Three ways to hire remote.
Only one keeps the team.
Staffing agency, employer of record, or managed remote team? They sound similar, but they cover very different parts of the job. Here is how the three models actually differ, and how to tell which one fits.
Same goal, different coverage.
Each model owns a different slice of the employment lifecycle. The gap each one leaves is what ends up back on your plate.
Finding and screening candidates, then handing you a shortlist.
Employing, managing, and keeping the person. Everything after the hire.
Legally employing the person: payroll, taxes, benefits, and compliance.
Finding the person, managing their work, and keeping them engaged.
Recruiting, employment, and ongoing management and retention. All three stages, continuously.
Directing the work. That is the part you want to keep.
Recruit. Employ. Manage and retain.
A staffing agency covers the first stage. An employer of record covers the second. A managed remote team covers all three, and stays.
You direct the work in every model. The difference is how much of the HR around the work you also have to build and run yourself.
What each model actually handles.
Row by row, across finding, employing, and keeping a remote team.
| Capability | Staffing agency | Employer of record | Prestige OSS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finding the team | |||
| Sources and screens candidates | – | ||
| Presents a shortlist for you to interview | – | ||
| Employing the team | |||
| Legal employer, payroll and taxes | Temp only | ||
| Health insurance and benefits | – | ||
| Contracts and compliance | Partial | ||
| Equipment and workspace | – | – | |
| Managing and keeping the team | |||
| Onboarding | – | – | |
| Performance reviews, run with you against your KPIs | – | – | |
| Retention, engagement, and wellbeing support | – | – | |
| Free replacement if a team member leaves | – | – | |
| Your role | |||
| You direct the day-to-day work | |||
| Left on your plate | Everything after the hire | Finding, managing, and retaining | Just directing the work |
Scroll the table sideways to compare →
Pick by what you need handled.
There is a right time for each. Here is the honest version.
You only need sourcing.
You already have the HR to employ and manage people, and you just want help finding candidates to hire directly. Once they are placed, the rest is yours.
You found the person already.
You have someone specific in mind and need a legal employer in a country where you lack an entity. You will still recruit, manage, and retain them yourself.
You want the whole thing handled.
You want the right people found, employed, supported, reviewed, and kept, without building an HR function to do it. You direct the work. We handle everything around it.
Build your team →Still deciding?
The questions businesses ask most when they are weighing the three models.
Talk to a specialist →A staffing agency finds and places candidates. The ongoing employment and management are yours, though for staff augmentation the agency may payroll temporary workers. An employer of record becomes the legal employer and handles payroll, benefits, taxes, and compliance, but does not recruit the person or manage the work.
No. An employer of record is one part of the picture, the employment and compliance layer. A managed remote team also recruits the people and then manages performance, engagement, and retention over time, with a free replacement if someone leaves.
Yes. With all three models you direct the work. The difference is how much of the surrounding HR you also have to run. With a managed remote team, you direct the work and Prestige handles everything around it.
With a staffing agency or an employer of record, replacing someone is your problem. With Prestige, we replace them at no cost, and keep supporting the role until it is filled.
Use a staffing agency if you only need help sourcing candidates and you already have the HR to employ and manage them. Use an employer of record if you have already found someone and only need a legal employer where you lack an entity. Use a managed remote team if you want the people and the HR around them handled together.
Want the whole thing handled?
Tell us the roles you need. We'll come back with a team plan, structure, and rate, usually within one business day.