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What We Recommend Globalization Partners For
Globalization Partners claims a 97% customer satisfaction rate, and after researching its features and reviews and comparing it to similar PEOs, I agree it’s a strong service for businesses that need a knowledgeable third-party to handle their international employees. It does not offer as many HR functions as a traditional PEO, and the pricing is custom and more expensive than some, but it’s valuable to companies that are a good fit.
I recommend Globalization Partners for:
- Businesses expanding into other countries: Globalization Partners makes it easy to hire talent in 180 countries without setting up an international branch. It also handles payroll and tax management for global employees. Notably, Globalization Partners ranked in our top recommended international payroll services for mid and large companies wanting to test out a new overseas market.
- ADP TotalSource customers considering hiring support staff overseas: If you already use ADP TotalSource as your domestic PEO, you can take advantage of its partnership with Globalization Partners if you need to hire foreign employees or send local employees overseas for special projects. Since the two companies are now working together, adding on a service or switching completely should be fairly simple.
When We Don’t Recommend Globalization Partners
- Businesses needing services for hiring, training, or career development: Globalization Partners does not help with hiring employees—no recruiting or applicant tracking program—or offer training or learning and development features. It does help onboard them once you identify who you want to hire. For more advanced hiring tools, check out our top picks for applicant tracking systems.
- Domestic businesses: Globalization partners is designed to handle out-of-country hires for you. It may be more than you need (and more expensive) than in-country PEOs. If you need an HRIS system for a company with only US-based employees, check out our best HRIS software buyer’s guide. If you’re more interested in payroll solutions, our top payroll service picks will be useful.
Looking for something different? Read our guide to the best PEO services for small businesses to find a service or software that will free some time up for you.
Globalization Partners PEO Overview
| PROS | CONS |
|---|---|
| Handles 180 currencies | Not ESAC or IRS certified |
| Processes taxes at the local level | No dedicated representative |
| Works as Employee of Record for foreign employees | No learning management programs |
| Excellent customer service | |
Visit Globalization Partners Global
Globalization Partners PEO Pricing and Features
Globalization Partners does not post its pricing online or reveal pricing until a representative has spoken to you about your specific needs, countries involved, and payroll schedule. However, user reviews specifically indicate that customers were satisfied with pricing explanations and even that Globalization Partners adapted it to the company’s budget.
Globalization Partners works in over 180 countries.
Getting started with Globalization Partners is easy. You’ll need to contact sales, and a representative will discuss your needs and break down pricing for you. Pricing depends on a wide variety of factors, from country to employee salary, so be sure you understand it before signing anything.
Once you’ve contracted with Globalization Partners, you have to find your new employees, and it will handle the onboarding, payroll, and compliances. You are still in charge of training, mentoring, and performance management.
HR
The software runs through the job details with the candidate to be sure they are comfortable with accepting the job.
While you need to do the legwork of finding and choosing your new hires, Globalization Partners can take it from there. Its lawyers have created country-specific hiring contracts to meet local laws, so you approve the contracts and send them. Once the new hire signs the contract, Globalization Partners leads them through the onboarding, including getting their information and having them select benefits from the ones you’ve chosen to offer.
One bonus feature is that its local HR representative will call your new hire, so they have a personal connection to the person they can contact with questions. You also have access to in-country, in-house HR experts in case you have questions or concerns about compliance or HR issues with employees in the area. In addition, the website has detailed country reports that cover the basic employment laws, tax considerations, holidays, and more. It’s a good place for early research and getting basic questions answered quickly.
Benefits
You select the country, then the software leads you through the pre-selected benefits you can offer.
The online “Globalpedia” not only lets you know the required and voluntary benefits expected in a country, from maternity leave to stock options but also recommends how much you should add to their salary to cover these benefits. As a global EOR, Globalization Partners can secure enterprise-level benefits packages for employees at prices that are competitive. It ensures the benefits meet the country’s requirements and offers you a choice of packages to offer employees. It then manages the programs, both in payroll and in execution.
Because benefits vary by nation, Globalization Partners does not list what services it offers. Contact its team with specific questions about the country you are interested in. It does endeavor to provide packages that make you attractive to job candidates in that area. Your rep will help you determine what’s common, so you remain competitive.
Payroll
You will see payroll runs by country.
Employees are paid in local currency at the schedule you set. You can track time and attendance and approve payrolls automatically if nothing changed from the last payroll, or go in and make changes. Globalization Partners handles the rest, including deductions and taxes. It pays employees in local currencies by direct deposit or check and pays your taxes according to that country’s schedule. Once Globalization Partners issues the payroll, it sends you the bill with all employee expenses included.
Compliance
As EOR, Globalization Partners takes on all the responsibility of meeting compliance requirements, so while team members work for you, it handles the HR side of things and bills you for the services. It can help manage contractors and wage-earning employees and stays up-to-date on the changes in regulations. Globalization Partners even has a team of lawyers specializing in international law who draw up employee contracts.
Partnered with ADP TotalSource
This image from ADP/Globalization Partners brochure illustrates their roles.
Globalization Partners has had a strong working relationship with ADP. In 2020, it won ADP’s Rising Star Award. On Feb. 17, 2021, it announced its partnership with ADP TotalSource, a popular PEO service, allowing US businesses using ADP easier access to a global EOR. ADP TotalSource users can take advantage of this partnership not only for hiring in other countries but also if their American employees need to work in-country on a permanent or semi-permanent basis. See the ADP/Globalization Partners factsheet for details.
Globalization Partners Ease of Use
- Quick setup
- In-country experts
- Excellent customer support, available 24/7 year-round
- Older interface
The Globalization Partners has an older-looking interface, but it’s nonetheless easy to use. You can see the country details, from regulations to public holidays. With a click, you can approve a Globalization Partners hiring contract and have it sent to employees. Globalization Partners handles the onboarding from there. Come payroll time, you can approve with a click if it’s the same as last time or go back and make changes.
You need to access the help center from the software itself. Globalization Partners has a highly responsive customer support system with in-country experts. Real-world users give it high praise.
Top Globalization Partners Alternatives
Best for: Growing companies expanding their international workforce | Best for: Large businesses entering a new overseas market | Best for: Existing ADP Run users that are sending domestic workers to work overseas |
Base monthly fee from: Custom | Per employee fee from: Custom pricing | Base monthly fee from: Approximately $85 per employee (custom) |
If you’ve narrowed your search down to a few payroll providers but still can’t decide, check out our guide on choosing the best payroll solution for help.
What Users Think About Globalization Partners PEO
I searched the most popular user review sites, and only G2 held reviews of Globalization Partners. The reviews came mostly from mid-sized companies (50–1,000 employees), although two small businesses gave the service 5 and 4 stars. I was impressed that the company took the time to respond to each review with a personal note rather than a generic response.
Real-world users consistently praised the customer support and the speed with which Globalization Partners got them started and new employees onboarded. It’s the only PEO I’ve seen that didn’t have any customer service complaints, even in the rough year of 2020. Some people said parts of the platform were not as easy or complete as others, but the specific tools mentioned varied, which speaks more to personal tastes than a flaw in the system. There were complaints about price and salespeople calling to upsell.
- G2: 4.2 out of 5 based on 15 reviews.
When reading through user reviews, here are some of the trends that I noticed:
Users Like | Users Don’t Like |
|---|---|
Quick setup | Pricey |
Great customer support | Keeps trying to upsell services |
Platform easy to use |
Bottom Line
Globalization Partners is an Employer of Record (EOR) service that handles HR, payroll, and compliances for companies wanting to expand outside their home countries. It recently partnered with ADP TotalSource and can provide benefits and HR assistance for those customers as well as its own. It’s pricier than other global PEOs, but customers say that the service is excellent. Ready to expand into the international market? Call Globalization Partners for a customized quote.
