Quick, hassle-free onboarding

Adding an employee's details to Remote is simple — we 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 carries out right-to-work checks to confirm workers hold the permissions, work permits or visas required in their location

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

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

Depending on where you hire, employee onboarding software lets you bring new employees into your organisation in full compliance with applicable employment laws. For local hires this is usually straightforward or at least familiar: new employees typically sign an employment agreement and upload important documents, all managed by the company’s onboarding software. Onboarding software often stays in use after the employee starts working, since it’s commonly part of a larger employment software suite.

Things get trickier when companies try to onboard remote employees in countries where they don’t have a legal entity. Lack of local knowledge and custom can slow the process and risk non-compliance. In those situations, employers usually use an employer of record, or EOR, to onboard new workers. An EOR enables businesses to employ people abroad by acting as the local employer and handling functions such as payroll, benefits, tax withholding, compliance, and stock options.

New hires won’t automatically know what to do when they start a new role. Even for small firms, onboarding is the first chance to sort administrative matters, set clear expectations and convey company culture. In many countries, onboarding involves deadlines for paperwork and registrations, so companies hiring across borders must be vigilant.

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

If their first pay is late or they can’t sign up for insurance because of administrative errors, new team members quickly lose trust and motivation. Efficient onboarding creates a positive experience from day one.

Onboarding remote employees can be as straightforward as onboarding in-office staff — or much more complex, depending on where you’re hiring and how prepared you are. If the remote hire lives near the rest of your team (for example the same city or region), the process is fairly simple. You’ll need to provide equipment and make sure they feel welcomed and included, but the legal elements (such as signing the employment agreement) are usually similar.

Onboarding remote employees in another state or country brings new challenges. You must account for time zones and the paperwork and registrations that accompany a distributed hire. In some countries, new employees are required to complete a medical exam as part of a new offer of employment, even when working remotely.

Often certain documents must be filed with government bodies by strict deadlines, and employees enrolled in social programmes within a set time after their start date. To onboard employees in a country where your company does not have a legal entity, you can hire abroad with confidence using an employer of record, or EOR like Remote.

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

For contractors, this is usually quicker and more straightforward. You can use an international contractor management platform like 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 in the country or region where your new employee lives and works. If you own an entity in that country, you’ll be responsible for local compliance, payroll, taxes, benefits administration and various paperwork. Because of these barriers, companies 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.

Onboarding independent contractors may be easier than hiring full-time staff, but don’t be fooled. If the working relationship isn’t correctly defined you could face fines or even lose ownership of intellectual property (IP).

Start by creating and signing a formal agreement with your chosen contractor. This contract should cover pay rates, deliverables and ownership of created works. Different countries have different rules, so when hiring internationally use an international contractor management tool — not just a payments-only solution.

You might later convert contractors to employees at some point. If that happens, you’ll need to onboard the contractors into the new roles and complete the required paperwork depending on the country.