Oct 31, 2025
Vlad
Author
Many companies are looking outside their regions or cities to get skilled labour. Some ultimately lead to remote jobs or hybrid models, whilst other companies also expand to regions outside their home country. However, these also come with their own disadvantages and challenges.
There's a mix of law, culture, and several expectations intertwined for both the job seeker and the employer. How then does a company get ready, throwing in the mix of regulations and adjusting to culture?
We've compiled 5 common mistakes companies make and the best ways to avoid them when it comes to international hiring.
Not paying attention to local employment laws
Just as every country has its own set of governing rules for its citizens, it extends to employment as well, regardless of where the home company is located.
Employment issues and the law surrounding them may be the same everywhere, but how they're approached or dealt with differs from region to region. For instance, in the USA, employment is usually "at will", meaning either party has the freedom to end the relationship as long as it's in line with the laws and regulations.
However, for places in Europe such as Germany and France, employees and employers are actually required to provide valid reasons for termination or resignation, and failing to comply can lead to government fines and even lawsuits. Some countries (like Brazil and a couple of African countries) also expect the employer to pay a 13th-month salary after the employee meets the benefit requirements.
Ignoring these can be a very costly mistake for companies. That is why it is always advisable to first partner with a local payroll expert or an employer of record (EOR) to properly go through and understand these compliances before settling down.
It is also the responsibility of the company to review the local employment laws before creating contracts and benefits packages, ensuring they keep documentation consistent but very adaptable to the employee's country's requirements.
Beyond the obvious, laws can also extend into smaller details. Things like data protection, working hours, minimum wage fluctuations, or even holiday allowances. For instance, in the UK, employers are required to provide at least 28 days of paid leave (including public holidays), whereas in the US, there’s no statutory paid leave requirement at all. Similarly, some Asian countries such as Japan or South Korea emphasize seniority in compensation and expect annual salary increments, even in startups.
Companies expanding into these regions often underestimate the paperwork and audit requirements. A single clause missing in an employment contract can cause months of delay or attract penalties. A legal due diligence is therefore not just a formality, it’s a shield against unnecessary legal exposure.
One smart move for companies is to develop a “compliance checklist” that outlines key legal requirements per region. This includes hiring, taxes, termination, benefits, and dispute resolution. This ensures uniformity across borders while remaining flexible enough to adapt to each country’s unique rules.
Not taking into consideration local cultures and communication differences
In some African countries, using the left hand to receive an item or as a gesture to an individual is considered rude or disrespectful. For some Asian countries, employees may prefer not to openly disagree on certain issues to maintain harmony. Whereas most people in the US and Europe are very direct and blunt.
Weekends can also vary from region to region. Some countries observe Saturdays and Sundays as rest and social activities days, whilst Muslim countries start the weekdays from Sundays to Thursdays.
All of these things must be taken into consideration when expanding to another region. As a company, you must provide some cultural training for the managers and team members, both in the local country and for employees from outside that region. You must also include cross-cultural awareness in the company's onboarding materials. This helps with having open communication and serves as a guide to clarifying expectations early.
Culture however goes deeper than greetings and gestures. It shapes how people perceive leadership, teamwork, and success. For example, in Scandinavian countries, hierarchy is typically flat. Managers are seen as facilitators, not authority figures. Contrast that with countries like India or South Korea, where hierarchy and seniority are deeply respected, and challenging a superior’s opinion publicly might be viewed as disrespectful.
If a manager from a flat-structured culture leads a team used to hierarchy, the mismatch can cause confusion. The team might expect step-by-step direction, while the manager expects self-initiative. Neither side is wrong; they’re just operating from different cultural playbooks.
To fix this, organizations can conduct “culture calibration” sessions during onboarding. Where brief, focused workshops where teams discuss work styles, time perception, communication preferences, and even humor takes place. It’s a proactive way to minimize friction and encourage empathy.
Even seemingly small things like communication tone in emails can be a hit or miss. In some places, short, direct messages are seen as rude whilst in others, long, overly polite emails come across as inefficient. Learning and adapting these nuances can make a world of difference in cross-border collaboration.
Going ahead with the hiring process without considering fit
To most companies, expansion means speed. Quickly get a location, quickly get the roles, and quickly fill them. While it is important to hire fast, taking very rushed decisions most often leads to mismatched expectations, which eventually leads to one of the greatest fears: a high turnover.
A quick research from LinkedIn's data shows that the available time to get top-quality candidates is usually between 10 days and, in some instances, more. But when you skip vital interviews in the name of "we need this done quickly," you stand at risk of hiring poor fits. To avoid this, companies can create well-structured but not too laborious and exhausting interviews, and, very importantly, define the exact must-have skills and qualities before posting the job.
Companies must remember that “fit” doesn’t just mean technical capability — it includes cultural adaptability, communication skills, and openness to learning. A brilliant software engineer might struggle in a culture that values consensus if they’re used to making quick, independent decisions.
When hiring internationally, you also have to consider time zone alignment and collaboration rhythm. Will this person’s working hours align with key team members? How will communication flow across teams? For instance, an engineer in Poland might be an excellent addition to a team in Canada but only if there’s a clear workflow that accommodates the time difference.
One practical solution is to conduct situational interviews that go beyond resume checks. Ask questions like:
“How do you handle communication delays with a remote team?”
“What’s your approach to collaboration when you can’t meet face-to-face?”
“Have you worked in multicultural teams before, and how did you adjust?”
These help uncover behavioral traits that often determine success in international setups.
Another subtle mistake companies make is copy-pasting job descriptions from their home market. A “Sales Executive” role in the UK might carry different responsibilities from the same title in Nigeria or Singapore. Adapting job descriptions to local context shows professionalism and helps you attract the right candidates.
Overlooking the need for proper onboarding
One of the sad realities with most companies is that hiring ends after the offer is signed. No, hiring continues all the way to the end of the onboarding process.
To have a smooth and proper onboarding process, you need to localize the standard onboarding process from your home country so that it falls in line with their culture and style of communication. You can also provide mentors in the same region or time zone to assist the new hires. Including video introductions as well as internal company chat platforms helps to build connections.
A poor onboarding experience can easily undo all the effort spent on hiring. Studies show that new hires decide within the first six months whether they see a long-term future with a company and onboarding plays a huge role in that decision. When onboarding is generic or rushed, employees feel lost, undervalued, or disconnected.
Localization simply means adapting your wheels to different roads and not necessarily reinventing the wheel.
You can;
Translate onboarding materials or simplify language for non-native speakers.
Adjust training times to fit local working hours.
Introduce country-specific examples in orientation sessions.
Assign “onboarding buddies” who understand both the global and local context.
These small changes make new employees feel seen and supported. You can also use asynchronous learning platforms, which allow flexibility across time zones while keeping the onboarding experience consistent.
The onboarding phase is also a perfect time to communicate company values, mission, and vision in ways that resonate across cultures. This is where “belonging” begins when employees from different parts of the world feel they’re not just working for a company, but part of it.
Failing to partner with local experts
Even though the home company may have its policies, benefits, compliances, rules, and regulations, local experts may have better insight (which is also not always entirely true) into salary expectations and local labour rules.
When you partner with local recruitment agencies or EOR providers, you get to build strong ongoing partnerships for market insights and candidates.
Think of local experts as your compass in an unfamiliar territory. They understand the the things that don’t make it into public reports, like how salary expectations shift with inflation, or how certain job titles are perceived differently. In some markets, “Manager” may imply senior leadership, while in others, it might simply mean team lead.
Working with local partners also helps in building trust with candidates. People tend to feel more comfortable engaging with recruiters who understand their language, work ethic, and expectations. Moreover, these experts often have access to talent pools that global job boards can’t reach.
However, collaboration should be strategic. Don’t rely solely on partners; maintain oversight to ensure your brand values and hiring standards are upheld. Set clear KPIs, share feedback loops, and involve them in your long-term hiring strategy rather than using them for one-off placements.
Prioritize communication infrastructure
International hiring also means international communication. Having the right tools in place from project management software to language translation support ensures smoother collaboration.
Use video conferencing for relationship-building, asynchronous tools like Loom or Notion for flexibility, and clear documentation for accountability. The idea is to make distance feel irrelevant. Encourage managers to schedule regular one-on-ones, not just performance check-ins, to build trust and catch issues early.
Conclusion
Companies need to be very careful and thoughtful when it comes to hiring internationally. You need to understand and respect the local laws, the cultural differences, and put in a lot of intentionality with onboarding and partnerships to avoid these common hiring mistakes.
The goal is to grow successfully and not necessarily grow fast, especially when it comes to international hiring. Sustainable global growth happens when organizations prioritize people, respect differences, and build systems that support collaboration beyond borders.