I led the expansion of a Canadian company into the US—building HR infrastructure from the ground up to support a brand-new American workforce.
The Challenge
A Canadian company was preparing to hire employees in the US for the first time. With no existing infrastructure in place, the organization needed to determine where to hire, understand the regulatory landscape, and build compliant, scalable systems from scratch.
As someone with experience in both Canadian and US employment practices, I knew the two environments require different approaches. In Canada, employment terms tend tobe legislated and standardized at the provincial or federal level—providing clear baselines across the board.
In the US, while employment legislation does exist, eligibility is more limited, and entitlements vary substantially from state to state. Key elements—like paid vacation, holiday pay, and leave programs—are largely left to the employer’s discretion unless otherwise mandated by local law which is more rare than in Canada. We needed to design policies that aligned with US norms and regulatory requirements, while still reflecting the company’s values.
The Approach
I led the effort to plan, build, and launch the US employment model in a way that complemented the existing Canadian workforce. Key steps included:
- State Selection & Legal Landscape Review: We conducted a jurisdictional review to determine which US states to enter—factoring in regulatory burden, hiring competitiveness, and business strategy. This allowed us to prioritize locations that balanced opportunity with manageable compliance.
- Entity Registration & Legal Setup: I worked cross-functionally with legal and finance partners to ensure the company was properly registered in each state and aligned with local employment regulations.
- HR Policy & Infrastructure Design: I developed the US specific HR framework, including:
- Customized employee policies and handbooks tailored to at-will employment
- Leave, vacation, and holiday policies that reflected local norms while maintaining internal consistency
- Onboarding and documentation processes that supported distributed, cross-border hiring
- Employment Agreements & Offer Templates: I partnered with external counsel to draft employment agreements that were legally sound and appropriate for each jurisdiction—ensuring compliance and clarity from day one.
- Cross-Border Team Integration: As US employees joined the team, I led efforts to integrate them into the broader Canadian-based organization. This included standardizing onboarding across borders, aligning communication tools, and coaching managers on how to navigate cultural and legal differences in managing remote, cross-jurisdictional teams.
- Onboarding & HR Tech Optimization: I worked with internal operations to ensure the payroll system, employee recordkeeping, and onboarding platform could accommodate both Canadian and US employment structures—improving scalability and reducing manual admin.
- Expansion Mapping: Beyond the initial launch, I developed a state-by-state expansion guide to identify jurisdictions that aligned with the company’s long-term goals. This included evaluating labor laws, registration complexity, and talent availability. The guide became a go-to resource for leadership, enabling faster, more informed decisions on where to expand next.
The Outcome
- Successful and compliant hiring in multiple US states
- Clear policies and agreements that supported onboarding and reduced legal ambiguity
- Seamless integration of US employees into the existing Canadian workforce
- Improved internal alignment across payroll, onboarding, and communication systems
- A strategic roadmap for future cross-border expansion
- Greater confidence from leadership to continue growing their US presence
The Takeaway
Hiring across borders isn’t just about new people—it’s about building an entirely new foundation for how you employ, onboard, and support them. This experience sharpened my ability to bridge business goals with jurisdictional nuance—a skill I now bring to consulting clients through Ppl Sense.
👉 If you're preparing to expand your workforce internationally, I can help you build HR infrastructure that’s legally sound, people-focused, and ready to scale.
