As the world continues to develop, the demands of people in different industries also rise. This fact can be used as a great tool to spark growth and improvement for your company. But it also causes a problem that many organizations are trying their best to combat; the scarcity of potential employees for new or in-demand positions.

What can you do to find the right people for the job? Consider tapping into the available workforce by utilizing nearshore teams.

Role of Nearshore Teams in the World of Work 

Imagine you’re a technology company based in the heart of the city. Although you already have a talented workforce, recent growth within your organization requires you to hire more people.

You’ve already recruited the majority of the tech experts and software engineers in your area. What do you do next? You can choose to conduct nearshore outsourcing to fill in the gaps in your labor force.

Read More: IT Resourcing in the Digital Age – How Offshore and Nearshore Talent Can Help Meet Growing Demand 

Nearshoring is a type of business practice that gives you the chance to form contractual teams in a neighboring area, region, or country. Nearshoring can offer many benefits for employers who choose to take part. The following are some examples of those advantages:

• Teams are readily accessible. Labor laws are more flexible in LATAM allowing easier onboarding.
• You have similar time zones to your teams. This can make communication easier since no one needs to adjust their working hours just to meet online. It would also be easier for you to set deadlines since you don’t need to consider varying dates or time zones. This can come in handy when you need to collaborate or communicate.
• Nearshoring is more cost-effective than conducting your normal hiring process. You don’t need to allocate a budget to posting job ads or hiring recruitment managers to interview potential candidates. Your chosen nearshore partner will take on that responsibility for you.
• You have access to a wider talent pool. Finding the right people for the position can be easier since experts are not limited to those only in your area. You can have great professionals on your remote teams who you wouldn’t have even met without the help of nearshoring. ODG recruits senior resources from all LATAM, giving us a wider pool of qualified candidates to review.

Strategies for Successful Management 

Now that you understand the importance of nearshoring as well as its role in achieving your company’s success, it’s time to talk about maintaining efficient nearshoring teams.

Just like personal relationships, a nearshore team will not blossom if left ignored or underappreciated. Even though they aren’t in your local area, remember that they’re still part of your team and should be treated as such to ensure quality work and that attrition is managed.

So how can you manage your nearshore resources successfully? The following are some actions and strategies to consider creating a harmonious collaboration across areas or borders.

1. Set Clear Expectations

You first need to establish your expectations to successfully manage the nearshore team. Make sure each member understands what their role and responsibilities are. Since you won’t be in the same building as them, it can be nerve-wracking for some to ask simple work-related questions because of the fear of sounding incompetent or irresponsible.

To prevent this from happening, inform them about the details they need to know about their job as well as project goals from the get-go. If they understand what you expect from them, the higher the chances that they’ll deliver successfully.

2. Strengthen Communication Channels

Even though they aren’t in the same area as you, your nearshore teams are still a vital part of your workforce, so you need to strengthen your communication with them. You can do this by using a reliable channel where you can conduct effective communication.

Choose the best communication software for both you and the team. Focus on finding three specific applications or websites. One meant for video conferencing, one for instantaneous messaging, and one platform for collaborating. If you prefer using a single app that can handle those three tasks, then go for it! Just make sure you’ll help your teams set up their accounts for both efficiency and convenience.

3. Build Strong Relationships

In today’s age, communicating only for work isn’t enough. You need to also put in the effort in building a strong bond between your team and the nearshore team.

This can be done by organizing fun teambuilding activities that would encourage people to get to know each other or providing a budget for the nearshore team to go out to dinner with one another.  Building relationships between team members creates trust which improves many things like their productivity, engagement, and collaboration.

4. Cater to Cultural Differences and Employee diversity

Since you’re outsourcing tasks and projects to experts in a geographically nearby area or country, there is a very high chance that you’ll employ people with varying cultural backgrounds and experiences. Overseeing this team entails acknowledging and honoring their differences.

You should also elevate your cultural awareness to create an inclusive workplace that celebrates and embraces diversity in its people.

5. Provide Timely Feedback

A study conducted by Gallup found that 84 percent of employees who receive frequent feedback are almost four times more likely to be engaged than other employees.¹ To successfully manage your nearshore team, make it a habit to regularly give constructive criticism despite the physical distance between you.

Put in the effort and take advantage of your established communication platforms to let them know your comments and observations.

6. Recognize and Appreciate Team Members

On the same subject of giving feedback, keep in mind that employees don’t want to hear only criticism no matter how constructive they are. The same study also found that employees are 3.6 times more likely to strongly agree they are motivated to do outstanding work when their managers provide daily feedback and acknowledge their progress.

This shows that a little observation and recognition can go a long way toward the success of both your company and your employees. Whether you choose to provide verbal recognition or you want to give a small reward, the important thing is that your nearshore employees feel appreciated despite being in remote teams.

MAKE YOUR NEARSHORE TEAMS A SUCCESS WITH ON-DEMAND GROUP

On-Demand Group is committed to providing teams that can improve an organization’s performance. Whether an onshore, nearshore, or offshore team, we’re here to help.  Contact us today to start the conversation.

Reference 

1 McLain, Denise, and Bailey Nelson. “How Fast Feedback Fuels Performance.” Gallup, 1 Jan. 2022, https://www.gallup.com/workplace/357764/fast-feedback-fuels-performance.aspx.