Compare three operating approaches
Test one global provider, several local specialists and a mixed entity/provider setup against the same workforce and requirements.
- Evidence of availability and route suitability in every actual work location.
- Who coordinates decisions and escalations across providers.
- Full cost by country and currency, including volume-discount conditions.
- Reporting, integrations and the internal workload of multiple relationships.
Use country-level readiness gates
Do not force every country into the earliest proposed date. A coordinated migration can use several waves, with clear dependencies and employee communications.
- One accountable programme owner and a named owner in each country.
- Employment, immigration, payroll and benefit readiness before each cutover.
- A shared dependency log and contingency arrangements.
- Reconciliation after the first payroll and a clear point for closing each handover.
Compare the invoice and the funding
Price the same workforce, countries and service scope. An attractive management fee can sit beside a costly FX spread, deposit or exit commitment.
- Management, payroll-based, benefits, setup and offboarding charges.
- FX reference rate, fixing time, charge percentage and the actual conversion base.
- Bulk discount thresholds, eligible fees, term, country pooling and minimum seats.
- Outstanding deposits, new prefunding, refund dates and overlapping charges.
Agree the person and the promise
Service quality becomes concrete when you know who will own the problem. Ask for the same clarity whether you are moving one person or a hundred.
- A named migration owner and continuing account contact at your headcount.
- Direct contact channels, working hours, response commitments and a named backup.
- A written escalation route to local payroll and employment specialists.
- Employee support responsibilities, languages and time zones.
Build a handover around the first correct payroll
Work backwards from the intended payday. Give each dependency an owner and a decision date; do not turn an illustrative timetable into a guarantee.
- Confirm the lawful employment-transfer mechanism before issuing resignation instructions.
- Record original service dates, accrued leave, contracts, benefits and pension differences.
- Check consultation, immigration, registrations and employee communications.
- Reconcile outgoing and incoming payroll calculations and securely hand over necessary records.
Common questions
Should every country move on the same date?
A coordinated migration can use several waves. Give each country its own readiness decision for employment, payroll, benefits and immigration, with a named owner, dependency log and contingency plan. A shared target date should not override an unresolved local requirement.
Sources and how to use this guide
General planning guidance. Rules depend on the country and actual arrangement; use the country guides and local specialists to determine applicability.