Debunking Common Offshore Staffing Myths and Misconceptions

They often have different reasons for investigating this route, which include:

–   difficulty in finding the right talent

–   local shortage of skilled professionals

–   a desire to offload HR hassles

There are, however, a number of common concerns about offshore staffing which arise during these conversations.

I’ve discovered over the years that a number of myths exist about offshore staffing, and indeed outsourcing in general. It’s understandable, in some cases, to have concerns, but many stem from outdated ideas of what it means and what it can offer organizations.

With the rise of remote work, now is the best time to address these myths and misconceptions, and offer a clear picture of how offshore staffing is benefitting businesses day-in, day-out.

More importantly, though, how it can benefit your business.

Myth 1: Offshore staffing results in lower quality work

Concerns about the quality of output from offshore staffing are understandable for organizations that have had negative experiences in the past. Mismatched expectations or lack of engagement from teams have unfortunately occurred in the past in our industry, with the use of some of the outdated practices.

Fact: A lack of quality talent couldn’t be further from the truth.

The global talent pool is vast, and skilled professionals can be found everywhere. Offshore locations like Thailand, for example, boast a thriving IT industry with over 600,000 skilled professionals across various tech disciplines.

At Azendo, we have built a rigorous recruitment process to ensure our teams possess the necessary skills, experience, and cultural fit for our client’s specific needs. We invest heavily in training and development, ensuring a very high level of output quality and alignment with your company’s and industry standards, and are always up-to-date with industry trends.

The key to avoiding lower quality hires in offshore staffing lies in thorough research and choosing a partner that aligns with your values and expectations.

Bonus statistic: According to Gartner, 72% of IT leaders report that offshore teams deliver the same or better quality compared to onshore teams.

Myth 2: Communication and collaboration are difficult with offshore teams

If I’m honest, this was likely to have been true five to ten years ago. Battling language barriers was one thing, but the available technology was often far more of a hinderance than a help.

I recently addressed this in detail in my blog, “The Future of Work? Learn how Offshore Staffing is Shaping the Global Workforce”. The advancement of technology in remote working was accelerated when the pandemic hit, and continues to develop rapidly, making communication tools far more accessible.

Fact: Technology has revolutionized communication, making collaboration across geographical boundaries seamless

At Azendo, we utilize project management tools, communication platforms, and regular video meetings to ensure clear and consistent communication.

Our experienced team leaders bridge any cultural gaps and facilitate smooth collaboration. We have built a truly integrated team environment over many years of understanding our market, and this is only improving as we adopt the latest technology and tools.

We also run monthly 360-degree reviews across all our teams, team leaders, managers, partners, and external stakeholders, to maintain and react to our how our teams communicate.

Myth 3: Managing an offshore team requires a lot of extra effort

Again, a valid issue in the past. That the key requirement of communicating and collaborating was a challenge meant this was true too, but there were many other factors, including HR issues, time-zone differences, and cultural differences that added to the task.

Fact: Offshore partners like Azendo handles all the complexities of team management.

We have raised the stakes in offshore staffing. We take care of virtually every aspect of businesses; recruitment, onboarding, payroll, legal compliance, and administrative tasks. This frees you up to focus on your core business and delivering it.

Our dedicated account managers provide ongoing support and communication, ensuring a smooth and efficient workflow. Most of our teams run completely independently, with their own team leaders and heads of department.

Through our thorough training, we instil always prioritizing the client’s interests, and knowing how to work independently and own their responsibilities. We adjust working hours to suit all parties, and actively encourage regular and structured communication.

The feedback we get from our partners is that they can focus far more on the tasks that they offer the most value with, while trusting that we have their back in managing their offshore team.

Bonus statistic: A study by Deloitte revealed that 70% of businesses using offshore staffing reported increased productivity and efficiency.

Myth 4: Offshore staffing is only useful for cost savings

Outsourcing any kind of work overseas – manufacturing, admin, services – especially to Asian countries, has long held the public perception as a fairly back-handed way to save money. 

Fact: Cost-effectiveness is a significant advantage, but the benefits of offshore staffing extend far beyond financial.

We have lead a revolution in offshore staffing. At Azendo, we have developed a concept that overcomes these preconceptions and proven that outsourcing skilled work overseas is not just a “cheap fix option”, but one that adds significant value in a range of areas. 

We not only supply high quality talent and output, we also:

• Recruit
  When we build a new team or expand an existing one, we manage the whole recruitment process. We have perfected our recruitment system to find the right talent, for the right job thanks to the contacts and relationships we have built. Our process ensures that hires not only fit in terms of hard skills, but also soft skills, and work by your and our company values.
• Onboarding
  To onboard new talent to teams, our managers spend time with partners to understand their business, concept, task, or project. They are then hands-on during the onboarding process, holding weekly meetings and evaluations, and reporting to the partner about how the talent is performing. Continuing alignment with partner goals and performance ensures that everyone is set up for success.
  
• Training and coaching
  Our managers have 1-on-1 meetings, coaching sessions, and training sessions with all team members every month. They build career and skill development plans for every team member and use this to guide their training. Our 360-degree performance review and evaluation systems assess both employee performance and manager performance, as well as the partnership as a whole. All stakeholders, including the partner, stay in the loop about team members performance and the health of our partnership.
  
• People operation
  We manage the team, not only performance-wise, but holiday planning, sick leave, pay – anything HR-related, we cover. We look closely at team performance, morals and ethics, time tracking and cultural alignment. A lot of time is invested in mentoring teams to live up to our core values, company procedures and policies, but we also, in rare cases of unacceptable behaviour, assess the situation and take action accordingly. It takes a lot of effort to manage a team but it is a core part of our service and something we excel at.
  
• Well-being and retention
  We are a people-first company, and we do a lot to retain employees and maintain very high satisfaction among employees. We have monthly events, free lunch, Friday massages, Friday bar, quizzes and games, parties, and much more to nurture a great culture where people feel that their office/job is their second home. In fact, often our partners adopt some of our approach for their onshore teams!
  
• Offboarding and knowledge transfer
  In the scenario that an employee seeks a new adventure, or a partner needs to downscale their team, we handle everything from termination to knowledge retention. We hold an exit interview to gather important information, which we share with the partner. We make sure that any knowledge a specific team member has is documented and transferred on to a replacement.

Accessing a wider talent pool allows you to find specialized skills that might be scarce, and yes perhaps more expensive in your local market. Incorporating offshore teams can help you scale your business quickly and efficiently, giving you a competitive edge in the global market.

Choosing the right partner will ensure that these myths remain myths 

While concerns about offshore staffing are understandable, given the outdated perceptions that we’ve discussed, in the modern business world it offers huge opportunity.

Today’s reality is vastly different from even just five years ago. Rapid advancement in technology and talent management practices have seen a rise in outsourcing more business functions, and high-quality talent is being discovered around the globe.

Partnering with a reputable and ethical offshore staffing provider will make all the difference. A partner who takes pride in exceeding expectations and undertakes rigorous recruitment, onboarding, continuous training, and dedicated account management will make for an experience that will help define your future.

These are our operational pillars at Azendo, and we operate at the sharp end of the industry, keeping ahead of its trends, and shaping effective offshore staffing.

Whilst Azendo operates that ensures the myths I’ve discussed remain myths for our partners, they can be very real without be vigilant with the partner you choose. 

I recommend you consider the following when choosing your offshore staffing partner:

• Review their online and social media footprint
  Are they consistent in the quality they post? Companies that are invested in delivering a high-quality service will reflect this on all their messaging.
• Be prepared
  Prepare all the relevant questions you need answering (many of which are highlighted in this blog). Do they give you confidence in their responses? Consider if there is good chemistry with their leadership.
  
• Get a feel for their values
  Get to know what their values are and see if they aligns with yours. Find out their motivation, mission, and their expectations of the people who work with and for them.
  
• Ask for references
  Get in touch with some of their current and former partners to talk with them about their experience. Referrals and real-world experiences say a lot about how they work with organizations.

These will set the foundation for finding a partner that aligns with your needs and delivers results, but also doesn’t fall foul of the myths we debunk with our offshore staffing model.