In this Remote review, find out what makes this HR tech platform stand out among others in the market. Plus learn about the company and the visionaries behind it
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Before 2020, remote hiring was rare. When COVID-19 hit, HR teams had to pivot to comply with border closures, shelter-in-place directives, and mass office closures. Hiring remotely is now part of most organisations' talent acquisition and management strategies. This is where HR tech platforms like Remote come in.
Remote specialises in HR solutions for hiring and managing global teams. In this Remote review, we’ll talk about its key features and services. We’ll go over pricing, user feedback, and share case studies of how their clients’ hiring practices have changed. Finally, we’ll look at the leadership behind the company and their vision for hiring talent.
Review of Remote’s key features
Remote is an HR tech platform that offers services in these areas:
- Employer of Record
- Contractor Management
- Payroll services
- HR management
- Remote integrations and APIs
We’ll explore each of these services in more detail. Our Remote review will help you see if this HR software platform is a good fit for your organisation.
1. Employer of Record
Remote can serve as your Employer of Record (EOR) in countries where you want to hire local team members. You don’t need to set up a local entity, because Remote already has. With a presence in over 100 countries, the company ensures that your hiring process complies with local laws and guidelines.
Because Remote has in-country staff with local expertise, you'll receive updated advice on local hiring laws, payroll guidelines, and misclassification risks.
A compliance tool called Remote Watchtower monitors updates in local HR and labour laws. These complex legal changes are summarised into a format that’s simpler for you and your team.
Alerts and updates on these topics are available on the dashboard or via email:
- wage and hour laws
- health and safety regulations
- equality and anti-discrimination
- employee leave entitlements
- contract and employment terms
- benefits and pensions
- immigration and work authorisation
- collective bargaining and industrial relations
- flexible working regulations
Remote Watchtower integrates these updates into your company’s HR operations, working closely with internal teams for a smooth transition.
Employer of Record pricing: starts at AUD $915 per month for yearly plans
2. Contractor management
Under its Contractor Management services, Remote can manage international contractors on your behalf. No need to worry about paying contractors in multiple countries, in different currencies – Remote takes care of all that for you.
Contract Management features:
- automation tools to manage invoices and payments
- functions to add/remove contractors, pay in different currencies, produce localised contracts
- quick and easy onboarding, smart invoicing, and one-click invoice approvals
- a system to detect inactive contractors so you won’t get billed
A common issue around hiring and managing contractors is misclassification. This happens when an employee is wrongly labelled and treated as a contractor.
There are some differences between a contractor and an employer:
Misclassifying an employee as a contractor can lead to serious risks, such as:
- legal issues
- work disruptions
- reputational damage
- penalties and fines
- back wages and benefits
Remote has software with built-in features to prevent these misclassification risks. As an added protection against misclassification, indemnity coverage is available under the Contractor Management Plus package.
Contractor Management pricing: AUD $44/contractor per month
Contractor Management Plus pricing: AUD $151/contractor per month
3. Payroll services
Remote’s global payroll services take the stress of handling employee pay across time zones and currencies off your hands. You only need to follow 4 easy steps:
When you add joiners and leavers, Remote will register their details with the local authorities. Once you’ve funded the payroll wallet, the platform distributes pay in local currencies.
These international payroll services also cover:
- payroll processing and management
- payroll payments
- time and attendance
- expense management
Payroll specialists on the ground are ready to offer expert advice and support, should you need it.
These services also come with Remote Watchtower, assuring you of updates to changes in pay and benefits laws.
From what we have seen, Remote does help simplify the payroll process.
Payroll pricing: AUD $74/employee per month
4. HR Management
With Remote’s robust HR system, you can manage your global teams on one platform. It offers tools for managing employee data, time off, expenses, and more.
HR Management works well with Remote’s payroll services, so everything you need to perform HR functions for global teams is in one place. If you already have an existing HR tool, no worries – it integrates with Gusto, BambooHR, Greenhouse, and over 5,000 apps supported by Zapier.
Remote’s user-friendly platform is a favourite among employees, too. They can use the web version or the app to carry out self-serve HR functions. With the employee mobile app, they can:
- track time off requests
- access pay slips
- submit receipts and invoices
The app uses image recognition technology to scan receipts and upload information in seconds. The result? Quick, easy, and accurate expense reports that your teams can do wherever they are.
HR Management pricing: FREE
Is expense reporting a headache for your team? 😫
— Remote (@remote) July 25, 2024
Submitting expenses shouldn’t be a hassle ❌
Our new AI-powered OCR technology cuts errors and reduces rejections, so you can make expense reporting easier for your team😊
Ready to get started? 👉 https://t.co/IL68R5pASI pic.twitter.com/VzgIXUI9FH
5. Remote integrations and APIs
With Remote integrations, you can add EOR, contract management, and payroll services into your existing HR tech stack to give it a boost. Enjoy the features and benefits of the brand’s industry-leading technology without disrupting your HR processes.
Remote offers over 5,000 ready-made connections via Zapier. If you can’t find what you want, you can build custom automations using Remote’s API technology. The website has a page on API integrations to guide you in building your own automation.
These integrations and API give you access to award-winning HR tech services without having to give up the tools that already work for you. You also benefit from user-friendly, easy-to-integrate features without compromising on safety and compliance.
Remote review: pricing
No Remote review would be complete without a section on pricing. Here, we’ve included a summary of costs. We’ll also look at the platform’s pricing and satisfaction guarantee programs.
Here’s a table showing an overview of costs for each service in AUD:
Unlike other HR systems with tiered pricing, Remote offers a flat rate with no extra fees – all part of its Fair Price Guarantee.
Fair Price Guarantee
Under this feature, you enjoy:
- a flat fee
- no hidden fees, no extra charges
- no minimums when it comes to company size, contract length, or number of hires
- no exclusivity agreements
- no payment for inactive contractors
- no upfront payments; you can pay as you go. Certain exceptions apply, so it’s best to contact Remote for details
Remote also offers a money-back guarantee. If you’re not happy with their service, they’ll refund management fees for the first 90 days. Certain conditions apply.
What payment methods does Remote accept?
Remote accepts payments via:
- ACH direct debit
- SEPA direct debit
- BACS direct debit
- all major credit/debit cards
You can pay in these currencies:
- Australian Dollar (AUD)
- British Pound Sterling (GBP)
- Canadian Dollars (CAD)
- Danish Krone (DKK)
- Euros (EUR)
- Japanese Yen (JPY)
- New Zealand Dollar (NZD)
- Norwegian Krone (NOK)
- Singapore Dollar (SGD)
- Swedish Krona (SEK)
- Swiss Franc (CHF)
- United States Dollar (USD)
If you need to change currencies at any point, contact Remote via email, the platform, or chat.
Why choose Remote?
With so many HR tech platforms to choose from, why go with Remote? In our view, there are 3 main factors that make it stand out:
1. Total ownership and control
Remote owns full-stack infrastructure in every country it operates in. Unlike its competitors, Remote does not rely on third-party providers. They set up an entity in a country before offering any of their services to customers.
2. Data privacy and security
Remote is SOC 2 compliant and ISO27001 certified, giving you peace of mind that all employee details and documents are safe.
To keep your data secure, regular checks are carried out by third-party auditors. Security and compliance are handled in-house. All data is encrypted, and systems are protected with advanced firewalls. Customer data is stored in the EU.
The company is compliant with the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), the strictest privacy law in the world. This is the highest form of assurance that your information is protected.
3. Global reach, local expertise
As of this writing, Remote offers services in over 100 countries. They have an entity in each of these locations, with local staff lending their expertise on HR, payroll, and labour issues.
Proof of this expertise are the guides called Country Explorers covering these topics:
- an overview on labour laws
- information on benefits packages
- services offered in that country
- other useful figures and statistics
Use the Country Explorer and other online tools to help you plan your next international hire.
Looking to find some amazing new talent? Today, we’re shining a spotlight on Thailand as your next hiring hotspot. 🇹🇭 🌴 We’ve got all the details you need about hiring in this vibrant country here 👉 https://t.co/eZybdeYsCB pic.twitter.com/Hp2yGB7Xke
— Remote (@remote) July 10, 2024
Find out where the top remote talent is headed! Check out the ten best destinations for remote workers.
Remote reviews: user feedback and testimonials
Most of the Remote reviews we’ve come across were positive:
- Many users said that the platform was user-friendly and easy to navigate.
- Approvals for PTO, invoices, and other admin tasks only took a few clicks.
- Several of Remote’s clients have praised the EOR and Contractor Management services, noting how smooth and seamless the onboarding process was.
- Users on both the client and employee sides had good things to say about customer service and support.
- While some users noticed it took longer for the team to get back to them on country-specific queries, many praised the team’s responsiveness and desire to help.
They also work with some impressive clients, here’s what they share on their website:
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Case study: a partner in Airtasker’s expansion
Airtasker is a Sydney-based local services marketplace that was set up in 2012. The company has entities in the US and the UK and, at some point, was looking to expand in Europe. Around that time, one of their engineers was planning to relocate to Portugal.
This was an opportunity for Airtasker to keep their lead engineer and explore other markets for talent. They started looking at employer of record providers and came across Remote.
Source: Remote.com/blog
Partnering with Remote helped Airtasker free up the time and effort needed in dealing with complex hiring and payroll processes abroad. Another important factor was risk management. This was one less worry for Airtasker, because Remote’s expertise in hiring abroad ensured compliance with local laws and guidelines.
Not only was Airtasker able to keep a valuable employee, but they were also able to explore what was possible in remote hiring.
Case study: hiring across borders for Semrush
Semrush is a content marketing SaaS platform based in the USA with 13 offices across the country and in Europe. Working with Remote allowed the company to hire top talent anywhere in the world. Remote now handles HR, tax, and compliance support for Semrush.
When there’s a need to relocate staff, Remote is also ready to help with immigration and visa issues.
Hiring compliance is a major concern for Semrush. They value Remote’s ability to recruit in various countries in a compliant way. Data shared is complete, accurate, and transparent, allowing Semrush to make informed hiring decisions.
Semrush highlights the quality of customer service and support. They appreciate the monthly updates, regular calls, and the ability to deal with tricky issues at short notice.
Source: Remote.com/blog
Review of Remote’s customer support
Customer support is available through these channels:
- 24/5 customer, employee, and contractor support
- Help Center on the Remote website
- in-app live chat
- email support
Remote also proactively supports clients through the tools and materials available online. We mentioned the Country Explorer earlier; other tools and guides are available online:
- employee cost calculator
- misclassification risk tool
- HR glossary
- job description templates
Research papers and webinar recordings on HR issues and topics are also free to access on the website.
Remote review: company background and leadership
We can’t end this Remote review without learning more about the company behind it. Here are some stats and insights on its leadership team.
Headquarters: San Francisco, California USA
Global offices: none (they’re remote!)
Number of employees: 1,600+
Key people: Job van der Voort (CEO/co-founder), Marcelo Lebre (President/co-founder), Michiel Boere (CFO), Barbara Matthews (Chief People Officer), Iarla O'Carroll (COO), John Kelly (CRO)
Who is the CEO of Remote?
Job van der Voort is the CEO and one of the founders of Remote. He holds a BSc in Psychonomics and an MSc in Cognitive Neuroscience, both from the University of Amsterdam. He joined a few companies (most notably GitLab) as an engineer before launching Remote with co-founder Marcelo Lebre.
In 2022,
When did Remote start?
Remote started in 2019 based on a vision of making opportunities accessible to everyone, regardless of where they are. “Talent is everywhere, but opportunities aren't. If we make it possible for employers to hire anybody from anywhere, we can make it possible for anybody to have access to those great opportunities and build a better life for themselves,” said
He was right. A 2022 study showed how international employment led to a wider talent pool and access to world-class talent.
Van der Voort and co-founder Marcelo Lebre thought that they had at least 10 years before companies warmed up to the idea of hiring remotely. Then, the pandemic hit. Companies have had to pivot and adopt new hiring strategies. This opened new possibilities as far as hiring across borders went. And Remote took off.
Is Remote a good fit for your organisation?
In this post-pandemic world, remote work is now part of the new normal. Research shows that more companies are aiming for a 50-50 workforce of local talent and remote teams. HR tech tools are an important part of this strategy.
Remote could be a good option for meeting your global HR needs. Some of the strengths we’ve outlined in this Remote review are:
- fully integrated, 100% owned infrastructure
- in-country tax and labour staff for local expertise
- compliance with the world’s strictest security and data protection laws
- flat fee – no hidden charges
- flexibility offered by integrations and API
Pick and choose what you need and integrate their services with tools you already use. If you’re starting from scratch, give this HR tech platform a try. There’s a money-back guarantee for the first 90 days if you change your mind, subject to certain conditions. Contact the customer support team for details.
Remote gives you an easy opportunity to hire the best talent for your company, regardless of where they live. Eligible startups can access a 15% discount on Remote for an unlimited number of hires for 12 months. Head to the Remote for Startups page and use this promo code: RFS15OFF.
Did you find this Remote review helpful? Do you have experience with this tool? Let us know in the comments below.