3 Principles For Safely Hiring Overseas Workers

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The “hot” markets in the world—going back so far as to 2015—are Asia (and Southeast), Latin America, Africa and Eastern Europe. The World Bank has defined these countries as middle-class people who love to spend money. Clearly, hiring these workers for their skills makes sense for your business. Outsourcing work overseas seems like a no-brainer, but have you thought about the repercussions? Let’s talk about that.

  1. Know Regulations

Do you know the international tax (and employment) regulations of the country you’re looking to hire from? Each country—even on the same continent—has benefits, vacation time and other employee accommodations that widely differ. Not least of all the various union regulation issues you may run into. The Small Business Administration has more than enough resources about laws and regulations regarding overseas. Doing due research beforehand keeps your hand out of the fire and your business can still run smoothly. (Figuring out the labour laws for the specific country you’re hiring from will keep you out of the lion’s den.)

For example: do you know what the Title VII, the ADAAA, and the ADEA are? If not, Title VII prohibits discrimination based on colour, race religion, gender or national origin. The ADEA protects people aged 40 and over from discrimination. Immigration Solutions is one company (out of many) that know the ins and outs of such regulations, making the entire situation a whole lot easier for you.

  1. Hone The Art of Business Negotiation

Negotiating more effectively will help you weed out truly valuable clients from freelancers overcharging their prices. Geoffrey James, writing for Inc.com, writes that your ability to negotiate determines whether or not your business is a success or failure. Knowing how to successfully and ethically persuade someone goes hand-in-hand with negotiating. Especially when it comes to outsourcing your work to overseas talent.

Not least of all because knowing how to effectively negotiate secures better deals for you and your business – here are some other benefits:

  • Solve problems quickly
  • Resolve conflicts efficiently (so both parties are happy)
  • Proficient communication

Sadly, some pitfalls are inevitable. As you’ve no doubt noticed, all of these benefits (shall we say skills?) are mandatory for training overseas employees to do their best within your business. (So, you still get your money’s worth.)

  1. Build Your Own Management Team First

Get an effective management team in place at your own office. Period. A team of qualified (and highly skilled) professionals will utilise your remote employees more effectively; as opposed to managing those remote workers yourself. Overseas employees simply do not understand what it is you want them to do – your local team does. They work with you. They understand your vision. Your local management team will collaborate with their local management team so both “sides” can bring your vision to life in the minimum amount of time.

Conclusion

Hiring overseas is, by all standards, a relatively easy process (once you’ve cleared up formalities and the aforementioned issues). Managing those workers along with your own employees is where a lot of heartache and headaches occur. Expanding overseas means building relationships, which includes meeting face-to-face (if possible) and starting friendships: just as you do in your own personal life.

Remember the wise words of the late Felix Dennis (CEO of Dennis Publishing): “Sometimes, to ensure that a talented individual will work for you, or will stay working with you, you need to be flexible. Money is not always the great motivator here. Talented people want a good salary, of course, but surprisingly often they are more attracted to new opportunities and challenges.”