If we consider the workforce environment, COVID-19 was a game-changer. The pandemic has forced companies to rethink how to do business. The new way to work now means more than just not working in the office. Mega-companies like Microsoft, Apple, Google, Adobe, Twitter have put a remote work strategy. On the one hand, when Geography and time zones become irrelevant, technological advancements have also led to the possibility of considering hiring and managing remote employees in different countries across the globe.
Managing a geographically distributed workplace may sound great on paper but if you try to specifically focus on the concerns of global expansion, the following points might trigger in your mind:
- Is it possible to quickly deploy a global workforce?
- Is it possible to manage the workforce in a compliant manner honoring the local laws and legislations and eliminating any business risks?
- Is it possible to achieve a similar productivity, keep time-zones, and employee engagement among others?
No matter what, opting for remote work policies would set you up for opportunities you haven’t been able to take advantage of. There is more upside than you can imagine to being able to access global talent.
Here we shall help you understand how you can succeed in global expansion with remote work strategies.
Effective International Remote Work Strategy
If you plan for global expansion with a remote work strategy, you need to do careful research and planning to navigate cultural, legal, and communication challenges across borders.
The key areas to pay attention to are:
- Compliance: Laws are in favor of employees worldwide as compared to independent contractors, and their misclassification risks and penalties. To hire remote employees in a foreign location, your teams must be familiar with local regulations or an in-country expert to guide you through the process.
- Trust: In an international remote work engagement, trust goes both ways. The company trusts the employee to perform their duties, and the employee expects the organization to provide the infrastructure to do their work, pay them on time, manage their social payments and benefits.
- Digital Communication: This is no brainer. Remote work is as good as technology and tools in place to help employees collaborate with the team members effectively. Also, remote employees risk losing their sense of connectivity and team, not to forget water cooler conversations. This is no brainer. Remote work is as good as technology and tools in place to help employees collaborate with the team members effectively. Also, remote employees risk losing their sense of connectivity and team, not to forget water cooler conversations.
- Strong Local HR, Employment & Tax Expert: Employee query resolution on their employment and tax is another area; employees look up to their employer. It is crucial to have a firm hold of the local laws and regulations either internally or through a local expert.
Now knowing all this, when you plan to go remote, you’ll need to think whether to consider hiring local experts or lawyers in the country or pick a single point multi-country employment partner who can effectively consolidate and manage the remote workers effectively, present reports and keep you abreast of the changes.
Now is the time to reimagine what’s possible. If you are thinking of International Remote Work Strategy, think of Procloz. We can help you go remote and hire employees all over the world.
Contact us today to speak with a global solutions advisor and learn more about outsourcing global employment. CONTACT US