4 Changes You Need to Tailor-Fit Your Offshore Strategies in the Philippines

 

4 Changes You Need to Tailor-Fit Your Offshore Strategies in the Philippines

There are many corporations that go global, so they could take advantage of the many benefits of having a brand presence in other countries. This is a big strategic move that allows them to generate more revenue and diversify their business through the expansion of capital and the recruitment of new talent.

Offshoring is a sure sign that a company is growing. But as much as this is good for the business, setting up shop in a foreign country poses a lot of challenges. If your firm is one of the many that has set its eyes on the Philippines as an ideal country to establish a presence for global expansion due to its wealth of talent, you’ve come to the right place. However, it’s important to note that you will have to make some adjustments to tailor-fit your business strategies to garner considerable success in the country.

When running a company in the Philippines, you will need to recruit new local talent, and fine-tune your offshore strategies to make it suitable for the Philippine recruitment market. This move will have you consider the current recruitment landscape, the country’s customs and culture, and offshoring behaviors.

To make it considerably easier, you might want to acquire the services of an experienced offshore recruitment agency so the team could  work with you in achieving your business goals and turn your mission and vision into reality.

If you’re up to the challenge and willing to tweak your offshore strategies to fit into the Philippine business environment, here are a few tips you’ll need to know.

1. Streamlined development practices

You already have the best development practices and workflows established in your business process, so you might be concerned that you have to revamp them just to ensure that your offshore and in-house teams will be able to work effectively. This should not be the case.

Keep in mind that Filipinos love the idea of working together to achieve a common goal, so you can rest assured that it’s going to be a lot easier for you to get this done.

What you need to do is streamline these practices by having an open line for collaboration and planning, and be disciplined enough to stick to the best practices throughout the organization, regardless of country. This way, you’re all on the same page in working towards your company’s goals.

2. Joint activities/sessions

To make sure both offshore and in-house teams are sticking to business standards that you’ve already set, there should be joint activities or sessions on a scheduled basis. This process alignment helps standardize your whole operations and encourage discipline between teams.

Since Filipinos thrive in a working environment that encourages teamwork, this joint effort will be quick and effective. They would be able to adapt to any changes in the process and stay up to speed with what needs to be done.

3. Value the voice of your offshore team

A disciplined approach to learning the business process helps in the rapid and productive output of your offshore team. If you are looking for a long-term commitment from your team that performs well, you will have to treat them as key assets and equals in your company by giving value to their voice. You can do this by empowering them with a sense of ownership through the designation of challenging projects.

4. Scale slowly but surely

The first goal of putting together an offshore team is to integrate them into the process as soon as possible. But before you do this, you should know how to effectively organize your team within your larger group. The general rule of thumb is to refrain from isolating your offshore team from your main in-house team. There should be a sense of inclusion in certain aspects of a project with a constant connection between the teams.

Keep in mind that when building your offshore team, it’s crucial to select your first hires since you will be building the team around them. Start with a small team, then grow them organically. Avoid scaling your team hastily or risk being forced to downsize later on. This will result in low morale among the remaining team members.

An offshore team in the Philippines will be comfortable in interacting with their colleagues, so scaling won’t be as difficult as you might think. Communication is easy since there is no language barrier and the Filipino work ethic is commendable.

Key Takeaway

When you plan to venture overseas, putting together a reliable and skilled offshore team is key in successfully expanding your business. And when it comes to which country is ideally the best, the Philippines will always be one of the biggest players in the outsourcing arena. There is no shortage of skilled professionals and they are easy to both work and communicate with, which are both crucial in steering your company to success.


About Lawrence Barrett

Lawrence left the UK in 2010 after been headhunted to live and work in Shanghai in the financial services industry. Then in 2014 his company asked him to move to the Philippines to set up an office and establish a team to support our international business development efforts in the region and, like most people, he fell in love with the place. Lawrence always had an entrepreneurial mindset and so there was a burning desire to start a business he could call his own. In 2015 he decided to team up with a friend to start a business in the Oil & Gas industry that is centered around a globally patented pipeline sealing technology (The Halo Seal). As time went by he developed a close relationship with the Founder and CEO of Manila Recruitment and so in late 2017 he was invited to become an equity partner and to help expand the brand. And so here he is now, a part of the most dynamic headhunting firm in the Philippines. Connect with Lawrence Barrett on LinkedIn