Quick, hassle-free onboarding

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

Once the employee signs in to the platform, Remote prompts them to enter administrative information and upload the necessary supporting documents

Remote performs a right-to-work check to confirm that workers hold the appropriate permissions, work permits or visas required in their location

We prepare the employment agreement and send it to the employee for formal signature

The employee is enrolled in payroll and benefits programmes, and their status is set to active in Remote.

Depending on the country where you hire, employee onboarding software lets you bring new hires into your organisation while complying with applicable employment laws. For local hires this process is often straightforward for many businesses: new employees sign an employment agreement and upload key documents, all managed by the onboarding software. Often onboarding tools remain in use after the employee starts, since many onboarding features are part of a broader employment software package.

The situation is more complex when companies try to onboard remote employees in countries where they lack a legal entity. Lack of familiarity with local laws and customs can slow onboarding and risk non-compliance. In these circumstances, employers commonly use an employer of record, or EOR, to onboard new workers. An EOR enables businesses to hire in other countries by acting as the local employer and handling functions such as payroll, benefits, tax withholding, compliance, and share options.

New starters won’t automatically know their responsibilities on day one. Even for smaller firms, onboarding is the first chance to handle administration, set expectations and convey company culture. In many jurisdictions onboarding requires meeting multiple deadlines for paperwork and registrations, so companies hiring across borders must be vigilant.

Few things frustrate a new employee more than problems with payroll and benefits. You want your new employees to have a good experience with your company and feel an immediate sense of care and belonging.

If their first pay arrives late or they cannot enrol in insurance due to admin errors, new hires will quickly lose trust and motivation. Efficient onboarding builds a positive employee experience from the start, creating a welcoming environment from day one.

Onboarding remote employees can be as straightforward as in-office onboarding—or considerably harder, depending on the hire’s location and your level of preparation. If the remote hire lives in the same city or region as your team, the process is generally simple: provide the right equipment and ensure they feel welcomed and included. Legal steps, such as signing the employment agreement, are typically unchanged.

Onboarding remote employees in different regions, such as another state or country, introduces new challenges. You must not only manage time zones, but also account for the paperwork and registrations that come with a distributed hire. For example, in some countries new employees must complete a medical examination as part of taking up employment, even for remote roles.

Often, specific documents must be filed with government agencies by strict deadlines, and employees must be enrolled in social programmes within set timeframes. To hire in a country where your company has no legal entity, you can employ abroad confidently using an employer of record, or EOR like Remote.

When onboarding remote employees, begin with the fundamentals. Have you put in place everything required to employ this person legally?

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

Onboarding full-time remote employees is often more complex. The essential step is to understand the regulations in the country or region where your hire lives and works. If you have a local entity you will be accountable for functions such as local compliance, payroll, taxes, benefits administration and multiple paperwork requirements. Due to these obstacles, companies commonly partner with an employer of record.

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

Onboarding independent contractors is generally simpler than for full-time employees, but be cautious. If you fail to set clear boundaries in the working relationship you risk penalties—and potentially loss of ownership of intellectual property (IP).

To onboard independent contractors, first create and sign a formal agreement with the chosen contractor. The contract should cover pay rates, deliverables and ownership of created works. Rules differ by country, so when hiring internationally use an international contractor management tool rather than a simple payment solution that offers no context or protections.

You might decide to convert contractors to employees at some stage. If so, you have several options. You will need to onboard them into the new roles and complete the country‑specific paperwork.