Global Hiring
When should global contractors become employees?
Expenses. Bills. Payroll.
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Global Contractor Review
Visa Needed
IP Risk
Self-Directed
Part Time
Contractors
Contractors provide an easy start to global hiring
Contractors save you money
When you hire contractors, you’re not responsible for payroll taxes, benefits, or paid time off which keeps costs down.
Getting started is fast
Contractors can sign and complete KYC verification, enter payroll details, and get a company email address—all in one flow.
Admin is easier
Currency flexibility and no obligation to provide local tax and benefits doesn’t just save money. It saves you day-to-day admin.
Future-Risk Management
When should you convert a contractor to an employee?
You should regularly assess whether to convert individuals classified as contractors to employees in order to mitigate costly risks that can hinder your organisation's next stage of growth.
Fundraising preparation
71% of HR professionals believe that VCs are less likely to invest in a startup that has faced compliance issues. You'll need to constantly reassess your compliance practices to be ready for your next round or M&A.
IP protection
Protect your intellectual property with an employer-employee structure, which maintains stricter and more enforceable policies than contractor IP agreements.
Misclassification risk
If you're not careful, a terminated worker—even if they chose to be a contractor—may pursue legal action on the grounds of misclassification. Being proactive about risk protects you in the event of a future dispute.
Hiring considerations
As you scale your global workforce, you’ll need to offer a competitive benefits package and compliant employment model or immigration support to win top candidates.
Assessment
Conduct a case-by-case evaluation
You can determine if you should convert any of your contractors by understanding your risk and considering which employment model makes the most sense.
CONTRACTOR TO EMPLOYEE
Rippling makes the transition seamless
Make the change in minutes
Converting a contractor to an employee is easily done in a simple transition flow, and compliance is automatic.
Keep your employee history
An all-in-one solution maintains comprehensive data for each worker regardless of their status.
Everything is in one place
There’s one org chart, one place for reporting, and one set of policies for all.
employer of record
An EOR is the easiest way to employ internationally
Rippling lets you easily hire, pay, and provide benefits to employees in markets where you don’t have an entity. Manage everything from one platform that scales with you as you grow.
Learn moreFast and easy hiring
Rippling’s onboarding flow handles everything from offer letter and benefits enrolment to assigning required trainings so your employees can start immediately.
Compliant payroll
Not only do you get the fastest, most accurate payroll, Rippling calculates taxes and manages filings for you.
Attractive benefits
Attract top talent with quality, local benefits from in-country providers. Rippling provides all legally required plans so you know you’re in compliance.
GLOBAL CONTRACTOR MANAGEMENT
Keeping contractors is convenient, too
Rippling makes it easy to hire on demand, with everything you need to quickly and compliantly hire, pay, and manage global contractors.
Learn moreLocally compliant contracts
Access our library of dozens of local contractor agreements, reviewed by in-country legal counsel.
Pay in 185+ countries
Rippling provides easy, transparent invoicing and ultra- fast payment processing, including cross-border payments and currency conversions in 50+ currencies.
Simple administration
Pay-runs are synced with invoices. Policies and approvals are automated. And contractors are managed from the same place as the rest of your workforce.
Rippling is here to help
Our experts can show you how Rippling can effortlessly onboard and manage your global workforce.
FAQs
What is an EOR?
An Employer of Record (EOR) is a service which allows your company to hire employees overseas without the need to establish a local business entity, which ensures adherence to local employment laws. An EOR acts as the legal employer for your international workforce, managing all legal, HR responsibilities, and compliance.
What is an independent contractor?
An independent contractor provides services under a contract without being employed by the client. Unlike employees, contractors handle their own taxes and benefits, and they usually work on a project or term basis.
When should you convert a contractor to an employee?
You should consider converting a contractor to an employee when you need a long-term role filled, require regular work hours, or need to have direct control over how the work is performed. Converting also helps in aligning with legal compliance and reducing misclassification risks.
Why should employers convert contractors to employees?
Converting contractors to employees can enhance compliance with labour laws, provide greater control over work processes, and foster team cohesion by integrating workers fully into your organisation's culture and benefits system.
How to convert your contractor to an employee?
When converting a contractor to an employee, begin by assessing the need for a permanent role and ensuring compliance with local labour laws. Next, draft a formal employment offer, restructure their payment to a salary basis, enrol them in your HR systems, and update their tax, benefits, and compliance statuses.
Can every company convert contractors to employees?
Not all companies will find converting contractors to employees straightforward due to various legal and operational constraints. It depends on the business structure, the nature of the work, the contractor's consent, and compliance with both local and international employment laws.