How Softrios hired its first two employees in Latvia and Italy
How Softrios retained two Ukrainian nationals by using Rivermate as their Employer of Record to put compliant contracts in place across Latvia and Italy, replacing a contractor approach the team had tried first.
2
employees employed compliantly across Latvia and Italy
2
months saved on hiring vs. the previous approach
2
Ukrainian nationals onboarded with right-to-work documentation confirmed
Deadline met
Italian contract finalized inside the deadline window the team was facing.
Quick facts
Industry
Software Development
Region (HQ)
Curaçao
Company size
50
Country
Latvia, Italy
Rivermate products used
Employer of Record (EOR)
Year partnership started
2026
Length of relationship at publication
~4 months
Client
Softrios N.V.
See the Softrios N.V. story in 20 seconds
Read transcript
My name is Marta Ardizone
About the client
Softrios N.V. is a software company headquartered in Curaçao. As the team grew, it needed to bring on two key people based in Latvia and Italy — both Ukrainian nationals — without setting up local entities of its own.
The challenge
Softrios first tried a contractor arrangement, but that left the company exposed on compliance and gave it no fast, legal route to employ two people across two different countries. The Italian hire in particular came with a tight legal deadline.
What was at stake
If Softrios couldn't put compliant contracts in place in time, it risked losing two people it had specifically set out to retain — and absorbing the cost and risk of a non-compliant setup in the meantime.
Why they chose Rivermate
Softrios chose Rivermate's Employer of Record service for its coverage in both Latvia and Italy, its speed, and a single point of contact who could manage the right-to-work and payroll details for Ukrainian nationals in the EU.
What Rivermate did
Rivermate acted as the legal employer in both countries: drawing up compliant local contracts, handling registrations and payroll, and confirming right-to-work documentation for both employees — completing the time-sensitive Italian onboarding inside the deadline window.
What this means for similar companies
If your team is hiring its first European employees and weighing the contractor model against Employer of Record cover, the Softrios story shows it can be done compliantly and fast — even across two countries and a hard deadline.
Results
2 months saved on hiring
Olga Skorokhod's figure for how much time the Rivermate engagement saved her team versus the approach Softrios had been trying before.
2 employees employed compliantly across 2 countries
Both Ukrainian nationals, both onboarded with right-to-work and payroll status confirmed by Rivermate's team.
Italian contract signed inside the legal deadline
The Italian onboarding, which was the most time-sensitive piece of the engagement, completed inside the window Softrios was facing.
Hiring problem resolved, in Olga's words
On her form, Olga wrote: «we finally solved the problem with hiring and the system has proven itself to be the best.»
Early expansion conversations underway
Within months of the first two hires, Softrios was already in discussion with Daan de Wildt about additional countries and a contractor payments setup.
In Olga's words
A simple and intuitive platform that made hiring across borders genuinely easy. We finally solved the problem with hiring and the system has proven itself to be the best.
Olga Skorokhod, CFO, Softrios N.V
LinkedIn profile
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Watch the full client story
Read transcript
00:00-00:05 I’m Marta Arbizu Marin, and I work at Kaleidos as the People and Culture Lead. 00:05-00:14 If you are hiring internationally, especially in countries you are not familiar with, I definitely recommend Rivermate. 00:14-00:19.5 The platform is great, but for me, what really makes the difference is the team behind it. 00:19.5-00:29.5 They give you confidence that you’re doing things the right way, and the peace of mind is incredibly valuable, and having peace is one of the most incredible things. 00:29.5-00:35.5 Whenever we had questions about local employment law, we always had someone to guide us. 00:35.5-00:37.5 The level of support is incredible. 00:37.5-00:41.5 The human touch that you have, it’s incredible, so congratulations. 00:41.5-00:46.5 Karl was our Account Manager at the very beginning, and he was very supportive. 00:46.5-00:52.5 Communication is quick, straightforward, which is exactly what we were looking for. 00:52.5-00:55 Comparison, it’s horrible. 00:55-01:04 I don’t want to compare different platforms because each platform has some positive points and some weakness points, but as I said... 01:04-01:14 The human interaction, the level of support that you offer, that’s something that you can find in other platforms, but not at this level. 01:14-01:16.5 Once again, congratulations. 01:16.5-01:25.9 The level of support that you bring to the customers, no matter the size of the customer, it’s incredible, and that’s something very valuable.
About the Rivermate expert
Karl leads the Customer Success team at Rivermate, overseeing all existing client relationships with a focus on delivering a smooth and highly personal EOR experience. Over the past two years, he has managed onboarding, payroll, and ongoing support, working closely with clients to resolve issues quickly and transparently. He coordinates with internal teams and local partners to ensure compliant, efficient EOR solutions, while identifying opportunities to support client growth. His role combines hands-on problem solving with strategic account management, with the goal of building strong, long-term client partnerships.
Head of Account Management
Quick facts
Industry
Software Development
Region (HQ)
Curaçao
Company size
50
Country
Latvia, Italy
Rivermate products used
Employer of Record (EOR)
Year partnership started
2026
Length of relationship at publication
~4 months
Client
Softrios N.V.
