Most HR teams don’t choose a patchwork of contractors; they inherit it. Then the risks start to stack—misclassification exposure, messy audits, fragile loyalty—and the question becomes how to regularise the team without losing people or breaking payroll. This is where Emerald leans all the way in: we convert international contractors to compliant employees in 24 hours, so you keep your talent, tidy the risk, and get back to building.
What makes 24 hours credible isn’t a slogan, it’s choreography. We combine day-one local employment via our EOR footprint, a pre-built contract pack reviewed by Founders Law, and a cut-over process that’s been stress-tested across switch-ins. The result is a same-day move from contractor paper to an enforceable local employment contract, with no gap in pay, benefits, or tenure.
Start with the facts, not the fear
A rapid conversion begins with a clear picture of reality: who’s working like an employee today, in which countries, at what rates, and with what supervision and tools. That’s not to catch anyone out—it’s to prove to leadership (and to the people you’re converting) that employment is the fair next step. Once the roster is honest, the plan is simple: same people, same work, now on the right structure.
How a 24-hour conversion actually works
The clock starts when you green-light the conversion and share the essentials—names, countries, current terms, and contact details. We release the appropriate local employment agreements, already tuned for IP, confidentiality, probation, and notice. Employees receive their contracts for e-signature, along with a clear summary of what changes (payroll mechanics) and what doesn’t (role, manager, compensation value, tenure). In parallel, we stand up payroll and benefits on our side—because the infrastructure is already live in-country, we’re not waiting on registrations or bank accounts. By the time the contract is signed, onboarding is ready, and the first payslip will land on schedule.
Twenty-four hours doesn’t mean cutting corners; it means removing friction. The work you’d normally spread over weeks—paper, payroll, and communication—runs in parallel, under one project owner.
Translate pay; don’t shrink it
People leave when conversions feel like a haircut. We treat compensation as translation, not reduction: day rate to salary, variable to bonus/commission where appropriate, and equity if it’s part of how you recognise impact. We explain the structure in plain language, set expectations about pay frequency and payslips, and confirm that tenure is continuous. Benefits are the same story: they “read” as your company, tuned to the country, and they start on time.
Contracts that protect your IP and your reputation
Conversions are the perfect moment to strengthen your legal posture without spooking the team. Local, legible contracts replace vague boilerplate with enforceable IP and confidentiality that match what people actually build. Where bilingual agreements are normal, we provide them. Where a transfer-of-employment acknowledgement calms nerves, we include it. Founders Law checks the pack so you’re covered in the places that matter, and nothing in the paper contradicts what leaders say aloud.
Zero-drama comms keep your talent
Speed only works if people trust it. The founder or COO announces the move in one clear message: why you’re doing this (compliance, stability, and belonging), what doesn’t change (role, manager, total compensation, tenure), and who to contact. Managers follow up 1:1 with specifics and a short timeline. When words match paperwork and the first payslip arrives as promised, anxiety disappears.
Visas, payroll, and all the little details
Same-day doesn’t mean “we’ll figure it out later.” If immigration is in play, we route it on day one so status stays intact. We line start dates up to payroll cut-offs so the first salary doesn’t slip. We close contractor agreements cleanly, confirm data handback and deletion, and keep an audit-ready paper trail you’ll be proud to show in diligence. The headline is speed; the story is precision.
Why Emerald? Because we’ve done the hard switches—and kept teams whole
We’ve executed clean switch-ins and rapid hires where speed and certainty were non-negotiable: Netcracker moving at scale after Velocity Global, Human Security and Exterro switching from Papaya without missing a paycheck, ShippyPro leaving Deel to go faster in France, and teams like Bluecat and Founders Factory transitioning from Remote. The common denominator isn’t who they left; it’s that we finished before anyone outside the core squad had time to worry. The same operating model is what lets us deliver 24-hour contractor-to-employee conversions in eligible countries.
FAQs
Is 24 hours really possible?
Yes—for eligible countries and roles, when we have clean inputs (people list, current terms, contact details) and there are no visa dependencies. Because our in-country infrastructure and contract packs are pre-built, we run agreements, onboarding, and payroll set-up in parallel.
Will tenure or benefits reset?
No. Service is continuous, and benefits are mapped to avoid gaps. We state this clearly in writing so employees see alignment between the message and the contract.
Do we need entities everywhere?
No. We use Emerald’s Employer of Record to employ people locally today. When a country proves scale, we’ll graduate you to an entity or PEO without payroll gaps or re-papering chaos.
Next steps
If you want this off your risk register by tomorrow, we’ll run the project end-to-end: honest inventory, local contracts, same-day onboarding, and a first payslip that lands when it should. Book a 30-min contractor-to-employee review, and we’ll scope which roles and countries qualify for the 24-hour conversion window.
Helpful links:
EOR Services • Customer Experience • Case Studies • Founders Law • Talent Acquisition • Contractor Conversion
