Rippling Global Playbook: How to manage global benefits across 75+ countries

The reality behind "we offer competitive benefits"

Every country handles benefits differently. Dependent coverage, premium structures, mandatory plans, market expectations, enrollment workflows — even basic terminology — vary widely. Get it wrong, and you risk noncompliance, poor employee experience, and difficulty attracting top talent in new markets.

Lauren "Fitz" Fitzgerald has spent nearly two decades navigating this terrain. She began as a benefits broker before moving in-house to lead global benefits at multinational tech companies like Carta, CircleCI, and Lacework. Today, she oversees benefits strategy for more than 75 countries across Rippling's Employer of Record (EOR) offering.

This playbook shares the exact frameworks her team uses to help companies scale benefits internationally — the same systems that ensure Rippling customers can attract high-caliber talent with benefits that are locally compliant and culturally competitive.

Inside, you'll learn how to:

• Pick the right in-country benefits broker. Find brokers who understand US clients, ask the right questions upfront, and budget for annual service fees that most teams don't anticipate. 

• Navigate country-specific requirements and cultural expectations. Understand collective bargaining agreements, statutory plans, typical employer contribution levels, and what "competitive" actually means in each market. 

• Understand how costs differ from the US. Learn why dependent coverage often includes parents and adult children, why premiums are frequently billed annually upfront, and how to frame benefits costs in the context of total compensation so leadership sees the bigger picture.

• Manage the long lead times for KYC and legal reviews. Plan for six to 12  month timelines to fully stand up benefits under your own entity, including KYC verification with foreign banks, brokers, and carriers. 

• Set up workers' comp, employer liability, and general liability coverage. Navigate the additional brokers, fees, and coverage requirements that multiply the complexity of medical benefits.