Our verdict
WorkMotion is a Global Employer of Record (EOR), allowing businesses to compliantly hire in 160 countries around the world without needing to establish a local entity. It specifically supports businesses based in the European Union and offers additional services to companies wishing to expand into European markets.
Pros
- A complete solution for those wishing to expand into European markets and build remote teams.
- Additional company registration and incorporation services
Cons
- Pricing can be higher than some competitors
- Does not offer a contractor payment solution
100
Monthly fees
Direct deposit
WorkMotion is a Global Employer Of Record service that can help businesses hire and onboard compliantly in over 160 countries. Most Global EORs work with a large network of local EORs who act as legal employers in their jurisdictions. In the case of WorkMotion, some of these local EORs are third-party partners, others are wholly-owned subsidiaries. An EOR shoulders liability for employees and is responsible for compliance with local regulations, administering benefits, and tax withholding and filing. Local EORs are contracted with or subsidiaries or WorkMotion, which is contracted to the client business managing those global employees. Workmotion then provides a platform for tracking onboarding progress and paying these distributed teams through a consolidated invoice.
Overview
WorkMotion, based in Germany, is popular with many distributed remote teams in Europe. As a company, they address talent shortages in Europe by providing Global EOR services, and work to enable business expansion into many large Western European markets. These services are all brought together in a single easy-to-use platform.
A unique feature of WorkMotion is its ability to assist with company establishment in most Western European countries. While many Global EORs position themselves as an alternative to local entity establishment, WorkMotion acknowledges that their service exists on a continuum of company growth that may include the establishment of subsidiary companies in new markets and hiring direct employees in those areas. WorkMotion can help establish legal entities and outsource payroll, benefits, and contract administration for the subsidiary.
Though WorkMotion promotes itself as a solution for European companies and those wishing to expand into European markets, it can be used by companies all over the world to grow their teams. In this article, we will go in-depth into WorkMotion and its offerings, to help business owners make an informed choice as to whether WorkMotion is right for them.
Key features
1. Employer of Record
The Global EOR services cover over 160 countries. When businesses have found a candidate for a given position, they set up a WorkMotion account and generate a locally compliant contract through the platform. Once the employee has signed the contract, they will be guided by WorkMotion to submit the paperwork and information required for onboarded. All documentation and filing is then handled by either WorkMotion’s subsidiary legal entities or a third-party national EOR partner, depending on the country of employment. Once the process is complete, the new employee is added to the platform.
2. Payroll
WorkMotion can work in over 100 local currencies, supporting employers and employees based in many combinations of countries. WorkMotion handles all payroll administration, requiring only a click of approval for each consolidated monthly invoice.
Payroll, benefits, and contract administration are still provided for companies that use WorkMotion to help establish their own Western European subsidiaries, even for employees that do not work through the WorkMotion EOR service.
3. HR
WorkMotion provides extensive and continually updated country guides for all 160 nations they support employees in. The information in the country guides exists as editable databases, allowing the legal and compliance teams at WorkMotion to update regulatory changes instantly. Information includes pertinent information like paid time off, notice periods, probation periods, statutory benefits, and more for each jurisdiction.
When considering hiring a new candidate, employers can access a contract cost summary calculator that will provide the full cost of employment for that employee in that jurisdiction.
The platform provides well-designed onboarding workflows, showing all of the steps required to compliantly onboard a particular employee, the documentation necessary for each step, the party (employee, company, admin, etc) responsible for each step, and the completion status.
The database displays competitive local salary ranges for particular roles in each country to help employers stay informed when making an offer. Companies wishing to provide equal, fair, and transparent salaries to employees working in many different countries will appreciate the Net Salary Calculator. It compares gross and net salary after deductions, so that salary levels can be adjusted to ensure employees in various countries take home the same amount for performing the same work.
4. Compliance
WorkMotion works with over 200 legal experts to maintain compliance in all jurisdictions. It can also create new customized and compliant contracts instantly, available directly through the platform. These contracts can be instantly compiled into electronically signable documents so no time is wasted recruiting competitive talent. The team of national and international legal experts is also available to review and consult on contracts when needed.
Unique among Global EORs, WorkMotion offers compliance assistance for home office employees who wish to engage in remote work abroad as well. This is offered as a separate service, through the WorkMotion subsidiary, WorkFlex. With WorkFlex service, employees submit a request for a “workation” via the WorkFlex platform. Workflex then analyzes the compliance risks in the employee’s plan, and submits the analysis to management. Once management approves the requests, WorkFlex engages the necessary risk prevention and mitigation measures necessary.
How does WorkMotion ensure compliance?
Platform
The WorkMotion platform was developed with the needs of small to mid-sized companies in mind. The dashboard allows employers to view the onboarding of new employees at a glance, and it will also send notifications and alerts to let them know when a new action has been completed. Employees can be paid quickly in any supported currency with just a few clicks, saving time with global payroll processing.
The platform was created in-house, so there is plenty of expert assistance available. The platform can already able to integrate with man HR Information Systems (HRIS), focusing on the most popular services used in Europe. The in-house software team expects to continue adding more integrations in the future.
Pricing
EOR Services
- €499 ($532.50) onboarding fee per employee
- €649 ($692.57 ) per employee per month, up to 4 employees
- €599 ($639.21) per employee per month, 5 to 30 employees
- €549 ($585.86) per employee per month, over 31employees
Company Establishment
- €999 ($1066.07)
Payroll Administration
- €499 ($532.50) onboarding fee per employee
- €499 ($532.50) per employee per month, up to 4 employees
- €399 ($425.79) per employee per month, 5 to 30 employees
- €349 ($392.43) per employee per month, over 31 employees
Pros and Cons
Pros
Benefits of engaging WorkMotion as your EOR platform include:
- Company incorporation. WorkMotion does not just help build global teams, it supports company expansion into Western Europe with additional services like business registration and entity formation.
- Europe compliance focus. The platform is designed with European employers and their compliance issues in mind. It also includes extra features like a net salary calculator, support for temporary employees, custom workflows, and instant contract creation.
Cons
- Price. Onboarding and monthly fees may be higher for some clients, in comparison with other EORs.
- No contractor support. Currently does not provide a contractor payment service.
Unique Selling Point
In addition to EOR services, WorkMotion helps companies register their business as an employer in Austria, the United Kingdom, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, Spain, and Italy. This service goes by the name, WorkDirect. WorkMotion collects the paperwork and information needed from clients, registers the new company, and sets up the director and shareholding structure. WorkMotion simultaneously prepares work contracts for new local employees (employed directly via the new local subsidiary, not by the WorkMotion EOR) and sets up payroll services, administered by WorkMotion. Complete registration and payroll setup takes approximately 3-6 weeks, depending on the local jurisdiction.
For businesses that want to move into EU markets, this service will be extremely helpful. Businesses can prepare for expansion by hiring teams through the EOR service, and work compliantly before setting up the new company. This will allow quicker time to market, and allow the company to localize its international brand for specific EU markets.
This flexibility for expanding companies is the reason WorkMotion was judged the best Employer of Record for hiring flexibility.
4.4/5 Our expert score for WorkMotion
Our team came to this score by considering the following components in the following weightings:
| Employer of Record features | 25% |
| Payroll features | 10% |
| HR features | 10% |
| Compliance features | 10% |
| Platform features | 10% |
| Pricing | 20% |
| User reviews | 15% |
For each component, WorkMotion received the following score:
| Employer of Record features | 21/25 |
| Payroll features | 10/10 |
| HR features | 10/10 |
| Compliance features | 9/10 |
| Platform features | 10/10 |
| Pricing | 16/20 |
| User reviews | 12/15 |
Top alternatives (competitors)
Horizons vs WorkMotion
Top provider for:
Global EOR
Monthly fee per employee
From $299
Remote vs WorkMotion
Top provider for:
Direct EOR solutions
Monthly fee per employee
From $599
Our Verdict
Companies planning on expanding operations to or offering products and services in Western European countries will find WorkMotion to be a perfect fit. Its unique service provide a simple solution for every step of the way; from initial market entry through contracted talent to building a team via EOR services, and finally on to entity establishment and outsourced payroll administration.
FAQ
WorkMotion is a privately held corporation, established in Berlin, Germany in 2020. It has raised $76.6 million over 4 funding rounds, with 13 investors and 3 lead investors.
WorkFlex, the sister company of WorkMotion, provides workstation management software aimed at mitigating compliance risks for remote teams.
WorkMotion is headquartered in Berlin, Germany.
WorkMotion does not publicly release its revenue figures, however a third- party site has recently estimated their revenue at $54 million per year.
