One thing we've consistently observed at Oyster is that most companies don't stay with an Employer of Record (EOR) because they're convinced it's the best option. They stay because switching sounds more disruptive than living with the problems they already know. That's understandable.
If you've never been through an EOR migration before, it's easy to imagine months of disruption, confused employees, payroll issues, and endless administrative work.
In reality, many of the concerns we hear are based on assumptions rather than how a well-planned migration actually works.
Let's look at four of the biggest myths we hear from HR and People leaders — and what we've learned after helping organizations successfully transition their global teams.
Myth #1: My employees will have to start over
This is probably the question we hear most often. Because a migration involves changing legal employers, many HR leaders assume employees are effectively losing their jobs and starting from scratch.
Reality
A migration does involve formally ending employment with the outgoing EOR. But that's only one part of the process. In most cases, employees resign from their current provider and sign a new employment agreement with the incoming provider as part of a carefully coordinated transition. They don't reapply for their jobs, and the goal is to make the change as seamless as possible for everyone involved.
One important nuance is employment continuity. Where local laws allow, providers can include continuation of employment provisions that recognize an employee's original start date, helping preserve seniority, notice periods, and certain employment rights. However, this depends on local legislation and can't be guaranteed in every country.
How Oyster helps
At Oyster, every migration starts with a country-by-country assessment. Before you commit, our migration specialists review local employment laws and explain exactly how the transition will work for each location. Where local laws allow, we build employment continuity into the migration plan to help preserve seniority and employment rights. If a different approach is required, we explain that upfront so there are no surprises.
What this means for you
Don't assume employment continuity works the same way everywhere.
Ask prospective providers to explain exactly how they'll handle continuity in each country where you employ people. If they can't clearly walk you through the process before you sign, that's worth paying attention to.
Myth #2: Payroll will be interrupted
No HR leader wants employees wondering whether they'll be paid on time. It's one of the biggest concerns we hear whenever companies begin evaluating a migration.
Reality
A well-managed migration treats payroll continuity as one of its most important deliverables. Rather than treating payroll as an afterthought, experienced migration teams coordinate the outgoing provider's final payroll with the incoming provider's first payroll to avoid gaps or overlaps.
One detail that often surprises organizations is the role notice periods play. Your commercial agreement with your existing EOR may have one notice period, while employees have their own statutory or contractual notice periods depending on local employment law. Those timelines need to be carefully coordinated as part of the migration plan.
How Oyster helps
Payroll continuity is one of the first things we plan. Before the migration begins, we align onboarding timelines with your outgoing provider's final payroll run, coordinate notice periods country by country, and validate payroll setup before employees transition. Our goal is simple: your employees continue getting paid accurately and on time throughout the migration.
What this means for you
Don't just ask a provider whether payroll will continue uninterrupted.
Ask how they'll make that happen. A migration partner should be able to explain their payroll transition plan — not simply promise that everything will work out.
Myth #3: My HR team will be overwhelmed
Many HR leaders picture migration as months of spreadsheets, contracts, and project management. If that were true, it's easy to understand why companies delay making a change.
Reality
Migration is a real project. But your HR team shouldn't be expected to run it alone.
One thing we've consistently seen is that the smoothest migrations happen when the provider takes ownership of the operational work. While your team will review information, make key decisions, and communicate with employees, the heavy lifting — data validation, localized employment agreements, onboarding coordination, payroll setup, and compliance — should largely sit with your migration partner.
Most migrations take between four and twelve weeks depending on workforce size, country mix, and notice periods, but that doesn't mean four to twelve weeks of full-time work for your HR team.
How Oyster helps
Every migration is led by a dedicated Migration Project Manager who acts as an extension of your team. We coordinate the project, prepare localized employment agreements, manage employee onboarding, and keep every stakeholder aligned throughout the process. Rather than handing you a checklist and wishing you luck, we guide you through each stage of the migration.
What this means for you
One of the best questions you can ask a prospective provider is:
"What work will my team actually be responsible for?"
If the answer sounds like your HR team will be running the project themselves, you may want to keep looking.
Myth #4: The risk of switching outweighs the reward.
This may be the myth that keeps companies stuck the longest. When you're already managing day-to-day operations, staying with a provider you know can feel like the safer option.
Reality
Every migration carries some complexity. But staying with the wrong provider carries risk too.
We've worked with organizations that came to us after months — or even years — of recurring payroll issues, compliance concerns, poor employee experiences, or declining support. In many cases, the operational burden of staying had quietly become greater than the effort required to switch.
The question isn't simply: "Is migration risky?"
It's also: "What's the cost of staying where we are?"
How Oyster helps
Before you commit to switching, we help you evaluate whether migration actually makes sense for your organization. Together, we review your workforce, compare benefits, estimate employer costs, identify country-specific considerations, and build a migration plan tailored to your business. That way, you understand the timeline, costs, and potential risks before making a decision — not after you've signed a contract.
What this means for you
Don't evaluate migration based only on the effort required to switch.
Also consider the operational, compliance, financial, and employee experience costs of staying with a provider you've already lost confidence in.
If you want to talk through what a migration would look like for your specific team, our Oyster experts are happy to walk through it with you, no commitment required.
Choosing your next EOR
Deciding to switch providers is only half the decision. The migration itself is temporary. The relationship with your next EOR is what will shape your day-to-day experience for years to come.
One thing we've learned after helping organizations migrate is that companies aren't simply looking for a better platform. They're looking for a partner they can trust when payroll needs fixing, employment laws change, they're expanding into a new country, or an employee needs support.
As you evaluate potential providers, look beyond features and pricing. Consider questions like:
- Will you have access to real people with local employment expertise?
- Will they help you understand the migration before you commit?
- Are costs transparent, or should you expect surprise fees?
- How will they support your employees during the transition?
- What happens after the migration is complete?
At Oyster, that's exactly how we've designed our migration experience. Every customer works with dedicated migration specialists who help plan the transition, identify potential risks early, and support both HR teams and employees throughout the process. And once your migration is complete, that partnership continues with ongoing customer success and access to global employment experts.
Ready to separate myth from reality?
Many organizations postpone evaluating a new EOR because they assume migration will be more complicated than it actually is.
Our Employer of Record Migration Guide explores these myths in greater detail and walks through what a structured migration actually looks like — from planning and timelines to employee communications, payroll coordination, and choosing the right migration partner. It's built from the experience of helping organizations like Grover and Kinsta successfully navigate the transition.
