Use Worldwide Background Screenings to Get the Best International Talent

Small businesses can’t afford to make bad hiring decisions. Background checks are critical but helps to take safe and smart hiring decisions. Conduct international background screenings and know the local laws so you can build your global business. Hiring international employees comes with significant complexities and risks. Before you offer employment to any foreign candidate, be sure to consider the following:

Background Checks

Savvy HR manager understand the value of background checks. The costs of onboarding an employee with unverified credentials or an unsafe criminal history are simply too great to be ignored. And, while it’s true that worldwide background screenings are more complicated than domestic screenings, international background checks are nevertheless possible, with some limitations, and essential. Your best chance of success starts with choosing a background check company that offers on-the-ground, in-country services. Local investigators can absolutely verify international education, licensing credentials, work history, and other resume basics. Criminal records are more difficult, but in-country investigators who speak the language and understand the laws have the best chance of uncovering criminal behavior.

At-Will Employment and Termination

In the United States, at-will employment, where either party can terminate the employment agreement at any time for any reason, is the standard acceptable practice. However, this is not the case really anywhere else in the world. Before making an employment offer to anyone in any other country, make sure you understand local termination laws.

Vacations, Paid Time Off, and Leave

Foreign laws surrounding vacations, sick days, and other similar benefits are vastly different from those in the US. You need to understand local laws about how time off accrues, how employees are compensated for time off, and what kinds of time off employees are entitled to.

Working Time Laws and Exempt Employees

In the US, large classes of employees are considered exempt from overtime compensation, but this is not the case overseas. Very few foreign workers are considered exempt, which means you’ll likely pay overtime for every international employee, save possibly very high-level executives. Overtime is something you should expect to pay, so you need to plan to monitor employees’ hours on the job.

Inventions

In the US, it’s often standard practice for employees to transfer rights involving future inventions to their employers. In other words, for the duration of an employment agreement, any invention made by the employee using employer time and resources belongs to the employer. This is not generally the case overseas. Internationally, rights to inventions cannot pass until after the invention has been made and then local statutes govern the notification, claims, and transfers. You should expect that US-style pre-invention agreements will not be valid overseas.

Embrace the Differences Taking your business global opens you up to new markets and gives you access to new and exciting talent. Embrace the differences in international business practices, but be smart. Do your background checks and understand local employment laws so you can get the best talent the world has to offer on your team.

Don’t let international differences stand in the way of recruiting the best talent the world has to offer. Conduct international background screenings and know the local laws so you can build your global business.