When Outstaffing Doesn’t Work: Recruiting International Workers

We recently outlined the benefits of “IT outstaffing” and how it can improve the efficiency of your business. In the article, we explained how workers can link into your IT systems from anywhere in the world and provide their expertise in whichever ways are required [1].

Not only is this an efficient way to enhance an existing team or plug a skills gap, it’s cost effective. There’s no question that outstaffing with the help of remote workers is a smart business strategy but it might not always be the way to go.

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Some Things Can’t Be Done Remotely

Some IT tasks may be too complex to solve remotely. Your system might need a complete overhaul. Coordinating multiple IT workers in different locations when you need to build something from scratch isn’t easy. Zoom, Teams, Slack and other conferencing programs [2] can help, but some things are just easier to do in person. That’s when you may want to consider what we’ll call “instaffing” i.e. getting people into your office.

If you can take the time to scour the international recruitment market to find remote workers, you can use those skills to find people who want to relocate. Something that’s not necessary when you’re recruiting remote workers is a visa. If, however, you’re trying to bring people over to the UK, you’ll need to go through the proper channels. Those channels are operated by the government and its sponsor licence.

A Licence to Recruit

Please change below highlighted sentence to “Put simply, you need to apply for a sponsor licence to allow your company to hire people from abroad.

Depending on your needs and eligibility, you can choose a licence that is either on a short-term or long-term basis. Many companies looking to recruit internationally opt for the long-term worker licence, which enables them to sponsor skilled worker visas. This visa comes with a number of requirements on both sides which necessitates the need for an immigration lawyer. A qualified immigration lawyer understands the conditions that employers and potential employees need to meet.

For example, the minimum salary for anyone using a skilled worker visa needs to be £26,200.

People coming to work in the UK need to meet certain standards with regards to speaking English and show they can support themselves financially. Someone that’s not versed in the nuances of immigration law will almost certainly miss subtle requirements such as these, which is why it’s important to enlist the services of an immigration lawyer.

Integrate, Learn and Improve

Source: Pixabay

Once you’ve got through the legal stuff and recruited people using the skilled worker visa, the next task is integration. The key to integrating foreign workers into your workplace is to understand that working practices are different around the world. They can and should bend to your requirements but, equally, you should do your best to accommodate their needs.

For example, inemuri, aka taking an afternoon nap, is a common workplace in Japan.

While some customs might not fit, some could make your office a more productive place. Therefore, you should see the integration process as a chance to review your own working practices and identify areas for improvement. This is a secondary benefit of recruiting people from abroad. The primary benefit is that you get to hire the best talent from around the world. However, once they’re settled into the office, lean on them for new ideas. You recruited them for their skills and experience, so use this to make your business the best it can be.

David Prior

David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.