee signs into the platform, Remote asks them to provide administrative details and upload the necessary supporting documents

Remote conducts a right-to-work verification to confirm workers hold the appropriate permissions, work permits or visas for their location

The employment agreement is drafted and issued to the employee for their formal signature

The employee is enrolled on to both payroll and benefits schemes, and their status is marked as active in Remote.

Depending on where you recruit, employee onboarding software lets you bring new hires into your organisation in full compliance with relevant employment legislation. For local hires this is generally a simple (or at least familiar) process for most firms. New starters usually sign an employment contract and upload necessary documents, all managed through the employer's onboarding software. Onboarding software will often remain in use after the employee begins work, since most onboarding tools are part of a broader employment software suite.

The process becomes more complex when organisations try to onboard remote staff in countries where they have no legal entity. Lack of familiarity with local laws and customs can delay onboarding and make it harder to remain compliant. In such situations, employers commonly rely on an employer of record, or EOR, to onboard new workers. An EOR enables businesses to employ people in other countries by acting as the local employer while managing functions such as payroll, benefits, tax withholding, compliance, and stock options.

New starters will not automatically know what is expected of them in a new post. Even in small organisations, the onboarding period is the first chance to address administrative matters, set clear expectations and communicate the company culture. In many jurisdictions, onboarding involves a sequence of deadlines for forms and registrations, so firms hiring across countries should be particularly vigilant when bringing new staff on board.

Few things demoralise a new starter more than problems with payroll and benefits. You want new employees to have a positive experience with your organisation and to feel an immediate sense of care and belonging.

If you cannot pay their first pay packet on time, or if they are unable to sign up for insurance because of administrative errors, new team members will quickly lose trust and motivation. Smooth onboarding procedures create a positive experience from the outset and foster a welcoming environment from day one.

Bringing remote staff on board can be as straightforward as onboarding office-based colleagues — or considerably more demanding, depending on where you are recruiting and how prepared you are. If the remote worker lives in the same locality as the rest of your team (for example, the same city or county), the onboarding process tends to be fairly simple. You will need to supply the new starter with suitable equipment and ensure they feel welcomed and included, while the legal elements of onboarding (for example, signing the employment contract) are generally unchanged.

Onboarding remote workers in different locations, such as another county or another country, brings its own challenges. Aside from coordinating across time zones, you must also allow for the paperwork and registrations that accompany a distributed hire. For example, in some countries, employees are required to undergo a medical examination as part of a new appointment, even when working remotely.

Typically, certain documents must be filed with government authorities by strict deadlines, and staff must be enrolled in social programmes within a set period after employment begins. To hire employees in a country where your company does not have a legal entity, you can recruit internationally with confidence by using an employer of record, or EOR like Remote.

Begin onboarding remote employees by covering the fundamentals. Have you put in place everything required to employ this person lawfully?

For contractors, this is typically a brief and uncomplicated process. You can use an international contractor management platform like Remote to pay your contractors in their local currencies.

For full-time employees who work remotely, onboarding is generally more involved. The key is to understand the regulations that apply in the country or region where the new employee lives and works. If you have a legal entity in the jurisdiction where you plan to hire, you will be responsible for a range of duties, including local compliance, payroll, taxation, benefits administration and various statutory paperwork. Because of these barriers, firms onboarding remote employees in other countries typically work with an employer of record.

Remote is designed to remove the cost, risk and complexity from global employment so you can manage compliance with confidence.

Bringing independent contractors on board is generally easier than onboarding full-time employees, but be cautious. Failing to define the boundaries of the working relationship correctly can be costly — not only in fines, but potentially in ownership of intellectual property (IP).

To onboard contractors, start by preparing and signing a formal agreement with the contractor you have chosen. The contract should cover matters such as pay rates, deliverables and ownership of any works created. Different countries have different rules, so if you hire internationally be sure to use an international contractor management tool — not merely a service that lets you send payments without context or protections.

You might choose to convert contractors to employees at a later stage. If this happens, you have several options. You will need to onboard the contractors into the new roles, completing any necessary paperwork required by the country.