This article was written by our partners at Remote Work Junkie, and originally posted on their website.
Hiring remotely is one of the best things your company can do.
But to build a truly unique and profitable business, you should take it up another level and hire employees from anywhere in the world!
Sounds like a daunting task, no? And why would you want to hire employees who are based around the globe? It just sounds like an operational nightmare…
It used to be challenging, but technology has changed the game. So if you have been curious or looking to explore hiring internationally for your remote roles, then I got you covered.
In this article I’ll share reasons why you want to hire globally, the considerations when employing international employees, and how to easily hire and manage remote employees that are based in various locations.
Reasons to Hire Global Remote Employees
Before diving into what you need to consider when hiring remotely around the world, let’s look at some important reasons it should be on your hiring plans this year.
First thing to note. People are looking for more remote or flexible working options than ever.
In RemoFirst’s Freedom of Work Index, just 17% of current remote or hybrid employees would even consider going back to the office full-time.
That’s just one data point available around employees wanting remote and flexible work options. You’ll find hundreds of studies and research online.
And allowing work from anywhere can be a huge boost to your company. Here are some benefits of hiring remote employees around the world:
Larger remote talent pool.
While there is a ton of talent where you might be based, hiring international opens the talent pool even wider. And this gives your company the BEST options to hire the most skilled people around.
Diverse skills and backgrounds.
By hiring remote workers around the world, you’ll access more diverse backgrounds and skills that can empower your company and work culture.
While your country will certainly have skilled talent, opening to work anywhere can bring in new creative approaches not thought of before.
Can reduce business costs.
Global Workplace Analytics estimates that for all remote-work-compatible jobs, if everyone who wanted to work remotely did so just half of the time, the total money saved would be over $700 billion annually.
This averages out to more than $11,000 per employee per year!
Hiring remote employees around the world can reduce operational costs, remove relocation costs, and prevent high costs of office spaces required to house employees.
Market expansion for your business.
Not only will your company get more exposure for work from anywhere, this can help your business expand into new markets.
Now you have employees that can help with language barriers, navigate the local markets with their insights of the country, and more.
Related: Looking to discover and source remote talent? Take a look at the thousands of jobseeker profiles in our community looking for remote work opportunities. Get access here and build your recruiting pipeline.
What to Consider With International Hiring
You might already know why some remote jobs have location requirements.
But if you are new to hiring internationally, there are common challenges and considerations your company needs to know.
Taxes
Every country has their own rules, regulations, and tax codes.
And navigating these can be very difficult for companies unfamiliar with the laws and can be major headaches if not followed correctly.
Even locally in the United States, it can be a hassle if employees live in different states. The employer becomes subject to the specific tax laws of that State, city, and county.
Labor Laws
Similarly to the various tax laws, each country (And state for those in the United States) may have varying labor laws your company needs to abide by. This relates to time off, sick days, termination of employment and more.
Holidays
While there are a few holidays that carry over around the world, many countries have their own unique days for time off and celebrations.
When you hire internationally, your company will need to respect and manage those days. And that can be challenging for HR and operations to quickly keep track of, depending how expansive your hiring has been.
Payroll
Managing payroll can be a thorn in your company’s side. Not only for handling it in different countries, but currently exchanges and time zones of pay periods. And some of the currency exchanges can start to add up as well!
Visa & Work permits
A big hurdle can also be access to employees who will require a Visa or Work Permit to legally work in the country they are living in or may relocate to.
And because each country has their own regulations, it requires your company to have knowledge in managing this correctly.
Hiring remote employees anywhere in the world sounds scary…
Often, these above areas are why companies shy away from offering work from anywhere.
Some companies have been early adopters and figured it out, think Buffer and Zapier.
But hiring globally doesn’t need to be intimidating or scary anymore. Now it’s even easier to manage the above and cost-effective.
This is where RemoFirst’s powerful and affordable platform comes into play.
Hiring Globally Without the Headaches
Thanks to technology, hiring globally and remotely anywhere is much easier. This is great news for smaller organizations as well who were previously hesitant.
Say hello to RemoFirst.
RemoFirst helps companies hire full-time employees on your behalf in 180+ countries, so you don’t need to set up multiple legal entities to hire talent around the world.
Here’s where the platform can help:
- Managing payroll globally – Your team’s hours, time off, holidays, bonuses, and any commissions are automatically calculated into payroll. And you can summarize invoices to aggregate them into one payment, rather than paying each international employee individually. And through the platform, your global employees will be paid in their country’s currency.
- Handle regulations and taxes – The team’s HR professionals and legal experts will help you stay compliant and get ahead of changing regulations globally by keeping up with local updates in every country they currently service.
- Perform background checks – RemoFirst offers a range of background checks to ensure your candidates meet the highest standards. This includes things like National ID Check, Reference Check, Criminal Check, Academic Check, and more.
- Help get any work permits or visas – Manage your requests via RemoFirst, the team will ask some additional questions, and handle the application process for you.
- Offers global health plans – RemoHealth is a part of the RemoFirst offering that allows clients receive personalized, international private medical insurance with some of the top coverage in the world.
While there are a few platforms in this space, RemoFirst is one of the most transparent and affordable options. They have two plans currently:
- For those hiring full-time employees it’s $199 per person/month
- If you are hiring global contractors, it’s $25 per person/month
RemoFirst is managing employees and contractors for Fortune 500 companies and the best startups around the world. No more excuses that your company can’t hire remotely around the world.
