You’re at a crossroads. Your employee has told you that they plan to move to Israel and you have to decide whether to agree to keep them on, working remotely, or to end your working relationship with them.
In our experience, most companies benefit greatly from saying yes to this arrangement. Here’s why.
You don’t lose great talent
You’re happy with this employee and they already have experience with your processes and systems. They get your company culture and have already built relationships with your customers. Starting over with someone new means more training, transitions and sometimes even costly mistakes. Why bring in someone new when you already have someone great?
Cost-effective in the long-term
Israeli salaries tend to be lower than American ones (despite the country’s high cost of living) so you’ll likely be able to offer more modest raises in the future. Your employee will save on commuting costs, so this is a financial win for them too.
They work during your downtime
The Israeli workday overlaps with nighttime and morning hours in the US. You can take advantage of having someone working during hours when the rest of your staff is asleep, while still having the ability to meet with them and collaborate during the first part of your workday. Nighttime work is particularly useful in fields such as customer support, tech support, cybersecurity, finance, logistics and admin support.
Legal employment is easier than you think
With modern Employer of Record (EOR) services in Israel, you can employ someone locally without opening an entity. The services handle taxes, payroll and compliance so you can keep your worker without the legal headache. There’s a bit of paperwork and some costs to set it up, but afterwards all you have to do is deposit the worker’s salary in the bank.
Loyalty goes both ways
When you’re loyal to your employee, they have more loyalty to you. Show them that you value them as a person as well as professionally. Help them fulfill their dream of moving to Israel and you’re likely to be rewarded with long-term commitment, motivation and brand ambassadorship.
Of course, there are challenges to having a full-time remote worker, and chances are that there will be an adjustment period and some changes will be necessary on both sides to make this work. But if both sides are committed to having a successful working relationship, what starts as a logistical challenge can turn into a huge productivity and morale boost for everyone involved.
