What is a global employment solution?

So you want to build a global team? The talent is out there, but the complexity can be overwhelming. From navigating different labor laws—for example, while just under 50% of countries have no language requirements for contracts, the other half do—to managing payroll in multiple currencies, the administrative burden often stops HR teams in their tracks. Here's the good news: a global employment platform transforms these obstacles into opportunities. This article explains what these platforms are, how they work, and why they've become essential for companies expanding internationally.

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What is a global employment platform?

A global employment platform is a single, integrated solution that helps companies hire, pay, and manage a workforce across international borders. Think of it as your central hub for global operations. Instead of juggling local lawyers, payroll vendors, and compliance rules in every country, these platforms handle the complexity for you.

The goal? Make global hiring simple and human. These platforms handle everything from generating compliant contracts to running multi-currency payroll. You focus on building a great team—they handle the complexity.

What are the benefits of using a global employment platform?

For companies looking to grow, the world is full of talent. A global employment platform helps you tap into it. Here are a few key benefits:

• Stay compliant, reduce risk: Navigating international labor laws is complex. For example, in about 77% of countries, courts can review the dismissal afterwards and potentially reinstate the employee. A platform with built-in legal expertise ensures your contracts, benefits, and payroll are always compliant with local rules, reducing the risk of costly fines.
• Hire talent faster: You can onboard new team members in days, not months. These platforms eliminate the need to set up a local legal entity, which can be a slow and expensive process.
• Simplify operations: Manage your entire global team from one dashboard. Centralize contracts, run payroll, approve expenses, and manage time off without switching between dozens of tools.
• Deliver a better employee experience: Provide your team with competitive local benefits, on-time pay in their currency, and a simple self-serve portal to manage their employment details. This builds trust and helps with retention—a critical goal, as global employee engagement recently fell to just 21%.

Key features of global employment platforms

What exactly can a global employment platform handle for your team? Here are the core capabilities you should look for:

• Global hiring: Onboard employees in new countries without setting up local entities
• Compliant contracts: Generate legally sound agreements that meet local labor laws, such as in Belgium and Chile, where probation periods are not allowed
• International payroll: Process payments in local currencies with automatic tax calculations
• Benefits management: Provide competitive, locally relevant health insurance and perks
• Time-off policies: Handle vacation days and statutory leave according to local requirements
• Tax compliance: File and pay employment taxes in each jurisdiction

In all the steps mentioned above, a good global employment solution ensures your company follows the law in every country that you hire in.

Types of global employment platforms

There are many different models that companies use to compliantly hire in foreign countries, such as:

Employer of Record (EOR)

Think of an EOR as your legal hiring partner abroad. They officially employ your team members, handling all the local compliance stuff, while your people work for you day-to-day.

Professional Employer Organization (PEO)

PEOs share employment responsibilities with your company. The catch? You need an existing legal entity in each country where you want to hire.

Global Employer Organization (GEO)

Global employer organization (GEO) and global PEO (GPEO) are terms used to describe an EOR which employs team members who live in jurisdictions outside of those in which a customer (company) is incorporated.

Find out more about which global employment solution is best for your company.

Global employment platforms vs. other international hiring solutions

Before global employment platforms, companies had few options for hiring abroad, and each came with challenges. Here's how a modern platform compares:

• vs. Setting up a local entity: Opening your own legal entity is expensive, slow, and creates a heavy administrative burden. A platform lets you hire in a new country in days without this overhead.
• vs. Using local law firms and accountants: Relying on a patchwork of local providers is inefficient and inconsistent. A unified platform standardizes your processes, giving you a single source of truth for your entire global team.
• vs. Managing contractors only: While hiring contractors offers flexibility, it can create misclassification risks; for example, in about 60% of countries, executives are considered as employees and are protected by local employment law. A platform allows you to hire both contractors and full-time employees compliantly, adapting as your needs change.

Simplify global hiring with the right employment platform

Building a global team shouldn't be a source of complexity and risk. With the right partner, it can be your greatest advantage. A global employment platform turns a world of administrative hurdles into a world of opportunity, allowing you to find and hire the best talent, wherever they are.

By unifying compliance, payroll, and benefits into one easy-to-use system, you can scale your team with confidence and give every employee a fair and consistent experience. Ready to see how it works? Start hiring globally and unlock your team's full potential.

FAQs

How much do global employment platforms typically cost?

Most platforms charge a monthly fee per employee—EOR services typically start around a few hundred dollars per month, while contractor management costs much less.

How long does it take to set up a global employment platform?

By handling requirements like a mandatory to organize a medical examination, which is the law in 22 countries, a platform allows you to hire and onboard someone internationally in just a few days. Compare that to the months needed to set up your own legal entity.

Can global employment platforms integrate with existing HR systems?

Yes, most platforms integrate with popular HRIS, accounting, and recruiting tools like BambooHR, NetSuite, and Greenhouse.

Disclaimer: This article and all information in it is provided for general informational purposes only. It does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal or tax advice. You should consult with a qualified legal or tax professional for advice regarding any legal or tax matter and prior to acting (or refraining from acting) on the basis of any information provided on this website.