For quite some time now, businesses have enjoyed the many benefits of bringing in international team members. The perks include great talent at a fraction of the cost they would require if hired locally, and work happening effectively 24/7. However, there are some who wonder if hiring and working with global teams is worth the challenges it brings.
Can it ever be as convenient as hiring people from your city, where you can walk up to them in two minutes and talk about work? Many would argue yes. The benefits are worth it, and in this article, let’s explore some aspects you should consider when hiring globally.
Challenges Exist, but They are Possible to Overcome
Most advice on working with international teams focuses mainly on the process rather than the context. The fact is that many of the challenges are created during the hiring process and then slowly develop over time.
One issue is overseas workers wishing to be sponsored to come to your country. There are frequent requests, and some of them can be surprisingly pushy about it. They fail to recognize that you prefer to keep things international.
Moreover, as Leon Rodriguez, former director of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, explains, it’s well advised to have good counsel. He says this because the legal code around employment-based immigration is especially complicated.
That said, it’s not just good counsel that you need; it’s good local management in the form of a remote Employer of Record (EOR). Much of your frustration with international teams disappears when a third-party handles all the logistics, like payroll and administrative duties.
Likewise, another common issue that companies report is differences in culture and communication style. This is where some effort might be needed to set expectations. You might need to consider some form of cultural onboarding so that small aspects, such as replying with acknowledgments to emails, become standard.
International Collaboration is Easy When You’re Realistic
When employers notice the cost savings that hiring internationally brings, they often get greedy. “This otherwise $35/hour position can be filled by someone from Vietnam for $10/hour? Maybe he can also take care of digital marketing and manage our social media accounts as well for the same amount!”
Those figures sound exaggerated, but they’re not. Remote, a global HR and payroll platform, points out that in fields like data mining and management, the typical full-time wage is around $71.78/hour. However, when you hire freelancers from abroad, it can be as affordable as $45.18.
A lot of time is wasted when companies try to find unicorn employees who would fulfill three responsibilities for the price of one worker. According to Alex Gillespie, founder of Gillespie Manners, it’s important to avoid the mistake of searching for unicorn candidates. Instead, he recommends looking for workers with a startup mentality and an ‘entrepreneurial spirit.’
These people are the ones who are trying to work hard and take advantage of the competitive wages (relatively). They aren’t going to be unicorn workers, but they’ll be resourceful and eager to work with the cross-border work dynamic.
The problem with not being realistic and expecting too much is that you’d hire someone who convinces you they can do it all. However, you’ll only be disappointed when you see them miss deadlines or be inconsistent in the quality of work. This is what usually happens when the person has overpromised and is now stretched too thin.
Hire from the Right Countries
This is particularly relevant advice if price tends to be your main factor, especially since, according to Entrepreneur.com, this is an ideal time to outsource. You may see many countries offer affordable talent, but some regions tend to have an edge over others in certain fields.
So, according to Pavel Bahu, head of HR at Trevolution Group, if customer service is your requirement, the talent in the Philippines is some of the best. Likewise, if it’s IT and the tech field, you should be looking at India and Europe.
Exceptions exist, naturally, but as we mentioned earlier, it’s not worth it to find the unicorn workers. Likewise, there are some countries where timezone overlaps make collaboration a little easier. For American companies, countries like Mexico, Colombia, and Uruguay are ideal for having the most overlap.
That said, according to Remote, asynchronous work brings several advantages. For instance, the same project can be worked on by a developer in India. Then, when they clock out, the project is handed back to the main office in your country just as it turns daytime for you. If you can iron out any communication kinks, you’d be shocked at how fast work gets done with this style of asynchronous work.
All things considered, working with an international team is only frustrating if you make bad early choices. If you manage to lock in talented workers who are managed by an EOR and have a solid communication plan, collaboration can be buttery smooth. It’s all in the execution and follow-through.
