The Remote Hiring Playbook for US Companies Expanding to Europe

Why Europe is the default first move

For US companies, Europe offers the best combination of talent quality, time zone overlap, and legal familiarity. English proficiency is high in the UK, Germany, Netherlands, and Poland. The legal frameworks, while more complex than the US, are well-documented and EOR providers have deep experience in all major markets.

Choosing your first European market

The UK is the easiest entry point: English-language contracts, common law framework, and the most mature EOR infrastructure in Europe. Germany offers the deepest engineering talent pool but the most complex compliance framework. Poland and Romania offer excellent engineering talent at significantly lower cost than Western Europe.

Key differences from US hiring

• Employment contracts are mandatory and detailed — no at-will employment in any EU market
• Notice periods of 1–3 months are standard — US-style immediate termination is impossible
• Probation periods of 3–6 months apply in most markets — performance management must start earlier
• Works councils in Germany (and to a lesser extent France, Netherlands) require consultation on certain employment decisions
• Strong unfair dismissal protections in all EU markets — disciplinary processes must be documented carefully

Country-specific watch-outs

UK

IR35 contractor compliance, auto-enrolment pension from day one, and post-Brexit immigration rules for non-UK nationals.

Germany

Works council consultation rights, strict dismissal protection from month 7, and complex collective bargaining agreement applicability.

France

Highest employer social charges in the OECD (~42%), mandatory convention collective application, and strict CDD fixed-term contract rules.

Poland

20–26 days mandatory leave, ZUS social insurance registration, and PPK mandatory pension savings scheme enrolment.

EOR vs entity for European expansion

For your first 1–5 hires in a European market, EOR is almost always the right call. Set a trigger for entity evaluation: most US companies evaluate entity setup when they reach 8–10 employees in a single European country.