A business needs to spend 40% more on in-house employees. You’ll have to pay for insurance contributions, higher hourly rates, rental fees, computers, and other benefits. That’s the reason many businesses are looking at offshore teams or people from other countries willing to work online. Although managing offshore teams is not easy, the challenges are worth the savings.
Tools
You need tools such as Google G Suite services, messaging apps, project management software, and time-tracking programs. These will help you manage your offshore team well. They will use Google’s productivity apps to create and fulfill projects. These apps allow sharing and collaboration. Messaging apps such as Slack and Google Hangouts will make sure that everyone stays connected.
A project management software such as Trello will keep everyone informed about the ongoing projects. Yocoboard, Timely, Hours, and Toggl, for example, are time-keeping software that employers can use to track their offshore employees’ attendance. These apps are designed specifically for employees who hire offshore workers. They aim to improve the productivity of offshore teams.
Meetings
Good relationships require interactions and meetings. Take the time out of your busy schedules to get to know your offshore team members. These meetings will give you an idea of their strengths and weaknesses. That knowledge will make you a better office manager. You can delegate tasks better if you know to whom to assign them to.
If video conference meetings are not possible, make it a point to share visual aids and screenshots. But as much as possible, conduct daily meetings through Skype or other video conference platforms. You will realize that the team can collaborate better when there’s an open line of communication.
Training
Invest in training your employees even if they’re not in-house workers. Your company will enjoy the skills that they will learn from seminars and workshops. Provide information to your offshore team as much as possible. Keep them up to date about the events in the company. Inform them about policy changes. Show your offshore employees that they are a part of your corporate family even if you don’t see them face to face.
Incentives
Recognition is important in developing team-building. Your offshore employees are not going to receive the same benefits as your in-house workers. Why not incentivize them for a job well done? You can send congratulatory emails and discount coupons from the stores of their choosing. You will find that employees work harder when they know that their efforts are being appreciated by their bosses. Don’t hesitate to give a shout-out to the employee who has finished a project on time and with flying colors.
Reviews
Part of your daily meetings should be on reviewing the performances of the team and its members. This is critical to ensure that everyone is doing their fair share of the work. You can also use this to challenge the team members to compete and, hopefully, try to be better than their peers. But make sure not to pit them against each other because that will make it worse for your business.
Increasing the productivity of your offshore workers is important for the success of your business operations. Just like your in-house employees, you need to invest time and resources into your offshore team members. They need your guidance and leadership no matter how highly skilled they may be.
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