Building a remote team in today’s business environment is crucial for flexibility and attracting great talent. According to a 2018 report by IWG, more than 70% of the global workforce work remotely at least once every week. In America, it’s estimated that 25% of workers are currently working remotely.
New technologies and digital rental offices drive this changing attitude toward where people work.
In today’s competitive business environment, skilled IT workers are crucial for any organization. Despite being a small segment of the overall labor market, the ICT market faces a perennial tech talent shortage.
As a result, most companies are looking for creative hiring methods, such as nearshore outsourcing, to plug these gaps.
Let’s decode staff augmentation and discuss how to manage a remote team.
Leading Consumers of Remote Workers
The latest global economic recession significantly affected IT jobs. The massive layoffs and cutbacks of new hires left the industry with a “bloody nose.”
Then came the post-recession period when the same companies found themselves trying to rehire to meet emerging needs.
Fast-forward to today, and the industry is still trying to recoup from the effects of that meltdown. Even more appalling, the number of tech graduates joining the market is too small. And it will take years for the situation to return to equilibrium.
Meanwhile, the software development industry is one of the best examples because of the lack of local tech talent. So companies in this industry hire remote software developers more than any other IT sector.
Companies dealing with customer service, administrative work, and sales are also benefiting from this remote work arrangement.
Global Demand for IT Specialists
With the heightened progress being experienced in machine learning, big data, cloud computing, and virtual reality, the demand for tech skills will continue to rise. This is further compounded by the increased use of internet able devices worldwide.
According to a recent report by Statista, it’s estimated that more than 5 billion people will be using smartphones globally by 2021.
During the same period, more than 675 million of the Chinese population will be using a smartphone, which is expected to surpass half of the country’s population ar 2021.
The above numbers clearly reflect that the industry is no longer suffering from the post-recession hangover.
This means companies that want to remain relevant won’t just need responsive websites, they will also need smartphone apps.
Having the right-wing men develop, build, and deploy such apps will need a clear IT staffing strategy.
In America, it’s estimated that currently, 25 % of workers are working remotely.
Hiring Made Easier
Many recruitment executives can attest that scoring skilled hybrid IT candidates can be a pain.
This is especially the case with small companies that are perpetually disenfranchised in attracting sophisticated developers, as it calls for them to pay a premium.
The good news is that these companies no longer have to wait in line or even shoulder the burden of maintaining in-house development teams. Working with a nearshore team allows them to work with qualified individuals simultaneously, reducing the software development cost.
Any serious company is aware that having a hybrid software developer candidate is a requirement, not a luxury.
Advantages of Building a Remote Team
A few years ago, cost improvement was the cardinal objective of outsourcing. Traditional nearshoring centers saw massive success.
Today, priorities have shifted. Although cost reduction is still paramount, other requirements, such as achieving strategic goals, are catching up. H
Here is a brief overview of the advantages of nearshoring:
1. Reduced Employee Turnover
For a business, it could cost a fortune to replace an employee. It’s estimated that an employee earning $100,000 annually can cost a company 20% of their salary to replace them.
New employees require training which further escalates the turnover costs.
Using remote workers increases the retention rate compared to conventional employment.
The remote work model eliminates all the unnecessary hassle of commute and the expenses that come with it, translating into better welfare.
2. Better Communication
On top of similar language between you and your outsourcing partners, nearshore outsourcing works excellently, considering you get to operate under the corresponding time zone.
Remote team communication becomes easy as you don’t have to deal with overlapping time zones when communicating with a person halfway around the globe.
With the availability of multiple team communication tools, the absence of time differences means that you can easily manage your project. And most issues can be resolved in a single working day.
3. Large Pool of Skilled Workers
Compared to local recruitment, nearshore outsourcing widens your hiring scope to access skilled developers.
By working with a distributed team, the chances are high that you will find at least one individual with skills that aren’t readily available locally.
Once you hire dedicated developers, you get the opportunity to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to your project resulting in more robust digital solutions.
Once you hire dedicated developers, you get the opportunity to bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to your project resulting in more robust digital solutions.
4. Reduced Development Costs
Compared to offshore outsourcing, nearshore outsourcing presents more cost-benefit advantages.
You can save up to 60% of your development budget through nearshore outsourcing since the currency fluctuations between neighboring countries aren’t that much.
5. Better Control Over Your Project
When dealing with your typical offshore engagements, remote team collaboration becomes difficult as you need to have an offshore project manager to direct your team.
It also means you have much less visibility in your project than when you are dealing with a nearshore company.
With better remote team management software and project management tools, nearshoring affords you the flexibility of real-time communication with every team member for clarification.
Most importantly, you can also schedule impromptu team reviews without having to wait for hours for status updates.
6. Increased Productivity
Nearshoring is primarily driven by agile development. You can invite the outsourcing partner to train your in-house on the tools and techniques to implement Agile, which would result in increased overall team productivity.
Models for Building a Remote Team
As technology continues to expand, the role of IT will continue evolving, and so will the tech jobs.
For a business wondering how to hire a developer, there are three major remote work models to pursue:
1. Global Delivery Model
This remote work model embraces both onshore and offshore resources to undertake IT projects.
The GDM is ideal for companies to build customized software development projects without spending a fortune without compromising on quality.
2. Virtual Team Model
This development involves resources working on a project but in different geographic locations.
The workers mainly communicate electronically. It’s ideal for companies looking to work with qualified professionals without permanently hiring them.
And since these workers have a specific set of skills, it also works great for projects requiring specialized skills.
3. Dedicated Team Model
The Dedicated Team Model involves the outsourcing company working with a dedicated to accomplishing a specific assignment.
Generally, this model works best for long-term projects with strict deadlines.
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