Employer of Record (EOR) services fall under the umbrella of HR outsourcing, and even though the EOR scope goes well beyond that, it’s fair to say that, as an EOR partner, we primarily help companies obtain, manage, and retain their most valuable resource – people. With commonly accessible HR tech, AI assistance, and whatnot, the debate about the human side of the business becomes more relevant than ever, and decision-makers are right to ask themselves: WHO do we entrust our teams to?

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At Acvian, we are adamant about the expertise and commitment of our key players; staying transparent and showcasing the people behind the service comes naturally to us because they are our greatest asset. This time, we’ve sat down with yet another team member, Olena Bevza, for an informative and entertaining conversation in the We Are Acvian series.

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With a decade of experience in the payroll and EOR service space, Olena started her path in a big international company that provided accounting, payroll, HR administrative, and capital market support, where she juggled roles in human resources administration and payroll. At that time, Olena worked with clients from a plethora of industries: IT, renewable energy, clinical research, real estate, hospitality… 

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Initially an expert in the Ukrainian market, she expanded to other countries in later roles and eventually grew into an EOR miracle worker with successful projects across Europe, Latin America, and other major regions. Upon joining Acvian in September 2025, Olena brought all those priceless years of hands-on knowledge to our shared table – and we were happy to sit down across from her and talk about her current role as Head of Production, client-oriented thinking, and keeping the energy alive in the remote-first working environment.

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Hi Olena! To begin with, what was your personal deciding factor for joining the EOR industry that ultimately led you to Acvian?

Hello! As you might already know (see the intro), the role I occupied at the beginning of my career in this field basically included all the usual EOR tasks, except for employment on clients’ behalf. The EOR industry itself was at an emerging stage, and my next place of work was with an EOR provider in Ukraine, where my expertise was applied to a much broader regional and operational scope. However, I still focused on payroll and document accuracy, ensured a high-quality customer service experience, maintained clear, effective, and professional communication with clients, and facilitated smooth and well-supported hiring in foreign countries.

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Eventually, I grew to Head of Operations and took charge of EOR hires, international clients, the internal remote team, as well as the overall company operations across several countries. That’s when I discovered my passion for the industry was just as strong behind the scenes as on the client-facing side. From sourcing international team members who showed genuine interest in EOR and were self-reliant and responsible, to ensuring their professionalism, to making their work fully client-centric and enjoyable at the same time – the purpose of my role was, and remains to this day, to make EOR partnerships fulfilling and beneficial for everyone involved, and build client relationships that last.

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At one point, after recovering from a period of burnout, I decided to open my own payroll, recruitment, and EOR service company in Azerbaijan. This was another formative experience in terms of collaboration with clients and partners that deepened my expertise in business development, strategic decision-making, finance, and operational management. Being a responsible and empathetic person by nature, I gained a new perspective on business through this experience, including its unpredictable side, where success depends not only on effort but also on timing and market demand. It taught me that self-leadership, resilience, adaptability, and emotional intelligence are key to moving forward.

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In autumn 2025, I joined Acvian and found my tribe of like-minded EOR experts whose professionalism and personal ethics deeply align with my vision.

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In your practice, was there any particularly challenging or time-pressing client request that you resolved and are proud of?

Oh, there have been many! From employment setups with unusual individual requests to complex and challenging terminations that, fortunately, ended successfully, though they were quite stressful along the way. One memorable case was the onboarding of a new employee in Peru, where the employment contract was signed within an impressive six-hour timeframe from the moment I received the client’s initial request.

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That’s impressive! Now, what does your current role in Acvian involve?

As Head of Production, my primary responsibility is to ensure timely and high-quality performance in Ukraine, Poland, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Romania, and Bulgaria, the countries where Acvian directly operates. I’m quite impressed with the synergistic exchange of individual experiences within our in-country team; for instance, I learn a lot from our local team members, who know and do many things that are often quietly outsourced to third-party experts in other EOR companies. And of course, I enjoy sharing my own experience with the team!

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Since a large segment of our EOR support involves expats and location-independent employees, could you share your stance on remote work and international hiring?

You’re correct – the majority of EOR-managed employees at Acvian are indeed expats, and so are many colleagues within our own team. Personally, I can relate to their experience as I’ve been working remotely since the 2020 era of lockdowns, communicated with clients and partners across different time zones, recruited and managed a remote team in various countries. I even tried short-term digital nomadism at one point, living and working in the Netherlands, Spain, and Kazakhstan, spending about a month in each. I was instantly drawn to remote work in all its convenience. When the lack of person-to-person contact started to kick in, as it always does, I deliberately started pursuing offline events, new hobbies, and networking opportunities. As we all know by now, the benefits of a remote setup are best reaped when life is versatile and engaging outside of work.

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At Acvian, supporting flexibility for our clients’ employees is part of our EOR service package. For instance, we can help with renting a coworking space or an office in a preferred location. After all, we understand international employment not just from a professional standpoint, but also from lived experience, and make it our priority to ensure that clients’ teams feel cared for wherever they are.

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Acvian also supports flexibility for internal team members through hybrid work arrangements, flexible schedules, and the ability to work from different countries. We believe that people perform best when they feel cared for and have the space to integrate work as a meaningful part of life, in a way that fits them. We do our best to create an environment that reflects this approach.