Legacy HR systems are starting to show their age. The patchwork of disconnected tools and manual processes that many companies rely on simply isn’t cut out for a world where borders are porous and employees are dispersed across continents.

It’s a dramatic shift in how companies do business – and it calls for a revamp in how they manage people with HR tech.

At the centre of this transformation is a new breed of HR information systems (HRIS) and performance management platforms that provide a secure, flexible and scalable way to lead teams across borders – tailored to companies with international ambitions.

For Ramya Venkateswaran, general manager of Remote HRIS at Remote – the HR tech firm specialising in solutions for global and distributed teams – a reliable tech stack is more than just a nice-to-have. It’s a necessity for companies that want to stay compliant, engaged, and efficient in a world without borders.

Moving away from legacy HR systems

Still, many companies find their legacy systems were designed for a different era despite the fact that, “Every company today is global and traditional HR tools were not built for distributed workforces,” Venkateswaran told People Matters Global.

The result is a messy patchwork. “Many systems are US based, retrofitted for international use cases. As a result, these systems don’t have the flexibility to adapt to varied labour laws and compliance requirements across countries – which creates hurdles during hiring, payroll, and taxation processes,” she said.

This chaos compounds over time. Employers face frequent issues with local tax filings, incorrect deductions, and missed statutory reporting deadlines. Those who turn to managing HR and payroll through manual or disconnected systems also encounter inconsistencies in employment contracts, payroll data, or employee benefits – and the probability for error compounds.

“This lack of standardised processes also creates further reputational risk, with non-compliant employment contracts, payroll errors, and potential legal exposure,” Venkateswaran said.

“Equipped with the right platforms and tools,” however, “businesses can maximise their operational efficiency and also attract and retain talent in an increasingly competitive and borderless job market.”

More importantly, given the numerous threats surrounding companies, Venkateswaran emphasises data security and privacy in modern HR tech.

“We built our [Remote] platform and our company with security in mind. Our infrastructure operates within isolated networks with restricted, fully auditable access,” Venkateswaran said.

“Some of the security best-practices we have in place include encrypting all data both while in transit and while at rest; strict access controls for essential personnel only; and conducting regular recertification and training sessions to meet global standards.”

To help companies stay compliant across borders, Venkateswaran highlights the role of a powerful tool within the platform.

“We also created Remote Data Protection Guard, which offers industry-leading data protection policies, processes, and controls that ensure compliance with the world’s toughest privacy laws – keeping our customers’ personal data safe at all times.”

The importance of automated compliance and oversight

Companies wrestling with messy, manual processes have a powerful ally in automated compliance and oversight. For those employing people across borders, a unified approach makes all the difference, according to Venkateswaran:

Integrated EOR, payroll, and contractor management solutions mean you can onboard anyone, anywhere, and remain in compliance with local regulations.”

Of equal importance is how companies aren’t left stranded when navigating a confusing legal landscape. “Our in-house HR, legal, tax, and finance experts are able to assist companies with any market they operate in,” she said.

Some may be wondering if adding automation to HR data management comes at a price. “At Remote, we don’t use any AI tools to process the sensitive data of customers,” the GM noted.

Furthermore, “Remote offers AI-powered tools that are entirely optional. By default, these tools do not have access to customer data, and customer data is not used for AI model training.”

To be clear, “Remote implements robust technical and contractual measures to ensure customer data privacy,” she said.

Optimising employee performance with HR tech

This careful, flexible approach extends to performance management. Remote Perform, another solution, is designed to align with the unique needs of distributed teams, the company said.

After all, as Venkateswaran pointed out, “Receiving regular feedback on performance is a critical part of the employee journey, [and this] fosters a sense of value, improves communication, and promotes career growth.”

When an employee feels valued, this boosts morale, productivity and leads to higher job satisfaction.”

Perform lets companies move away from rigid annual reviews. “We created Perform to make performance management as flexible and global as the teams using it,” she said.

Instead of waiting for lengthy appraisal cycles, “managers and employees can now give feedback, set goals and track their career progress in real time with the help of AI, regardless of their working location,” Venkateswaran said.

“Implementing structured performance review cycles and establishing collaborative feedback frameworks helps to create a culture of continuous improvement and learning within any organisation. This is critical to showing employees that they are valued and, in turn, drives engagement and improves retention.”