Quick, hassle-free onboarding

We simplify adding the employee’s details into Remote, with an automated invite emailed to the new starter.

Once your employee signs into the platform, Remote prompts them to supply administrative details and upload the required supporting documents.

Remote will perform a right-to-work verification to confirm that workers hold the necessary permissions, work permits or visas for their location.

The employment agreement is prepared and issued to the employee for formal signature.

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

Depending on where you hire, employee onboarding software lets you add new employees to your organisation in full compliance with applicable employment laws. For local hires this is usually straightforward or at least familiar to most businesses. New employees typically sign an employment agreement and upload required documents, all managed by the onboarding software the company uses. Onboarding software often remains in use once the employee begins work, since most onboarding features form part of a larger employment software suite.

Complexity increases when companies try to onboard remote employees in countries where they lack a legal entity. Lack of local legal and cultural knowledge can slow onboarding and risk non-compliance. In these situations employers commonly use an employer of record, or EOR, to onboard workers. An EOR enables businesses to employ people abroad by acting as the local employer of record while handling functions such as payroll, benefits, tax withholding, compliance and stock options.

New employees do not automatically know how to perform in a new role. Even small companies use onboarding to settle administrative matters, set clear expectations and communicate company culture. In many jurisdictions, onboarding requires multiple pieces of paperwork and registrations by fixed deadlines, so organisations hiring across countries must be vigilant during onboarding.

Few things frustrate a new employee more than problems with payroll and benefits. You want new hires to have a positive experience and immediately feel cared for and included.

If you cannot pay their first salary on time or they cannot enrol in insurance because of administrative errors, new team members will quickly lose trust and motivation. Efficient onboarding builds a positive employee experience from the start and creates a welcoming environment from day one.

Onboarding remote employees can be as straightforward as onboarding in-office staff — or considerably harder, depending on where you hire and how prepared you are. If you hire remote employees in the same area as your team, the process is fairly simple. You will need to provide the employee with the proper equipment and ensure they feel welcomed and included, while the legal aspects (for example, signing the employment agreement) are generally the same.

Onboarding remote employees in other states or countries brings additional challenges. You must manage time zones and the paperwork and registrations that come with distributed hires. For example, some countries require a medical exam as part of a new offer of employment, even for remote workers.

Often documents must be filed with government authorities by strict deadlines, and employees enrolled in social programmes within a set period after starting. To hire in a country where your company lacks an entity, you can engage an employer of record, or EOR like Remote.

Begin onboarding remote employees with the basics. Do you have the legal infrastructure in place to employ this person?

For contractors the process is generally quick and simple. Use an international contractor management platform such as Remote to pay your contractors in their local currencies.

Onboarding full-time remote employees is more complex. The key is understanding the regulations that apply where your new employee lives and works. If you own an entity in the hire’s country you will be responsible for local compliance, payroll, taxes, benefits administration and various paperwork. Because of these barriers, companies hiring across borders typically partner with an employer of record.

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

Onboarding independent contractors is easier than for full-time hires, but be cautious. If you fail to set correct boundaries for the working relationship you risk fines and possibly losing rights to intellectual property (IP).

Begin by drafting and signing a formal agreement with the contractor. The contract should cover pay rates, deliverables and ownership of created works. Rules vary by country, so if you hire internationally use an international contractor management tool — not merely a payment service without context or protections.

You may wish to convert contractors to employees at some point. If you do, you have a few options. Contractors moving to employee roles must be onboarded into their new positions with the required country-specific paperwork.