How G-P helps companies onboard global talent in record time

The pace of business innovation has never been so fast. Recent surveys have found that 65% of executives are focused on global growth, but at the same time, businesses are facing nearly universal staffing challenges. Technological advances, demographic and cultural shifts have radically altered the way organizations find and retain talent. More than three-quarters of executives say it’s difficult to identify skilled talent. 

Business is global, but the vast majority of talent is local. Most employees want to stay connected to their communities, and they want to be supported by a local payroll operation that speaks their language, both linguistically and culturally. Many countries are enacting legislation to protect their residents and their tax bases, making global recruitment and compliance more complicated than ever. 

That’s where an employer of record (EOR) can be helpful. An EOR employs local talent for companies who want to scale globally, but would rather not set up new legal entity in every country where they employ talent. The company still handles the employee’s day-to-day activities, but the EOR oversees employment contracts, HR matters, payroll, benefits, taxation and other legal matters. 

G-P is a global leader among EORs, able to help companies onboard international talent in just a few days. The ReThink Quarterly caught up with Todd Goffman, executive vice president and general counsel, to learn how G-P and ADP work together to help businesses thrive wherever their talent resides. 

ADP ReThink Quarterly: How does G-P work with ADP?

Todd Goffman: G-P and ADP are two best-in-class solutions when it comes to hiring, paying and managing global talent. We strategically partnered to deliver EOR, contractor and global payroll solutions to businesses around the world. 

Together with ADP, G-P helps companies create and scale their global footprint in more than 180 countries.

Both view EOR as a functional part of a multi-country payroll solution. Companies are at various stages of expansion, and G-P and ADP work together to onboard talent even as a local entity is being officially established. Together with ADP, G-P helps companies create and scale their global footprint in more than 180 countries. Together, we remove the financial, HR and legal complexities of global expansion, helping reduce friction in hiring and managing global talent. 

ADPRQ: In considering expansion, when should a company engage with G-P? 

Goffman: The global business landscape is undergoing profound transformations driven by shifts in technology, market trends, macroeconomic trends and geopolitical pressure. Companies need guidance on how to remain compliant as they grow and scale in this ever-changing landscape, and how to break into new markets, including emerging markets flush with talent, and effectively empower their workforce. G-P specifically helps companies: 

• Accelerate expansion by testing a new market. G-P can hire within days, even when companies are still deciding whether to fully enter a particular market. This allows companies to build brand awareness, create a sales pipeline and make sure this particular market is the right strategic move. It allows them to evaluate a new market before making capital investments in infrastructure in that country. 
• Hire talent that cannot be found locally. G-P allows companies to hire talent with specific skill sets even when there is a talent shortage in their existing company corporate footprint. This allows companies to broaden their searches to include entire regions without having to set up legal entities in every single country. 
• Simplify M&A transactions. Deals need to move quickly, and G-P can help buyers and sellers meet deadlines and reduce the risk of losing talent during this critical time. G-P provides a home for employees on its EOR platform after a carve-out, without having to navigate a lengthy and complex entity creation. With G-P managing the acquired workforce meeting the seniority and benefits requirements, the transition for both the companies and employees is streamlined. 
• Support entity rationalization. Sometimes companies are scaled up and then scaled down rapidly. We help them retain small but important headcounts even in markets that they don’t want to exit entirely. 
• Hire global contractors or convert contractors who should be classified as employees ensuring compliance. 

ADPRQ: Any common questions or concerns from clients that are branching out globally?

Goffman: Access to talent is challenging because of labor shortages in certain countries. Going global is traditionally a daunting task from set-up, through the hiring process, and on to ongoing management of a distributed workforce in multiple countries. Most of the questions we get are related to global expansion, compensation and benefits, while particularly ensuring compliance in those areas. Many leaders are also interested to learn more about the markets where specific talent can be found. 

ADPRQ: PEO vs. EOR — what’s preferred?

Goffman: Both PEOs and EORs help companies manage teams, but as an EOR, G-P takes on everything related to payroll, benefits, taxes and compliance — including all legal responsibility as the employer of record. A PEO, or professional employer organization, is in a co-employer relationship with the client. The client still shares legal responsibility for employment matters. PEOs are only U.S.-based, whereas EORs like G-P operate globally. 

Before EORs existed, the traditional path for an educated jobseeker looking to join a company in another jurisdiction was to seek a work visa. That meant disrupting their lives by moving to a new country, and leaving their family and community behind. EOR allows companies to hire people where they live and it has resulted in a growth of local salaries, as well. It’s a great benefit for the local community, and I’m excited that we get to be a part of that. 

ADPRQ: The war for talent seems to be changing, with higher wages and economic uncertainty in many areas. How is G-P adapting?

Goffman: We are indeed seeing a massive shift in the business landscape and global labor markets — we’ve all felt it. Companies need systems and strategies in place to meet their goals and compete. Going global opens up a new world of talent. At G-P, we believe it’s the best way to unlock the “everywhere workforce.”

G-P launched the EOR industry over a decade ago, and in 2023, we reimagined and expanded it with the introduction of the G-P Meridian™ Suite and several new global employment products designed to better equip businesses with the tools they need to expand into the global marketplace.

We also introduced a generative AI-enabled Global Intelligence Assistant called GIA. GIA leverages the wisdom of team members who have been advising our customers for years, making it more accessible and providing real-time expert guidance across the G-P Meridian Suite.

ADPRQ: How does G-P foster trust among its clients and local talent?

Goffman: G-P has more than a decade of experience, helping thousands of customers build and manage teams quickly and compliantly in 180+ countries. We have the industry’s largest team of in-region HR, legal, compliance and finance experts supporting customers 24/7 to provide crucial guidance in implementing global growth efforts. The professionals we hire for our customers are evenly split between the Americas, EMEA and APAC.   

Thanks to our expertise, we are the undisputed Employer of Record (EOR) industry leader according to all the major analyst firms covering the EOR industry — including NelsonHall, The Everest Group and IEC. 

ADPRQ: What’s on the horizon for G-P and ADP? 

Goffman: G-P and ADP have recently extended their partnership, and we’re looking forward to an even closer collaboration between two companies who are leading their respective markets. We’re excited to go to market together providing a fantastic experience for globally expanding clients. 

G-P was a Sponsor of ADP ReThink London 2024. To learn more about what engaging an EOR could do for your company, download their free white paper here.

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