A few years ago, hiring globally felt like a breakthrough. Fuelled by COVID, a rise in remote work and enabled by solutions like Employee of Record (EOR), HR teams could suddenly scale across countries with agility and speed. For many, it felt like the finish line.
But today, the headlines tell a different story. Amid economic uncertainty, budget tightening and shifting regulations, global teams are under pressure. HR leaders aren’t just being asked to grow headcount — they’re being asked to do it faster, cheaper and with zero margin for error. And the work doesn’t stop once a new hire is made. In fact, that’s when many of the biggest challenges begin.
The first wave of global work was about access: opening up hiring pools beyond borders. The second wave is about resilience: building systems and strategies that can withstand economic volatility, regulatory shifts and organizational scale.
“Six years ago, helping companies to hire their first remote team member was a breakthrough,” says Job van der Voort, CEO and co-founder of Remote. “Today, those same companies have scaled remote-first teams across dozens of countries, but they're running into a new wave of challenges: compliance complexity, fragmented HR tools and limited visibility across their workforce.”
These challenges don’t just slow teams down — they come at a time when HR teams can least afford delays or risk. With rising scrutiny on budgets, talent retention and operational efficiency, even small inefficiencies can snowball into major business issues. From missed onboarding deadlines to audit-triggering compliance gaps, the stakes are higher than ever.
That’s why the role of EORs is evolving. They’re no longer just a fast track to employment contracts. In today’s climate, companies are looking for strategic partners — platforms that help simplify complexity, surface insights, and bring global operations into focus.
Remote, a leading EOR provider, has seen this shift firsthand. Their customers are asking for more visibility, automation and proactive support to manage globally without sacrificing speed or control. That includes access to tools like background checks, localized equity support and global device provisioning — capabilities that support not just hiring, but what comes after.
Because global hiring opened the door. But what happens next is what really defines success.
Learn how Remote is helping HR teams lead through the second wave of global work.
