Investing in outsourcing services enables you to work with top talent that fits your company culture in the quickest time possible. After all, when you work with a leading provider of outsourcing solutions, you have immediate access to a pool of pre-screened, qualified candidates who meet your requirements. You will also streamline the entire recruitment process with the help of your dedicated hiring team. With your outsourcing partner, you can have new team members within a matter of weeks.
You can further leverage this advantage and ensure your offshore team members become your newest assets within the soonest time possible by onboarding them properly.
Onboarding Your New Offshore Team Members Effectively
A well-thought-out onboarding process ensures your offshore team members become productive contributors quickly and seamlessly.
If you want to be sure your new team members go through a good onboarding process, follow these tips:
1. Create an onboarding plan.
New hires, whether in-house or offshore, want to go through an organized, smooth onboarding process.
You won’t be able to provide this experience if you don’t have an onboarding plan.
Create a detailed guide you can follow as you go through the onboarding process, which should include the following:
- A comprehensive orientation to introduce your company, history, culture, and values
- A detailed discussion of company policies, procedures, hierarchy, and reporting structure
- Introducing the new team members to their colleagues and other company staff.
- Completion of necessary paperwork and documentation.
With an organized onboarding plan, you can help your new offshore team members settle quickly into their roles and your company.
2. Prepare a comprehensive training program.
To set your offshore team members up for success, provide them with a comprehensive training program.
Make sure you have the right materials and resources to give your outsourced staff a clear and structured pathway for acquiring the skills and knowledge they need to take on their new role in your company.
Consider developing detailed, up-to-date manuals, video tutorials, and documents specific to your processes and tools, particularly the ones your team members have to follow and use.
Ensure these materials are well organized and that all employees can access them easily. During the onboarding program, encourage questions and provide continuous support to address your team members’ uncertainties.
Keep in mind that a lack of or poor training or induction processes can cause your offshore team members to underperform or be inefficient.
As such, you need to create a well-thought-out, comprehensive training program and provide it properly when you onboard your new offshore employees.
3. Define clear roles, responsibilities, and key result areas (KRAs).
To avoid confusion and promote efficient collaboration, discuss the specific roles and responsibilities of both your in-house and outsourced team members.
Establish and discuss your offshore employees’ KRAs, which are the specific goals they have to achieve individually and with the team within their roles. These are crucial performance indicators that help measure success and guide your staff in aligning their efforts with organizational objectives.
Also, discuss your offshore employees’ key performance indicators (KPIs) in detail.
Ambiguity regarding job roles and goals can lead to misunderstandings and conflicts, ultimately affecting productivity and team cohesion. Because of this, it is crucial to be clear about your expectations from your new staff from the start.
4. Use appropriate tools.
From the start of your onboarding process, identify the tools your offshore employees have to use for the duration of their employment.
Ensure your outsourced team members have access to the tools they need to perform their tasks. This includes providing software licenses, user accounts, and login details.
Make sure they have the appropriate hardware as well, such as computers or laptops, and a stable internet connection.
Additionally, identify the tools you and your team members will use to communicate. Highlight the importance of video conferencing during meetings so that everyone in your company can put faces to their names.
Video calls can also facilitate a deeper connection between all employees. Because of this, use video conferencing during your new team members’ onboarding.
5. Foster cultural sensitivity.
Your offshore team members may come from various countries with unique customs, norms, and working styles.
Therefore, demonstrating cultural sensitivity is not just a matter of etiquette but a vital aspect of creating a harmonious and inclusive work environment.
Take the time to learn about your employees’ cultures, customs, and potential sensitivities. Also, encourage cross-cultural awareness and education among your in-house and outsourced team members.
By doing so, you can create a more inclusive, tolerant, and understanding work environment.
6. Establish good working relationships between in-house and offshore employees.
Unless your offshore team members work under your onsite or permanent employees, they will likely have few opportunities to interact and collaborate with them.
To ensure your outsourced team members do not feel like outsiders, help your onsite and offshore employees know and establish working relationships during onboarding.
Give all employees an idea of how and when they can work together. For instance, if your outsourced hires are customer service representatives, discuss with them how your onsite IT team can support them as they fulfill their roles.
Also, consider implementing a buddy system wherein you pair the new offshore employees with their experienced in-house teammates who can mentor and guide them for the next few weeks.
Lastly, regularly provide activities that foster personal relationships between your in-house and outsourced employees so that they can learn to work together to achieve their individual and team goals.
7. Encourage clear, open communication.
Clear and open communication is the foundation of a smooth, successful onboarding process for your new outsourced team members.
As mentioned, start by specifying the official communication channels your company uses and ensure your new hires have access to them. By doing so, you make it easy for them to communicate with their teammates and everyone in the company.
Moreover, when working with team members from different linguistic backgrounds, try to address potential language barriers from the start.
Offer or recommend language courses or resources all employees can use to help bridge the communication gap.
Additionally, create an environment where everyone feels comfortable expressing themselves, asking questions, and seeking clarification to foster effective, open communication.
Successfully onboarding your new outsourced talents lets you reap the full benefits of outsourcing. By following these tips, you can build a strong and productive global team that adds significant value to your organization.
