Opening up overseas branches is fairly straightforward, but hiring workers to staff them can be complicated. Despite this, it is crucial that you get the recruitment process right, both to ensure your business is run by the right people, and to be certain that you comply with regulations. Here are three crucial things to bear in mind.
Post the perfect foreign job advertisement
Advertising a job abroad can be a different ball game than advertising vacancies domestically. There will be a host of unfamiliar job websites to navigate, for one thing, and most of these will be written entirely in the native language of your new branch’s country.
Take France, for example. Leading recruitment websites include Indeed.fr, which will be familiar enough to English-language speakers. But job boards like Keljob, Recrut, and Les Jeudis are also important if you want your job ad to be widely read.
Besides understanding the websites, you’ll have to actually write the adverts for your vacancy. Good ones, too. And to get this right, you have to be familiar with local culture and attitudes towards work. According to a survey published in The Telegraph, the average worker in the Netherlands works just 1,419 hours per year, so a part-time job is likely to be well-received there. Employees in Mexico, on the other hand, are accustomed to working 2,246 hours annually. This means overtime opportunities will be highly appreciated.
Local market research will also be necessary when deciding on remuneration. You might have to pay international employees at a higher rate than workers in your home country if that’s in line with the local average. This Business Insider article on minimum wage around the world will give you a good starting point.
Translate internal and training documents
After the hiring process, you will need to be ready to welcome your new employees to the company. In many cases, this will require internal documents and training programs to be translated. Even if your first new employee speaks fluent English, as your business expands, it will be best to prepare documents for those who do not.
While online translation tools do offer a quick fix, they are unsuitable for professional documents of importance, where misinterpretation could drastically alter the way a company is run. Just as with the job advert, localisation will be necessary alongside translation. Global Voices note that localised translation “isn’t just confined to language either; customs, and the significance of symbols, numbers and dates all differ in different parts of the world.” These variations can be just as important when translating internal documents as for external ones.
Adhere to local regulations
When running a foreign branch of your business, it’s crucial to remember that different regions have different laws. Hiring in your home country may be nothing like hiring abroad, especially if you’re operating in a nation with strict regulations. Your best bet is to consult a local lawyer or accountant before you begin the process. They will be able to clue you in on all the necessary steps to make sure your employment complies with necessary laws.
Even if your company still has its head office in the UK, any foreign employees need to be registered where your foreign branch is based—which, naturally, is also where they live. They will also be subject to local employment law; in some countries it is easier to dismiss employees than it is in others. Your new branch’s nation may also stipulate a different minimum number of paid holiday days. Wage Indicator’s page on labour laws around the world will help you with this.
With a localised recruitment search, translated training process, and proper legal protocol, your global business will continue to grow in no time.