Outsourcing International HR FAQ

Outsourcing your international HR services is one of the best choices you can make when you operate in multiple countries.

Whether you are a small business with an international presence, a well-funded start-up with a multi-national team, or a large company expanding into Europe for the first time, outsourcing your international HR will make your business run so much more smoothly!

Europe HR Solutions offers comprehensive HR outsourcing for international businesses across unlimited industries. Our knowledgeable, multilingual team supports businesses in Europe with everything they need to manage their employees, including:

Recruiting
Onboarding
Payroll processing
Benefits administration
Personnel administration
Writing employee handbooks
Creating contracts
Compliance with employment laws
Performance management
Regulatory and risk management
And more, as needed

If you are looking for HR experts who can manage your employees and keep you compliant with international labor law, you can trust Europe HR Solutions to take care of you and your needs.

Here are some frequently asked questions we hear about our services and how we can help your business in Europe grow.

What makes a company successful in Europe?

There are many factors that go into success, but one thing is certain: you can’t be successful without your people! And managing your workforce takes a lot of knowledge and experience.

International Human Resources develops the framework for your organization’s ability to attract and retain talent. A company’s culture is developed by Human Resources policy, procedures, and practice.

Companies that know all about Human Resources outsourcing can take advantage of evolving trends and new strategies for HR implementation, rather than being left behind.

Effective international compensation and benefits programs attract top-tier talent; they are retained by excellent training, development, and employee relations.

Who needs European HR?

Regardless of the size of your company, you need HR expertise to effectively manage your company in today’s complex international marketplace.

Whether you’re dealing with employment law, growing pains, downsizing, or optimizing the benefits of HR outsourcing, you need international HR expertise. However, you may not need an in-house HR department. Outsourcing your international HR may be a better solution than staffing a full-time, in-house HR team.

What do businesses gain by partnering with Europe HR Solutions?

Attracting and retaining top talent does not happen by chance. It takes a thorough understanding of the competitive marketplace, competitive compensation and benefits programs, and a clear definition of the skill set needed for each position in each country.

If you’re struggling to optimize your European presence, you can find an HR solution by enhancing efficiency through small business HR outsourcing.

Europe represents a complex platform of different employment laws, policies, and procedures in every single European country. The benefit of working with a dedicated HR expert at Europe HR Solutions is that you will be partnering with a multi-lingual expert who will not only able to assist you with your ad hoc immediate questions in one or several countries at the same time but who will also be able to project manage your start-ups, expansions, or acquisitions.

HR outsourcing can assist in the development and implementation of performance appraisal systems and feedback mechanisms.

How does HR affect company culture?

Your workplace atmosphere is built right into your employee handbook. But even more importantly, culture is shaped by how employees are treated on a day-to-day basis.

Human Resources is charged with shaping the company values. What you do in these times shows your employees what your real values are.

The HR department must be adept at all four stages of Human Resources:

Maintain compliance with the local country labor laws and create all required records
Manage all of the HR tasks associated with running a business
Create good faith and fair dealings by how they treat employees; work within the values and mission of the organization
Counsel and train the managers and executives

Do you really need an employee handbook?

An employee handbook is very important to your organization. It is designed to help the company remain in compliance with the local country employment law, establish the company’s rights, and protect the company.

Do we provide help setting up new legal entities (like corporations, LLCs, etc.) in other countries?

Yes, we provide corporate law legal assistance in setting up branches and other legal entities in all EU countries. We’ll provide you with an overview of the potential costs and timelines for each of your options and get you set up in full compliance with EU and national laws.

Can we help you find the ideal country for an expansion or start-up?

Absolutely. We are more than happy to guide you through your options. We work with our clients to strategize their European market expansion.

What kind of employment contracts do we provide?

We provide multilingual, fully customized employment contracts for all EU countries. These contracts are guaranteed to be:

tailor-made to your business needs
100% legally compliant
regularly updated in response to legislative changes

What is the process like for hiring with Europe HR Solutions?

As your HR partner, we assist you with recruitment, hiring, and onboarding. Talent acquisition is about finding the ideal employee for each open role and ensuring that they are excited to join the team. This means getting information about jobs in front of the right candidates, following best practices for recruitment, and effectively hiring the right people.

Like our contracts, our hiring processes are customized to match your business needs.

Can we manage the termination process, too?

We are savvy with procedural termination assistance. This takes the pressure off of you, and it guarantees that any termination follows the requirements of the countries you are working in.

The only part we don’t do is draft the termination agreements, but we can connect you with a legal network of boutique law firms that typically charge up to 40% less than big international law firms.

Does Europe HR Solutions consult on benefits schemes?

We work with local broker partners who are part of a large global network of benefits providers. We make sure that your employees have more than just the legally mandated coverage; they also need to have the coverage promised through collective bargaining agreements.

How do we help with determining the appropriate salaries for open positions?

We possess extensive survey data and local salary data, both of which allow us to provide strong guidance about how to provide competitive wages to your employees.

Europe HR Solutions – We’re here to answer your questions

If you have more questions, we are happy to answer them! Reach out to us to learn more about our services and how we can assist you as you grow your business in Europe.

Business owner surrounded by paperwork, indicating the need for HR outsourcing

How outsourcing HR can save money

If you own a small or mid-sized business, you understand how frustrating it can be to spend time and money on tasks that don’t generate revenue. The costs of building an HR department from the ground up can prove astronomical.

When you’re launching your small business in a foreign country, especially, you’ll need HR solutions before you open your doors for daily operation. Europe HR Solutions can help.

The right outsourced HR team can reduce your ongoing costs in the following ways:

Payroll administration:

By outsourcing your HR, you can bring in vetted professionals to set up and administer your payroll system. This team can train you to ensure a seamless transition after their service contract is completed.

You won’t have to stress over hiring long-term employees to take care of payroll, or training payroll administrators.

Benefits implementation:

Your outsourced HR team can help you to select the right benefits software package and enroll the employees of your small business.

Human resources management:

Outsourcing your HR can prove to be a game changer for your overall human resources management, too. HR consultants contribute through a wealth of experience in compliance, employee relations, and recruitment.

This saves valuable time for small business owners, mitigates the risk of legal issues and delays in operations, and provides access to the latest industry best practices and trends.

When it makes sense to outsource HR for small businesses

International companies with fewer than 50 employees are considered small businesses, and rarely expand to Europe with an inhouse HR team already in place.

For US and UK-based small businesses that launch European operations, there’s usually a CFO who oversees broad HR tasks.

However, the CFO or other executives managing HR for a small business launch in Europe often lacks the country-specific legal and HR expertise necessary to ensure innovative solutions that reflect the country’s best HR practices and legal compliance.

It’s important to consider the following when determining whether or not you should outsource your HR:

What specific HR services and support does your business require?
Do you have anyone on your team who’s well-versed in country-specific employee regulations and labor laws?
Will you need management compliance training and support?
Will your current employment handbook, policies, and procedures translate to adhere to the needs of employees in different countries?
Do you have a small HR department in place that may need help implementing payroll, benefits, training, and development?

Time is money. Outsourcing HR saves time, letting you focus on what matters.

What to expect with Europe HR Solutions

By outsourcing your HR, you may find it’s easier to take care of your daily operations and to strategize and prepare for the launch of your small business in Europe. Europe HR Solutions has supported countless small, mid, and large-sized businesses in their international HR needs.

Whether you need our team to manage your HR and implement solutions, or you need us to help guide the HR professionals you have on staff, we can sweat the small stuff to ensure your big picture remains intact.

You can expect Europe HR Solutions to do the following:

Act as your representatives:

We’ll act as an extension of your small business. This means we will collaborate with you and ensure we’re promoting your vision and standards in any HR matters we handle for you.

Ad hoc requests:

We understand that you may have ad hoc requests. We’re used to fast-paced, high pressure situations, and will ensure your needs are met in a timely manner.

Assist with HR strategies:

We’re committed to providing HR services that help your business grow and succeed. We’ll make certain that the innovative solutions we offer adhere to your overall business and HR strategies.

Create and implement policies and procedures:

We’ll strategize with you to create and implement your company’s policies and procedures and ensure details are in place that will help your employees thrive and create a positive work environment.

Handle employee contract needs:

We’ll help to create and manage your employee hiring processes (including talent acquisition, interviews, and onboarding checklists), employee complaint procedures, performance reviews, and off-boarding processes.

Legal compliance:

Europe HR Solutions will use our thorough knowledge of the various nuances in employment regulations and labor laws to keep your operations, policies, and procedures within legal compliance. This will help reduce your liability risk should issues with employees arise.

Manage employee and management training and development:

We can cover government-mandated and specific position training programs to support your employees to work with excellence and grow in their positions. This includes compliance training for managers.

Recruitment:

We can utilize the latest in talent acquisition trends and industry best practices to make sure you attract the talent you deserve to fill your staffing needs. We want to help you to build the best team possible to create a positive work culture and a productive team.

The cost of outsourced HR services for small businesses

When to outsource your small business’s HR could be determined by your available budget. The cost of outsourcing your HR may be an upfront expense, but in the long run, it can save you significant money and protect your revenue.

The services offered by Europe HR Solutions can vary in cost, and are dependent on the extent of service you require. We can determine the cost based on the scope of the project.

For example, you may need us to manage a specific, well-defined project that allows us to estimate the cost involved. However, you may require our services on a daily basis, for an extended period of time, or find you need support in an immediate HR emergency. This may mean we will need a retainer payment or charge for an hourly rate.

How to determine your HR outsourcing needs

Before you decide to outsource your HR, it’s vital to determine what type of services you require. It can be overwhelming to discern your needs, but reflecting on and strategizing about specifics can be beneficial.

Answering the following questions may help you to understand what services you require:

Do you need an outsourced HR professional who takes the time to know and understand your business, staff, and culture?
Do you need HR professionals who are available on a daily basis?
Are you in dire need of help with critical talent acquisition?
Do you require flexibility and a large scope of HR tasks?
Are your needs limited to legal compliance and knowledge?
Do you need help developing your workplace culture?
Do you need to overcome language barriers?
What are your long-term HR needs?

Other benefits of outsourcing your HR

Once you’ve determined when to outsource HR for your small business, you may find that it allows you to streamline your operations and focus on your overall business strategy.

This strategic move reduces your administrative burdens of managing payroll, benefits, and other HR tasks in-house. The cost-effectiveness of outsourcing becomes evident as it eliminates the need for investing in HR infrastructure and ongoing training.

This newfound flexibility can enable your small business to adapt quickly to market changes and allocate resources more efficiently. Ultimately, an outsourced HR team becomes a strategic partner, and empowers you to prioritize your employees, enhance organizational efficiency, and thrive in the competitive European business landscape.

Contact Europe HR Solutions

Europe HR Solutions understands how crucial HR is to the foundation of any successful business. We can consult with you to determine when it’s best to outsource HR for your small business, and customize innovative solutions with you.

Your HR needs remain our greatest priority, and we want to support you in ways that promote legal compliance and allow you to see your small business dreams come to fruition.

Connect with Europe HR Solutions today for a free consultation and be sure to check out our blog for the latest HR insights, tips, and trends. The road to success for your small business is just an HR step away.

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Author

Inez Vermeulen

Inez Vermeulen is the Founder and CEO of Europe HR Solutions, with over 25 years of successful corporate and entrepreneurial experience in various global industries. She has helped grow and expand the European divisions of global companies such as Coca-Cola Company, Regus, DHL, American Medical Systems, etc. Inez has received several company awards for her entrepreneurial spirit and success.

She owns a Bachelor’s degree in French, History and Latin, several HR global expert certifications, a Master’s degree in Metaphysical Sciences, ICF Coach Certification and has completed her Doctorate on Transformational Leadership. Inez is fluent in Dutch, English, French, Italian and German. She works in partnership with an extensive international network of independent & professional companies and resides in Belgium near Brussels with her husband Jan.

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