The first few weeks of the year are often packed with fresh projects, new hires, and updated plans. For many growing teams, that means expanding into new countries or bringing in hard-to-find talent from different parts of the world. It sounds exciting at first, but the practical side often gets harder than expected. Local labour laws, payroll issues, and work permits can all slow things down before the work even starts.

That’s one reason now is a smart time to think about using an employer of record. This support structure creates a faster and safer way to start hiring internationally without handling every detail yourself. Especially in January, when timing matters and people are eager to hit the ground running, having smoother options can make all the difference.

Getting Set Up Without Starting From Scratch

Hiring someone in another country without a local presence usually means weeks or months of set-up. You’d need to build a legal entity from scratch, wait on paperwork, and learn an entirely new system to stay compliant. That adds serious delays and costs to what may already be a time-sensitive hire.

Working with an employer of record means we don’t have to take that long route. This partner is already established in the country where we want to hire, which lets us bypass setup hurdles altogether. Everything needed to get started is already in place, tax registration, business filings, employment registration, so we don’t have to build the structure ourselves.

That allows us to:

• Start onboarding sooner without waiting on entity registration

• Avoid time-consuming red tape that slows hiring down

• Get new hires going while internal teams stay focused on their core work

The benefit goes beyond speed. We also avoid common pitfalls from trying to take shortcuts or misinterpreting local requirements. This way, we skip the guesswork and move forward with a clean start.

Keeping Projects on Track While Staying Compliant

January is often the launchpad for major business goals. Whether it’s a product release, a sales push, or an expansion plan, these rollouts rely on key people arriving at the right time. Hiring internationally for those roles sounds like a smart play, but labour regulations are rarely simple or consistent from one country to the next.

This is where an employer of record quietly keeps things on track. By acting as the official employer in the destination country, they make sure every hire meets the right legal requirements. That includes proper work contracts, pension contributions, taxes, and whatever paperwork a national authority might require.

The advantages for our internal team are immediate:

• Fewer slowdowns from figuring out unfamiliar laws

• Less stress on our HR and legal departments, who don’t have to investigate rules country by country

• A consistent process that supports business goals without heavy backend work

Having peace of mind about compliance means we can focus on outcomes instead of constantly checking if everything is being done the correct way. When we can worry less about getting it wrong, everyone moves with a bit more confidence.

Why the Start of the Year Makes It the Right Time

The start of the year isn’t just symbolic for goal setting. It often opens practical windows too. Government agencies tend to reset policies or launch new regulatory processes in the first quarter, including updates around employment and work permissions. That can impact how easy or hard it is to get someone hired or moved into a new role.

We generally find two things happen at once in January:

• Year-end reviews expose talent gaps from the past cycle, which feeds into first-quarter hiring targets

• Fresh legal cycles introduce changes in employment rules, making this the best moment to secure roles before new restrictions develop

Moving early in the year helps us get ahead of those issues. It gives us a shot at locking in talent under the current rules before countries pause or shift permit processes mid-year. The longer we wait, the more likely we are to get caught in a backlog or discover timelines that no longer work. Speed here isn’t just a bonus, it’s often the difference between hiring on time and missing the window altogether.

Taking Pressure Off International Hires

For employees stepping into a new country or making a cross-border move, the logistics can already feel overwhelming. They’re thinking about where to live, how to get healthcare, opening a bank account, joining a new office or team. If the work permit or employment issues get unclear or drag on, that can create a lot of unnecessary stress.

An employer of record keeps this part simple, which helps people settle faster and stay focused on the work, not the paperwork. These partners manage everything from writing clear contracts to sorting registrations and tax documents on time.

This does more than keep things legal on our end. It helps with:

• Making sure employees are never in a confusing position about their job or visa status

• Setting clear expectations about when and how onboarding will happen

• Helping teams gel faster by giving employees more stable groundwork at the start

For growing teams that rely on trust and quick collaboration, stability matters. No one wants their first few weeks to be spent waiting on forms or stuck calling embassies. When the employment side is handled well, people tend to show up more focused and ready to contribute.

A Smoother Start to the Year With Fewer Roadblocks

The early weeks of the calendar set the pace for what follows. If we start strong, with the team we need already in motion, everything gets easier. That’s why using an employer of record now can shape the rest of the year in a low-friction way. It replaces confusion with clarity and speed.

Instead of waiting to figure out every country’s system, we get support that’s already up and running. We can focus on where we’re going rather than getting stuck at the border. With the right hires in place early, our teams get more done, faster, and with less interruption to momentum. Timing makes a difference, and this is the right moment to move.
At Betrworkr, we understand how important it is to get international hiring right from the outset, especially with the new year underway. Partnering with an employer of record gives your business the structure to act swiftly and confidently in new markets, helping you avoid unnecessary setbacks and make meaningful progress. Whether you’re exploring expansion or planning talent relocation this quarter, now is the perfect time to contact us so you can get started sooner and with fewer complications.