Quick and hassle-free onboarding

We make it easy to add an employee’s details to Remote and automatically email an invite to your new starter

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

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

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

The employee is enrolled into payroll and benefits schemes and their status is set to active in Remote.

Depending on where you plan to hire, employee onboarding software helps bring new staff into your organisation in full compliance with applicable employment laws. For local hires this is usually straightforward and familiar for most businesses. New employees typically sign an employment agreement and upload important documents, all of which is managed by the onboarding software the company uses. Employee onboarding software often remains in use once the employee starts working, since it is commonly a feature of a broader employment software suite.

The situation becomes more complex when companies try to onboard remote employees in countries where they do not own a legal entity. Lack of familiarity with local laws and customs can make quick, compliant onboarding difficult. In these cases, employers commonly use an employer of record, or EOR, to bring on new workers. An EOR enables businesses to employ people in other countries by acting as the local employer while handling tasks such as payroll, benefits, tax withholding, compliance and stock options.

New employees do not automatically know what to do when they begin a new role. Even in small organisations, onboarding is the first chance to deal with administrative matters, set clear expectations and communicate company culture. In many countries, onboarding involves deadlines for paperwork and registrations, so firms hiring across borders should be vigilant when onboarding new workers.

Few things frustrate a new employee more than difficulty with payroll and benefits. You want new hires to have a positive experience with your organisation and feel an immediate sense of care and belonging.

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

Onboarding remote employees can be as straightforward as onboarding in-office staff — or it can be considerably more complex, depending on where you are hiring and how well prepared you are. If the remote employee is in the same general area as the rest of your team (for example, the same city or county), the process is fairly direct. You must provide the new starter with suitable equipment and ensure they feel welcomed and included, while the legal steps (such as signing the employment agreement) are broadly the same.

Bringing on remote employees in a different state or country introduces additional challenges. Not only must you adjust for time zones, but you also need to handle the paperwork and registrations that accompany a distributed hire. For example, some countries require a medical exam as part of a new employment offer, even for remote roles.

In most cases, certain documents must be filed with government authorities by strict deadlines, and employees must be enrolled in social programmes within a set period after employment begins. To hire in a country where your company does not have a legal presence, you can use an employer of record, or EOR like Remote.

Begin with the basics when onboarding remote employees. Do you have everything in place 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 involved. The key is to understand the regulations that apply in the country or region where your new employee lives and works. If you have an entity in the country where you plan to hire, you will be responsible for local compliance, payroll, taxes, benefits administration and various filings. Because of these barriers, companies hiring remote employees in other countries typically work with an employer of record.

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

Onboarding independent contractors is simpler than onboarding full-time staff, but do not be misled. Failing to set correct boundaries for the working relationship can be costly — not only in fines, but potentially in ownership of intellectual property (IP).

To onboard independent contractors, begin by creating and signing a formal agreement with your chosen contractor. The contract should cover items such as pay rates, deliverables and ownership of created works. Rules differ between countries, so if you hire internationally be sure to use an international contractor management tool — not simply a payments-only service without context or protections.

You might later decide to convert contractors to employees at some point. If so, there are several options. You will need to onboard the contractors into the new roles and complete the required paperwork depending on the country.