What is Global Mobility and How an EOR Can Help

As our world becomes more global, more businesses than ever before are looking to hire top talent across borders and may be asking themselves, what is global mobility? 

Not surprising, a recent BCG survey across 190 countries with 209,000 respondents found that 50% of workers surveyed were open to the idea of relocating. 57% of these professionals were willing to work remotely with an employer who didn’t have a physical presence in their home or host countries. 

As global mobility becomes a necessity for more companies, business leaders need to understand exactly how to manage their international workforce and teams across borders and what policies to put into place when they expand.

What is global mobility? 

Global mobility is the ability to seamlessly move your employees from one country to another for a short- or long-term assignment. Mobile employees refers to anyone who has a permanent transfer to another country for a short or long-term assignment, travels often to another country, or who commutes to another country regularly. 

To achieve global mobility for your team, you’ll need to understand: 

• Payroll, taxes, and social security 

• Labor compliance laws and regulations

• Visas and work permits

• Benefits and compensation packages

• Relocation and cultural assimilation 

Without mastering and creating a global mobility solution, you could wind up dropping your employees into an unfamiliar environment where they’ll lack motivation or even leave your business due to global mobility challenges. 

Types of global mobility services and solutions

Some common types of mobility services and solutions that can help your business include:

• Visa and immigration support

• Workforce relocation 

• Corporate relocation 

• Leadership solutions

• Foreign language support

• Employee management

What options do I have to manage global mobility? 

Your leadership team has three major options when creating effective global mobility strategies: 1) come up with a plan on your own or 2) partner with a global mobility consulting service. 

Use your own resources

If you decide that you have the in-depth knowledge to manage and create your own global mobility strategy, you can decide to do so yourself. 

However, you’ll need to hire an entire legal team that specializes in the country you’re planning to move your team to and make sure you assist your team members as they transition. You’ll also most likely need to open your own legal entity to hire workers if you don’t partner with a global EOR solution. 

If any problems with compliance or comfort arise, you’ll be held both legally responsible and could risk losing a valuable team member, especially those who weren’t prepared to work in a new country. 

Partner with a global mobility consultant 

Another option is to partner with a global mobility consulting agency. These agencies are a good option if you already have legal presence in the country and are able to assist your team members in-country once they move. 

Keep in mind, global mobility consulting agencies mostly focus on helping you create your mobility strategy plan. They don’t help with HR/People management or compliance once your employee is settled in and searching for local partners can take a long time.

Partner with an EOR service 

One of the most effective ways to make sure all of your bases are covered while hiring abroad and ensure a smooth transition for your employees is to partner with a global EOR like Justworks. 

We go further than simply creating a global mobility plan. An EOR provider handles HR management for your employees once they’ve gotten settled, as well as helps you to resolve any compliance-related issues. 

How can an EOR service help with global mobility

An EOR service can help companies by providing services that manage compliance and global hiring. 

Payroll 

When you move an employee from one country to another, you’ll need to make sure that you’re setting up a legal payroll process. 

You’ll have to understand social security, value-added taxes (VAT), income taxes, state and national deductions, payroll cycles, and corporate taxes. 

Labor compliance

Before you even transition your employee, you’ll need to study the specific laws in the country where they plan to work. You’ll likely need to hire HR professionals to help you manage payroll and labor compliance. 

For example, in Mexico, the laws surrounding independent contractors are much more stringent than, say, somewhere in Europe. A global mobility solution provides guidance and solutions for approaching these types of challenges.

Before employees start working in a new country, you’ll need to understand exactly what hours employees are allowed to work, overtime pay rules, and discrimination laws. 

Justworks’ EOR has on-the-ground legal experts that help us ensure that your HR team remains compliant with all local labor laws.

Visas and work permits

Before you can even begin to think about moving your employee to a new location, you’ll need to know what kind of visa and work permit they’ll need for immigration. 

Some countries like Spain and Costa Rica allow expats to remotely work for a small business or company as a digital nomad. 

If you want to gain a visa or work permit to work for a small business in Costa Rica, the relocation process is extensive and complex and not many work permits are given to foreigners. We can help you navigate the visa/work permit process in the country you’re wanting to expand to and guide you through the application process. 

Benefits

Once you’ve obtained the necessary work permits for your employee, you’ll need to make sure that you’re giving them their obligatory benefits based on the country. 

Each country has 1) mandatory benefits and 2) recommended benefits that are crucial to understand when onboarding top tech talent. 

As your EOR partner and mobility solution, Justworks can tell you exactly what employees are entitled to in their new country and what benefits you should consider to remain competitive. 

Justworks Can Help Manage International Hiring

Choosing the right EOR to help you expand your business internationally can be a game changer. Justworks’ global EOR services enables companies to hire international employees quickly, pay them in the local currency, and provide local benefits. It’s hard to know where to start and what to put in place abroad to protect business and your employees. At Justworks, we have in-country legal teams and entities set up to ensure that your payroll is protected and that you’re remaining compliant abroad. 

From access to top talent pools around the world to streamlined international hiring processes, the advantages of working with an EOR (and using Justworks) are undeniable. Get started today. 

FAQ

What is the meaning of global mobility? 

Global mobility is the ability for a business and its workforce to move and operate across international borders efficiently. Global mobility can help companies improve their businesses, as well as enable people across the globe to grow their careers.

What is a global mobility example? 

An example of global mobility is an US-based small business moving an employee to work in Brazil, either remotely or in person. To be successful with global mobility and hire workers around the world, you’ll need to comply with labor and tax laws and make the employee feel comfortable during the transition by making sure they know exactly what to expect in the new country as an employee there. 

What is a global mobility strategy? 

A global mobility strategy is a small business’s unique plan for seamlessly and effectively transitioning an employee from one country to another by complying with labor laws, payroll, benefits, compliance, and work visas and permits. 

Why is global mobility important? 

Global mobility is important because the world has become more connected with the rise of technology and remote work. Being able to seamlessly transition your employees into a new marketplace empowers your business to diversify its workforce and reach a wider customer base. 

What is a global mobility policy?

A global mobility policy is a set of guidelines established in your business that helps you transfer and move employees across borders. Global mobility policies usually outline processes for visa and work permit applications, payroll, HR function, and labor compliance.