Oyster HR Problems & Issues

Users report having no specific people as points of contact and being forced to create tickets in a 'Help Center.' After waiting 2 days, someone is assigned who then forwards to another specialist, wasting another 1-2 days. Simple questions take 3+ days to get vague answers.

Users dislike not having access to phone support. Time-sensitive concerns require faster response times, but the ticket system doesn't accommodate urgency. Proactive status updates are lacking, leaving users in the dark about issue resolution.

Users report disappointment with how Oyster handles external suppliers and potential partnerships, citing lack of communication and poor expectation management. This affects companies that need to coordinate with multiple vendors.

Employees report that despite employers confirming salary was sent to Oyster, payment still hadn't arrived mid-month. Responses only state 'In the coming days' with no clear explanation or timeline. Payment processing takes 5-7 days, longer than competitors.

Global payroll is still maturing, with users reporting hiccups like incorrect payment amounts, delays, or confusing error resolution processes. Payroll support is available but not always fast, leaving employees with incorrect or missing wages.

In Asia-Pacific, Oyster partners with local vendors rather than handling employment directly. This results in uneven service quality, variable onboarding processes, different response times, and compliance practices that differ by country depending on the local partner.

Users emphasize Oyster's limited knowledge of local legal terms, one-sided changes to terms, poor translation quality, and frequent unilateral changes to existing terms. This creates compliance uncertainty for employers relying on Oyster's expertise.

Users express frustration that payments don't automatically initiate and require submitting tickets to process. This manual intervention adds delays and creates uncertainty about when payments will actually be processed.

Former employees report deeply disappointing offboarding experiences. Despite legally accrued PTO, Oyster refused to pay the full amount owed, citing limitations with subcontractors. Users argue Oyster was the sole facilitator and should have resolved matters internally.

Oyster charges $699 per employee per month for EOR services ($599 annual), higher than competitors like Deel ($599/mo) and Remote. Pricing becomes expensive when scaling past 3 employees, and extra charges apply for salary bands, visa sponsorship, and premium benefits.

Users report billing is very confusing and Oyster often thinks they haven't paid when they have. Matching payments to invoices is difficult, and fluctuating monthly costs for paying employees overseas creates budgeting challenges.

Users mention the conversion rate is low compared to competitors, and the payment process is lengthy, taking 5-7 days before funds are received. This affects take-home pay for international contractors and employees.

Users mention the absence of a mobile app, hindering simple tasks like expense submission. Unlike competitors, basic HR tasks require desktop access, which is inconvenient for remote workers and contractors who need quick access on the go.

Payslips are not organized in a separate section or are difficult to find within the platform. Users have to manually insert monthly hours, and the expense claim tool could be more robust with bulk document uploads.

Oyster supports integration with only 15 major platforms compared to competitors like Deel with 90+ integrations. Creating onboarding workflows requires third-party tools, leading to a fragmented experience for larger organizations.