Real enquiries, real outcomes
Recent projects
A running sample of the kind of questions that actually land in our inbox, and how we handled them — genuine client work, not case studies written for marketing.
Payroll audit
Auditing an Italian payroll on behalf of an accounting firm
An auditing firm emailed us: they had a client whose payroll was processed by a provider in Italy, and as part of their audit procedures they needed a high-level check that Italian payroll taxes were being accounted for correctly — payroll reports and payslips available, timeline flexible on how many months to spot-check.
We introduced the firm to our partner in Italy. The two companies signed a service agreement. If your firm does audit or accounting work, checking a foreign payroll like this can be a useful extra revenue line on an annual audit.
International PEO
Recommending the right kind of PEO coverage — not just the biggest name
A USA-based HR Manager at an international nonprofit asked for a PEO that operated across Latin America, Europe, and Africa. Our advice: don't default to one firm covering lots of countries — go direct to the PEO providers in each country, or to a regional PEO provider. It's usually cheaper and the contact is far more direct. One African firm we've used for years has branches in Burundi, Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, South Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda; another based in Senegal covers Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, and Mauritania.
Once she confirmed her actual list — Mexico, Austria, Kenya, Belgium, Vietnam, Ecuador, Colombia, Spain, the Netherlands, and Zimbabwe — we sent her local provider contacts in every country.
HR consulting
Finding the right HR consulting firm in Germany
An HR Manager opening a new entity in Germany was looking for a consulting firm covering HR support, employee training, English/German language options, policy assistance, and legislative updates. We recommended two of our German HR consultants — a third was in our database but already at capacity.
Hiring abroad
Setting up a first hire in Japan for a US-only employer
A US-based HR Manager, whose company had never employed outside the US, needed to hire in Japan and asked how to go about it — including paying the employee. We recommended two partner companies in Japan and sent over a document explaining how to set up staffing in a new country from scratch.
Employment law
Sourcing employment law expertise for genuinely obscure markets
An HR Manager in the USA needed an International Employment Law firm with experience across Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Turkmenistan, Lebanon, and Mexico. We introduced accountants with strong local employment law knowledge in each country, who could point to specialist law firms if needed — including a contact for Turkmenistan, arguably the most obscure market on her list.
Also recently
Smaller pieces of work, worth a mention
Not every enquiry needs a full write-up — a sample of other recent work.
Sent two draft Brazil employment contracts, free of charge.
Advised Belgium Management Support, our partner in Belgium.
Distributed a briefing document on changes to the minimum wage in the Netherlands.
Handled the transfer of ownership of a car in Poland on a client's behalf.
Sourced a potential supplier of Employer of Record services in Monaco.
Advised a USA-based HR Manager, free of charge, pointing her to two specialist sources of expertise.
Have a similarly specific question?
If it involves hiring, paying, or supporting someone abroad — however obscure the country — tell us the details and we'll give you a straight answer.
Ask about your situation