How The PIE hires globally with Employer of Record

Global news requires international expertise

International education sector news organisation, The PIE, needed to employ a reporter in India. The PIE was concerned about tax compliance and the risk of triggering permanent establishment in-country, if attempting to hire the reporter without global hiring support.

The PIE needed an efficient solution that would eliminate the need to establish a legal entity or payroll operations and allow them to swiftly and compliantly engage the worker.

The PIE: education news on a global scale

The PIE is a trusted, leading voice in the international education sector, connecting the professionals, institutions, and businesses that support hundreds of thousands of people who choose to study with an international provider each year.

Its news, analysis, and intelligence are published daily by a global team of journalists who delve into the inner workings of the sector and share the information and insight needed to stay informed across the higher education, online learning, K-12, and short-term study abroad sectors.

The PIE’s events connect the community and focus on knowledge and networking. The annual PIE Live conferences take place in the UK, USA, and Australia, while The PIEoneer Awards honour innovation in the sector.

Problems faced

The PIE wanted to hire a reporter in India. However, they did not have a legal entity or payroll operation in India. Given the time, cost, and resources required to establish a legal entity, The PIE sought a more efficient solution for engaging a single employee. They did, however, wish to ensure total compliance when engaging the worker and avoid the risk of permanent establishment.

The PIE needed to find a solution that would allow them to efficiently hire the worker in India in a compliant and cost-effective manner.

Partnering for success: finding a solution

The PIE partnered with Mauve Group having completed a comparison with other providers and speaking to existing clients who recommended Mauve’s services. Together with Mauve, The PIE decided that an Employer of Record solution would be the best way to employ their worker in India.

Finance Director Lisa Phillips found Mauve’s staff to be very friendly, and she appreciated Mauve’s “human” approach, as opposed to other providers who rely on digital platforms.

Key takeaways

• Worker in India engaged swiftly and compliantly.
• Tax, payroll, and overall compliance guaranteed.
• Risk of permanent establishment mitigated.
• “Human” approach makes for optimised experience.
• All queries addressed in a timely manner.

Working with Mauve has been completely painless. It’s been like having an extension to my own finance department. It’s amazing having a dedicated resource, and someone there who has that extra knowledge and expertise - which we would never be able to access otherwise - and who always respond quickly.

Any random requests we’ve had, Mauve make[s] it happen. They offer straightforward solutions every time; for example, when my reporter wanted to attend an event in Hong Kong, Mauve made everything super simple. On one occasion, they even accessed information from a specialist in India to help us with hosting an event there.

Mauve’s specialist was ten times more knowledgeable than three other organisations I approached for the same purpose. The platform, Mauve Insight, is really simple and makes overseeing payroll easy.

On an everyday level, our partnership with Mauve has benefitted The PIE hugely.

It’s saved time, boosted productivity and morale – and on a company level, it’s saved us costs and ensured compliance. We’ve saved a lot of time and effort and been given a secure feeling about everything we’re doing.

- Lisa Phillips, Finance Director, The PIE News