Onboarding Timeline & Process | Plane Hire Resources

Welcome to the exciting journey of onboarding your new team member with Plane! We're thrilled to be by your side, ensuring a smooth and successful onboarding experience. We understand that hiring international employees can present its share of challenges and considerations. Rest assured, we're here to lend our support every step of the way. In this guide, we'll walk you through our onboarding process, so you feel confident and informed as we embark on this adventure together.Navigating the onboarding process can vary based on the employee's location and their right to work status in their respective country. If additional steps such as right to work checks or visa support are required, the start date may need adjustment to accommodate these procedures.Below are our estimated timelines for onboarding international employees based on their location. Please note that while we strive to adhere to these timelines, variations may occur based on individual circumstances.

Estimated Onboarding Timelines by Region

Africa - Central & South: 2.5 weeks

Africa - North: 2.5 to 4 weeks

APAC - North: 2.5 weeks

Europe - East & UK: 2.5 weeks

Europe - North: 2.5 to 4 weeks

Europe - South: 2.5 to 4 weeks

GCC & Middle East: 2.5 to 4 weeks

LATAM: 2.5 to 4 weeks

Caribbean: 2.5 weeks

Canada: 1 to 2 weeks

General Onboarding Process

Let's take a peek into the steps involved in the employee onboarding journey and the tasks required by the owner or admins of your Plane account.

Step 1: Add Employee to Plane

To initiate the onboarding process, the first step is adding your new employee to Plane. Refer to our detailed guide, "How to hire and onboard an international employee," for a step-by-step walkthrough.

Step 2: Approve Employment Cost and Security Deposit

Upon adding the employee to Plane, you'll receive a notification to approve the cost of employment and security deposit. This typically takes one to two business days. The cost of employment varies by country, while the security deposit equals one month's expected payroll and employer taxes. Once confirmed, we'll process the security deposit, serving as a safeguard in case of any payment issues.

Step 3: Complete Onboarding Tasks and Approve Offer Summary

Next, within the Plane platform, complete all guided onboarding tasks. Ensure to address important to-dos such as;

Additional incentives: Review the contract and approve any applicable incentives, such as a one-time signing bonus, one-time or recurring allowances or stipends, or a guaranteed annual bonus.

Supplemental health insurance: Review the options available for supplemental health benefits, decide the plan you want to offer (if multiple options are available), and cost share of the monthly premiums.

Right to work: Review the right to work check and ensure that your employee has the right to work in their country, in compliance with local regulations.

Background check: Plane conducts a background check against international criminal records as part of the onboarding process. The time frame for completion can vary depending on the country, how quickly the employee uploads the required documents, and the number of countries in which the employee has resided. We’ve seen background checks take anywhere from less than one week to up to one month to complete.

Step 4: Employee Accepts Offer Summary and Completes Profile

Once the offer summary is approved and sent to the employee, they'll need to officially accept it. We'll then prompt the employee to complete their profile on Plane to finalize the onboarding process.

Step 5: Plane Generates Formal Employment Contract

Plane generates the employment contract and submits it for your approval. This typically takes five business days after the employee profile is completed.

Step 6: Contract Approval by Employer and Employee

Both parties review and approve the employment contract via Plane to ensure alignment and understanding. We recommend that both parties complete this step as soon as possible to avoid any delays.

Step 7: Employee Signs Contract

Once all parties have approved the contract via Plane, we will instruct the employee to sign the employment contract.

Step 8: Plane Collects Additional Information

We gather any additional information and documents from the employee to finalize the onboarding process.

Step 9: Onboarding Completion

Once all steps are completed and required documentation is collected, Plane will notify you of a successful employee onboarding. Congratulations!

Important Notes

Timely completion of assigned onboarding tasks is essential. Email reminders will be sent for any pending tasks.

Specific requirements such as wet signatures, medical exams, and visa sponsorship may impact the timeline

Some countries may require new hire registration before the start date, potentially causing delays

Starting on the first day of a new month is advisable for timely payroll processing

We utilize Bamboo HR for onboarding in some countries

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions to help navigate the onboarding process smoothly.

Why does it take longer to onboard in some countries?

What is the best date to onboard an employee?

When will employees be paid?

What documents will employees need to provide?

What about my employee's right to work status?

Background checks: What do you look for?

What is the security deposit used for and when is it returned?

Can I pay my employee in USD?

The local salary value doesn’t match my employee’s expectations. Why is this and what can we do?

Can an employee sign the contract electronically?

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Onboarding Timeline & ProcessOnboarding Timeline & Process