5 Non-Negotiables When Building A Filipino Offshore Team

At the onset of the pandemic, the idea of building an offshore team to outsource certain business functions seemed a little odd. Imagine the challenges of collaborating remotely with different people from across the globe. 

However, the workplace changes brought about by the pandemic have made most industries look at offshoring differently. 

Offshoring has opened a lot of opportunities both for companies and talents. Now, businesses get access to top-tier professionals from all over the world, while talents get to showcase their skills and work with international companies without leaving their home country. 

Nine out of 10 or 92% of G2000 companies already had offshoring contracts for IT services, according to ISG research findings. Additionally, a Deloitte study found that businesses worldwide spent over $700 billion on outsourcing in 2022 alone, a 22% increase from 2019 or a year before the pandemic.

Offshoring has become a viable solution for talent challenges, with companies seeking ways to ensure the continuity of their operations through hiring offshore talent. 

Planning to hire remote workers in the Philippines? We will walk you through the things you need to put in place before building your Filipino offshore team and what sets Filipino remote workers apart from the rest of the world.

Setting Clear Goals and Objectives

Know first where your company stands in terms of growth. Defining which direction you want your company to go is the first step, followed by what areas of your business need attention the most. By identifying these, you can decide on which type of offshoring service you need. 

This is the most vital step in building your remote team: acknowledge what you need and have a clear vision of how you want your remote team to be. 

Related article: Hiring and Working With Offshore Teams: Know the Real Deal

Having a Fair Performance Management System in Place

Set your new employees’ expectations the moment you welcome them to your company. Lay all your cards through a fair performance management system. 

Yes, it may be challenging to create and implement such a performance management system when you only meet your remote team members virtually. However having this system in place ensures that your team will work efficiently and effectively.

Establishing objectives and key results (OKRs) sets the direction of what you want to achieve with your remote team. These OKRs guide them in accomplishing their daily tasks and focus them on meeting the company’s goals.

Remember though that these OKRs should extend beyond work performance. They should also include behavioral metrics that ensure your remote team members are a good culture fit.

Remember though that these OKRs should extend beyond work performance. They should also include behavioral metrics that ensure your remote team members are a good culture fit.

Using Project Management and Collaboration Tools

When you hire a remote team, consider how you’ll collaborate seamlessly and effectively, given that you’re far away from each other. 

Good thing that the tech industry has somehow foreseen that there would be a great demand for cloud-based software and other essential tools even before the pandemic broke out, hence, the vast availability of such tools. 

Here are some of them that might suit your company’s needs and remote work requirements.

• Forums – Forums help create a thread of ideas for a certain project or task. Platforms with such a format allow questions to be posted, which team members can answer or respond to on their own time within the set date. Software programs like Stack Overflow or Threads offer this kind of setup.
• Digital Whiteboards – Brainstorming is and will always be part of a team dynamic. This is why it’s useful to have a tool that replicates the boardroom whiteboard where all the teams’ ideas are written down. A notable tool for this purpose is Miro’s Black Canvas. It allows teams to create a board suitable to their needs and projects’ demands. Team members can also post their comments, add their insights, and remove post-its at their own pace and time.
• Project Management Software – This digital tool helps keep track of the team members’ daily to-do’s and progress of different projects, providing a clear record of actions done. Trello, Asana, Basecamp, and Wrike, among many others, help the team to work efficiently and be mindful of their deliverables and deadlines.
• Meeting Management Tools – Tools that help teams schedule collaboration sessions, meetings, brainstorming sessions, and more. Some of these tools also allow teams to exchange meeting notes. Good examples of such tools are Docket and Fellow, among many others.

Pick a tool that best addresses your needs to keep your remote team efficient. Give time to let your new employees learn these tools thoroughly.

Investing in Personnel Development and Team Training

A good company allows its employees to grow and hone their skills continuously. 

With employees learning and developing their skills, the company also gains from all the best practices, innovations, and other employee contributions to the business’ growth and success. 

Employees who are open to learning about new things related to their role will always bring value to an organization.

Training and development of the employees will contribute to their ability to hit targets and metrics one after the other. That is why their personal development is beneficial to them and their employers.

Training and development of the employees will contribute to their ability to hit targets and metrics one after the other.

Working With the Right Offshoring Partner

Offshore staffing partners help you focus on your core business while they recruit, hire, and manage your offshore team.

Partnerships with offshore teams must be built upon trust, accountability, and transparency for them to work harmoniously. These are all possible when you choose to work with a high-performing Filipino offshore team, as they get the job done and deliver results at a fraction of the cost of onshoring.

See also: Employee Cost Calculator: Compute How Much You’ll Save Through Offshore Staffing!

Final Thoughts

Building an offshore team all on your own can be tedious. But working with the right offshore staffing partner will make the talent acquisition and management process faster, more efficient, and less costly for your business.

Still unsure about hiring remote talents in the Philippines? Learn more about how a Filipino offshore team can help you scale your business.