Fast, painless onboarding

We make it easy to add an employee’s details to Remote and send an automated invite to your new starter.

When your employee signs in to the platform, Remote prompts them to provide administrative details and upload the necessary supporting documents.

Remote performs a right-to-work check to confirm the worker has the necessary permissions, permits, or visas required for their location.

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

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

Depending on where you want to hire, employee onboarding software lets you bring new staff into your organisation in full compliance with applicable employment laws. For local hires this is often straightforward (or at least familiar) for most businesses. New employees typically sign an employment agreement and upload important documents, all managed by the onboarding software. Often, onboarding software continues to be used once the employee starts, because it is usually a feature of a broader employment software package.

Things get trickier when companies try to onboard remote employees in countries where they don’t have a legal entity. Unfamiliarity with local rules and customs can slow onboarding and make compliance harder. In those situations, employers commonly use an employer of record, or EOR, to onboard workers. An EOR enables businesses to hire in other countries by acting as a local employer of record while handling functions such as payroll, benefits, tax withholding, compliance and share options.

New employees aren’t automatically sure what to do when they start a new role. Even for small businesses, onboarding is the first chance to deal with administrative tasks, set clear expectations and explain company culture. In many countries, onboarding involves deadlines for paperwork and registrations, so employers hiring across borders must be vigilant when bringing on new workers.

Nothing frustrates a new employee like problems with payroll and benefits. You want new hires to have a positive first experience and to feel cared for and included from the start.

If you can’t pay their first pay‑run on time or they can’t enrol in insurance because of admin errors, new team members will quickly lose trust and motivation. Efficient onboarding processes create a positive experience from day one, establishing a welcoming environment straight away.

Onboarding remote staff can be as simple as onboarding office-based employees — or it can be much more complex, depending on where you’re hiring and how prepared you are. If you hire remote employees who live near the rest of your team (for example, in the same city or state), the process is fairly straightforward. You’ll still need to provide the right equipment and ensure the new starter feels welcomed and included, but the legal steps (such as signing the employment agreement) are generally the same.

Bringing on remote employees in other locations — such as another state or country — introduces extra challenges. You must allow for time‑zone differences and the paperwork and registrations that come with a distributed hire. For example, some countries require a medical exam as part of an offer, even for remote roles.

In many cases, particular documents must be filed with government agencies by strict deadlines, and employees must be enrolled in social programmes within a set time after starting work. To hire in a country where you don’t own a legal entity, you can employ people with confidence using an employer of record, or EOR like Remote.

Start onboarding remote employees with the basics. Do you have everything in place to employ this person legally?

For contractors, onboarding is normally quick and straightforward. You can use an international contractor management platform like Remote to pay contractors in their local currencies.

Onboarding full‑time remote employees can be more involved. The key is understanding the rules that apply in the country or region where your new employee lives and works. If you own an entity where you plan to hire, you’ll be responsible for local compliance, payroll, taxes, benefits administration and various types of paperwork. Because of these hurdles, companies often work with an employer of record when onboarding remote employees in other countries.

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

Onboarding independent contractors is generally easier than onboarding full‑time employees, but don’t be complacent. Getting the working relationship wrong can cost you — in fines and potentially in ownership of intellectual property (IP).

To onboard independent contractors, start by creating and signing a formal agreement with the contractor. The contract should specify pay rates, deliverables and ownership of created works. Rules differ by country, so if you hire internationally, use an international contractor management tool rather than a basic payment service that lacks protections or context.

You may want to convert contractors to employees at some point. If that happens, you’ll need to onboard the contractors into their new roles and complete the required paperwork for the relevant country.