HOW TO
SCALE GLOBALLY
WITHOUT SINKING
4 POTENTIAL PITFALLS FOR COMPANIES HIRING
ABROAD, AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Globalization Partners enables companies to quickly and easily expand
into 187 countries without the hassle of setting up local branch offices
or subsidiaries. You identify the talent, and we employ your team
member via our in-country payroll. This enables you to quickly and
easily hire around the globe, and lifts the burden of figuring out HR,
tax and legal matters from your shoulders to ours.
WHAT WE DO
Globalization Partners
Succeed Faster
Contact us today to see how we can help you
expand your team around the world.
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CONTENTS
THE GLOBAL EXPANSION ROADMAP
ACHIEVING GLOBAL DOMINATION
Without Being Eaten By Red Tape
CHARTING NEW WATER:
4 Dangers Every Expanding Company Should Avoid
PROBLEM 1: LOST IN TRANSLATION
Transferring Your Processes & Policies Into
New Markets Without Getting In Big Trouble
6, Germany
8, Argentina
10, United Kingdom
11, Japan
13, Takeaways
PROBLEM 2: LEVELING THE FIELD
Providing Equitable Benefits For Employees Across
Wildly Different Cultures
15, Easy: Mandated Standard Benefits
16, Challenging: Collectively Bargained Benefits
17, Difficult: The “Cost To CompanyModel
18, Takeaways For Building An Equitable
International Benefit System
3PROBLEM 3: THE CONTRACTOR TRAP
Why Hiring Independent Contractors
Can Be Fools Gold
20, Takeaways For Hiring
International Contractors
PROBLEM 4: THE FINAL EXIT
Dealing With International Employee Terminations
22, Before You Act: Stop!
23, “AtWill” Employment is a Foreign Concept
24, Example: 90-Day Pay in Mexico
25, Example: Can I See That In Writing?
Its The Law In Germany.
26, Takeaways For Employee Termination
ONBOARD NAVIGATION
WHY WORK WITH GLOBALIZATION PARTNERS?
FINAL TIPS: HOW TO SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATE
THE GLOBAL MARKET
CONTACT
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5
14
19
21
27
28
29
30
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The Global Expansion Roadmap | Achieving Global Domination
ACHIEVING
GLOBAL
DOMINATION
WITHOUT BEING EATEN BY RED TAPE
You’re about to conquer the world. Like
intrepid explorers setting out across the seas,
your team is on the verge of expanding your
business into the far reaches of the globe—
gaining footholds in the markets of Europe, or
is done, your strategy is in place, and you have
a straight shot to a fast grab of international
But what about the parts of your map that
are marked “unknown:” murky areas around
clouds lurking over employment taxes and fees?
These dark areas of the map could put you at
risk, maybe even sink your chances of success
Unfortunately, no single international legal
Does this mean you will need to chart your
own course in each country to are expanding
THE GLOBAL EXPANSION ROADMAP
into—some of which have very treacherous
legal waters? Will that kind of research and
preparation be a huge drain on your resources—
when what you really want is to be establishing
offer some preliminary advice as you embark
on your exciting journey of world market
mistakes companies make and offer some tips
avoid the danger altogether—so you can focus
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CHARTING
NEW WATER:
(4 DANGERS EVERY EXPANDING
COMPANY SHOULD AVOID)
THE GLOBAL EXPANSION ROADMAP
If you’re expanding into a new international
market, your executive team is already under
pressure to identify and navigate the laws of
each country. Executive teams spend insane
amounts of time, money, and energy building
out complex legal and tax infrastructures, while
trying to comply with the regulations of every
country. Employment law is really the icing on
this cake.
Most companies know they are risking
hiring and employment wrong. Let’s talk about
four of the most common problems your
management and HR teams will face as you
try to onboard and manage an international
workforce.
The Global Expansion Roadmap | Charting New Water
Most companies know they are risking significant legal
issues if they get international hiring and employment wrong.
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The Global Expansion Roadmap | Problem 1: Lost in Translation
In the case of establishing and maintaining
international workforces, what you don’t know
can hurt you—even if that workforce is only a
single sales representative. One of the mistakes
many companies make is trying to simply graft
existing processes and policies onto a new
location without understanding the local laws,
practices, expectations, and cultural differences.
To illustrate what this can look like, we’ve
highlighted four common examples below,
from different parts of the world. While these
are all attractive and well-developed markets,
each country comes with its own unique set of
challenges.
PROBLEM 1:
LOST IN
TRANSLATION
TRANSFERRING YOUR PROCESSES &
POLICIES INTO NEW MARKETS
(WITHOUT GETTING IN BIG TROUBLE)
THE GLOBAL EXPANSION ROADMAP
The Global Expansion Roadmap | Problem 1: Lost in Translation
GERMANY
Potential pitfalls:
Extensive business regulation and
GDPR compliance
Strict enforcement culture
Slow to process paperwork
Germany is a hot market, but Germans run
25,000 Euro must
be deposited prior
months. The HR laws are complicated, strict,
and generally much more protective of the
employee than the employer. After a company
reaches 10 employees, an employee work
yourself with a unionized labor force in one of
Paperwork takes
a minimum of 3-4
months to get back