GoGlobal: Hi Kurt, could you introduce yourself and what you do at GoGlobal?
Kurt: Although I was born and raised in Switzerland, I very much feel like a global citizen. I studied International Business Strategy in London, UK and Paris, France. I’ve been working in both the Technology and Global Employment sectors across EMEA with international clients for the last 20 years. I returned to Switzerland in 2007, where I now live with my wife and two children. In May 2021, I joined GoGlobal as a Director, where my principal mission is to oversee our Central Operations and Compliance in the EMEA region. Like most Gobies however, I’m fortunate to be involved in multiple facets of our organisation, such as the user interface of our internal technologies and our international expansion projects.
GoGlobal: What is it like working at GoGlobal?
Kurt: In one word, exciting! Although we are expanding rapidly, our start-up culture remains deeply engrained in our DNA. As I mentioned earlier, most of us are involved in multiple facets of the business. Rather than let job titles define and constrict us, the aim at GoGlobal is to have people engaged and working on projects that leverage their unique skill sets and personal interests. In practice, this means that I get to collaborate on a daily basis with incredibly talented, motivated people who are exactly where they want and need to be. Under these circumstances, an incredible amount of important work is being achieved in record time. By allowing our internal knowledge and passions to reach every corner of our organisation, and maintaining our identity as a dynamic start-up, we are able to remain incredibly lean, nimble and flexible. I believe this makes us the most responsive player in the industry.
GoGlobal: You mentioned flexibility at GoGlobal. Can you tell us more about how that has impacted you personally?
Kurt: Being a completely remote company that embraces flexible working, allows Gobies to essentially work however, wherever and whenever suits them. For the first time, I can truly and granularly customise my work/life balance. This has had a significant impact on my personal life. Due to my previous working schedule, my wife made the decision to temporarily put her career on hold to be a stay-at-home mother. However now with me working from home and the flexibility I have to be an actual contributing participant in our household, my wife is now actively seeking to return to work. It’s incredibly fulfilling to once again share more household and parental responsibilities with my wife whilst at the same time being able to achieve more professionally than I ever thought possible. I have to admit, the level of trust and empowerment I found upon arriving at GoGlobal was a bit of a culture shock for me at first. But after just two short months, I couldn’t imagine things being any other way!
GoGlobal: Speaking of culture shock, what was it like as a European joining GoGlobal, a company with its roots principally in Asia?
Kurt: Enriching. Although GoGlobal’s roots are indeed based in Asia, the reality is that the company is incredibly diverse, with staff based in all corners of the globe. As you know, GoGlobal officially launched its European operations in May 2021. Behind the scenes, this has meant an enormous amount of collaboration between our teams in Asia and Europe. While our team in Europe has been critical in consolidating our internal knowledge and deploying our EOR services in Europe, our Asian team has brought to the table a fresh perspective and innovative new ways of approaching EMEA-centric challenges. In this respect, I have to say I experienced “culture awe” rather than culture shock. The amount of synergy that’s taking place is really inspiring and I believe is truly making us go global.
GoGlobal: So what makes EOR in Europe so different when compared to EOR in Asia?
Kurt: The spirit of EOR, I believe, is the same around the world. However its implementation must be done in harmony with local best practices, the lens through which the local culture views what work actually means and the specific legal frameworks that regulate employment in any given country. Getting these three elements perfectly aligned can be a challenge and this is exactly why GoGlobal has actively built such a diverse team, not just culturally, but in terms of geographical reach, gender and profesional expertise. Our diversity means we have the internal capabilities of understanding how people work around the world and how to empower them to do so safely, compliantly and efficiently. From having local reps on the ground in the countries we operate in, to the wide array of operational and legal knowledge we can leverage internally, we are breaking down the barriers of international employment and enabling our clients to expand globally by supporting them locally.