Glossary
Remote staffing, defined
Plain-English definitions of the terms used across the remote staffing and outsourcing industry — and how they apply at SkilledCreatives.
Dedicated remote staffing
A staffing model in which a provider recruits and employs a remote professional who works full-time for a single client. Unlike shared outsourcing, the client directs the work and the professional serves no other customers. SkilledCreatives makes this exclusivity contractual.
Contractual exclusivity
A clause in the professional’s employment contract stating they work for one client only. It rules out the freelancer pattern of splitting a week across customers, and it protects client data as a side effect.
Staff leasing
An arrangement in which staff are legally employed by a staffing provider but work under a client’s direction. The provider carries payroll, HR, and compliance; the client manages the actual work.
Employer of record (EOR)
A company that legally employs workers on behalf of another business, handling contracts, payroll, taxes, and statutory benefits in the worker’s country. Dedicated staffing providers act as the employer of record for their placements.
Business process outsourcing (BPO)
Contracting an entire business function — such as customer service or claims processing — to an external provider that delivers it with its own managed, often rotating, staff. Suited to high-volume standardized work rather than hand-picked individual roles.
Offshoring
Locating work in another country, usually to access talent or cost advantages. Offshoring describes where work happens; it says nothing by itself about who employs the worker or whether they are dedicated to one client.
Virtual assistant (VA)
A remote professional providing broad administrative support: inbox and calendar management, data entry, research, and follow-ups. VAs are generalists; executive assistants are the senior, higher-autonomy version of the role.
Executive assistant (EA)
A senior remote support professional who manages priorities rather than just tasks: executive calendars, meeting preparation, project tracking, stakeholder communication, and process documentation.
Talent vetting
The screening a candidate passes before being shortlisted. At SkilledCreatives this means a role-specific skills assessment, a structured behavioral interview, and a background check — portfolio review alone is not vetting.
Background check
Verification of a candidate’s employment history, references, and records to filter out high-risk hires before a client ever meets them.
Time-zone overlap
The working hours a remote professional shares with the client’s business day. Full overlap means the hire works the client’s hours entirely — standard practice in dedicated staffing, agreed in the role brief.
Fully-loaded cost
The true cost of an employee beyond salary: employer taxes, benefits, office space, equipment, recruiting fees, and management overhead. Comparing a staffing rate to a local salary alone understates the local cost significantly.
Post-hire support
The provider’s continued involvement after placement: onboarding help, regular check-ins, and a path to adjust the role or arrange a replacement if the fit is not right.
Remote-capable role
A role that can be performed fully from another location without loss of quality — accounting, design, content, marketing, support, and administration are typical examples. Roles needing physical presence are not remote-capable.
Shortlist
The small set of pre-vetted candidates presented to a client for interviews. In dedicated staffing the client is never obliged to hire from a shortlist — sourcing continues until the client finds someone they genuinely want.
Last reviewed: 18 July 2026 · Reflects the current SkilledCreatives engagement model.
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