How smart companies are solving remote work challenges

Work from anywhere (WFA), digital nomadism, workations...there are many names for international remote work. But no matter what you call it, one thing is clear: organisations that embrace it are becoming employers of choice at a time of continued global talent shortage.

When remote work first gained popularity, the expectation was that employees would seize the opportunity to work from warmer climates or tick off bucket list destinations. While this remains a major appeal, what has become clear over time is that many employees view remote work as essential to their work-life balance, especially foreign nationals. Opportunities to work abroad short-term provide a crucial chance to visit family and friends abroad and nurture personal relationships without sacrificing all of their annual leave (and, with it, important opportunities for relaxation or travel). By offering employees the ability to work internationally for short-term periods, organisations can better attract diverse talent and cultivate loyalty.

However, while a remote work policy gives employers a clear competitive edge, the challenges it brings are not insignificant:

• Compliance risks: tax, immigration, labour laws, security, and safety considerations create complex compliance and duty of care risks. Mistakes can result in financial penalties, reputational damage, or even legal consequences for employees (such as being barred from a country).

• Administrative burden: processing and tracking remote work requests is time-consuming for global mobility and HR teams. Managing approvals through back-and-forth email exchanges and endless spreadsheets is inefficient, error-prone, and makes meaningful reporting laborious.

• Employee experience: slow processes and compliance hurdles can lead to frustration. Ironically the process can result in a poor employee experience, undermining the benefits of having a remote work policy in the first place.

Organisations need a fast, reliable solution to manage remote work requests effectively. That’s where ECA’s Remote Work Ready comes in. This out-of-the-box tool makes handling remote work requests effortless for employers and employees alike.

• Seamless approvals: each employee submits a simple request form that takes just 15 seconds to complete. The system automatically assesses requests based on company policy, eliminating unnecessary back-and-forth emails.

• Instant decisions: employees receive an immediate high-level summary of their request assessment, and automatically approved when in adherence with company policy. This ensures a clear, transparent, and efficient process.

• Smart filtering: only complex cases or cases that don’t align to company policy are flagged for HR and global mobility teams, allowing them to focus on critical requests instead of processing every application manually.

• Real-time insights & reporting: organisations gain instant access to remote work requests data, helping them refine policies and improve the employee experience. For example, if employees frequently request more days than the current policy allows, leadership can assess whether to adjust the policy.

Case study

A multinational company recently approached us because of growing challenges – they had very limited visibility on their remote working population, i.e. who and where they were, posing a significant tax and social security risks for the company and their employees The biggest concern was the risk of permanent establishment, as they often had remote workers in countries where they lacked a legal entity, exposing them to corporation tax and payroll tax liabilities.

To address this, they partnered with us to develop a policy and implement Remote Work Ready. By establishing clear rules and leveraging the tool’s capabilities, they:

• Gained real-time visibility of their entire remote workforce.
• Reduced compliance risks while maintaining employee flexibility.
• Improved employee awareness of tax and legal obligations.

Now, the company has a structured, compliant approach to remote working – ensuring smoother, more compliant global operations.

Make managing your remote work policy effortless

The global talent market is evolving rapidly, and organisations that adapt will gain a competitive advantage. With Remote Work Ready, managing international remote work becomes seamless, compliant, and efficient – allowing your business to attract top talent while ensuring operational security and compliance.

  FIND OUT MORE

  Please contact us to speak to a member of our team directly.