Remote, a global payroll, tax, and compliance solution for virtual teams, announced at the beginning of this month their new Remote for Refugees initiative.
The program aims to help businesses invest in refugee talent as a way to help refugees improve their quality of life.
We talked with Elisa Rossi, Remote’s VP of growth who shared with us more details about this initiative.
1. To start, could you introduce yourself and tell us more about your role in Remote?
I am Elisa Rossi, VP of Growth at Remote. I have been with the company since we were a very small team, and today we have more than 400 employees in 50 countries on six continents.
I became involved with Remote after I experienced firsthand the challenges of international hiring for startups and large businesses alike and became passionate about finding a solution for teams to expand globally. Once I saw how easy Remote was making it for businesses to employ people in multiple countries, I wanted to help other companies discover the advantages of building global teams.
2. How did the Remote for Refugees program start? Is it recent, or have you been working with refugees for some time now?
While exploring initiatives with local governments this year, it became increasingly apparent that our service would be incredibly useful for supporting refugee talent, who might be having a hard time finding local work, secure employment from overseas companies.
Not only will refugee talent be able to attract dignified roles abroad, but they will be able to quickly contribute to their new communities. We see this as a win-win-win for the employer, individual, and the local community.
3. Can you tell us more in-depth about this initiative and how is Remote supporting refugees?
We have been working with governments and organizations that provide resources to refugees to come up with joint solutions that will directly help refugees rebuild their lives. This work is more urgent than ever, with millions of people being displaced from Afghanistan, Syria, and other war-torn countries. As a company that enables global employment opportunities, we feel it is our moral responsibility to help refugees get back on their feet through dignified employment.
We support employers who hire refugee talent and have made it even easier by providing our employer on record (EOR) service free of charge. This means any refugee talent who is legally eligible to work in a country where we have an entity can be onboarded via our platform at no cost. As well as supporting the employment of refugee talent, we highlight the organizations that exist to help employers locate refugee talent.
4. What are the benefits, in relation to this program, for businesses? Why should they consider Remote for Refugees to hire remote talent?
Employers benefit from free employer on record (EOR) service for all refugee talent they hire in countries where Remote has an established entity. Our support starts at $299/month, so over time this can add up to significant overhead savings for the employer.
We handle the entire global employment process from end to end for all employees, removing the headache of navigating what’s needed to hire in a country where the employer doesn’t have a presence. And because we own our entities and don’t rely on third-party providers, employers can be reassured that they, their employees, and their IP are in safe hands.
5. Do you have a specific recommendation for those businesses interested in hiring refugees but that have doubts?
Numerous reports indicate the enormous benefits of building underrepresented worker populations into company talent strategies, so we encourage all employers to consider refugee talent. Refugee talent brings diverse, global perspectives and solutions to business challenges, which are increasingly needed for companies to survive.
6. Are there any conditions that apply to the Remote for refugees program?
We wanted to make this program as easy as possible to encourage employers to attract and seek refugee talent, so there are only two conditions:
1. The refugee talent must be hired in a country where we have an entity; here is a list of our 50+ live countries;
2. The refugee talent must have the legal right to work in the host country to ensure compliance with local labor laws.
7. Anything else you’d like to share?
There are many incredible organizations committed to supporting refugee talent and working towards sustainable solutions; Remote is proud to offer one piece of the puzzle. Only together will we achieve our goal of extending the world of opportunity to everyone, regardless of where they are, where they’ve come from, or where they’re going.
