04:05 GLOBAL
someone in the business has already said, “Yes, of course you can keep working for us!”, before fully realising what they’ve just committed to. Different scenarios, same outcome: HR is left to make it all legal, compliant, and operational…usually by Monday morning. To most people, this sort of situation would bring on a full-blown meltdown. But HR is not most people. HR tends to be made of sterner stuff. These are the people colleagues turn to when the impossible needs doing. So the sleeves get rolled up, and the heroic quest begins. First comes the small matter of setting up a new local entity, something which can often take a long time. Not a problem; there is always that metaphorical time machine in the stationery cupboard, ready to transport the process back six months. Except, of course, a Nominee Director is needed.
Again, no issue. Every HR professional seems to have a well-connected uncle waiting in the wings, so that box is swiftly ticked. But to open an entity in the first place, a registered office address in the new country is also required. No trouble there; conjuring up a charming sixth-floor suite with the right fire exits, recycling bins and a pot plant feels almost routine. If a job’s worth doing… Then comes the local bank account. This typically requires a director to appear in person at a branch on the other side of the world. Fine, just lend them that imaginary time machine, and the problem vanishes.
Next is the employment contract: dual-language, compliant with local laws and drafted overnight. Fortunately, HR professionals are famously fluent in seventeen languages and familiar with every employment code ever written. Or at least it feels that way, given what’s expected of them. Just as the initial wave of relief begins to set in, the hiring manager pops back with an additional detail: “By the way… we promised them private healthcare, 4x on the life insurance and a pension, is that OK?” Naturally, it is. The contact list is thicker than a phone book, and within two calls, all benefits are in place. Then comes the discovery that the employee is not a citizen of the country
And, somehow, there is still time left to set up a payroll partner who will pay accurately, on time, and in the correct currency!
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GLOBAL PAYROLL MAGAZINE ISSUE 18
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