How Employees Can Benefit from International Talent

As an owner, hiring manager, or HR professional, you understand how your company can benefit from using international talent. You've examined the pros and cons of going through an EoR (Employer of Record) or hiring directly, found a suitable global recruiter to help you navigate this challenging world, and focused on why it's a great business move.

However, you also have to think about the employees, both your regular and international professionals. How will they benefit when you bring people in from other countries? Are there any advantages of this? Will they feel like they're being slowly replaced by newer and possibly less expensive talent? These are the questions you should be asking and proactively addressing.

How Current Employees Can Benefit From International Talent

Knowing that international talent can reduce costs and help you gain access to professionals across the globe is where most thoughts stop. However, you also have to consider your current employees and how they can benefit from this influx of change. Let's dive into them now:

1 Increased Cultural Sensitivity

Hiring internationally ensures that you have a diverse workforce. Though this focuses on ethnicities and nationalities, it also expands into life experiences and knowledge.

As a business owner, you want your workplace to be inclusive and open. What does this mean? An inclusive workplace means everyone supports and embraces diversity as part of the culture. Inclusivity also means that clear and enforceable processes are in place to address (hopefully avoid) any conflicts related to intolerance and insensitivity.

Primarily, the inclusive workplace comes from a cultural perspective. Here, you're fostering an environment that encourages and enables people with diverse backgrounds to exist and thrive together. Everyone benefits. The employees are all respected, welcomed, valued, empowered, and supported to make a difference. The goal here should be to foster an environment where employees feel they belong and have a voice. Inclusivity and cultural sensitivity will never finish developing and should be an intentional process backed by the entirety of upper management.

In most cases, you'll hire internationally for remote purposes. Therefore, interactions are much different because employees aren't face-to-face. You will have to deal with unique challenges such as time zones, language barriers, technological availability, and more. However, there are ways around this, such as fostering a mindset of open communication and continual improvement.

2 Boost Your Knowledge of Other Cultures and Geographical Locations

When you hire internationally, your employees will learn more about other countries and cultures. You want your team to grow, and the easiest way to do that is by getting them used to a multicultural environment.  

The international hires will learn more about the United States and how things work. This is crucial because they need to know the professional social rules and behaviors most Americans have learned naturally over time.

However, your US employees will also greatly benefit. They'll learn about new perspectives, increase their tolerance of difference, and discover new ways of tackling business problems.

3 Feeling of Working Together for a Common Goal

Everyone wants to feel empowered and a valued member of a group. However, achieving this at a company level requires more operational planning when US and international employees work together, especially in a remote team. If this planning doesn't happen, it can lead to division and contempt, and you need to have procedures and technology in place to integrate multiple cultural perspectives successfully. There is no one solution for this, as different types of businesses and company structures interact differently at the group and individual levels.

Employees will feel a sense of accomplishment when focused on achieving the team's goals, getting fairly compensated, and helping everyone succeed. When you have these things in place, people will ultimately want to cultivate what they've started to see the expansion and build-up of the company even more.

4 Encourages Creativity and New Ways of Thinking

New perspectives and creativity are crucial for any business, especially those wanting to maintain a competitive edge. When you use a global market approach for your hiring goals, you'll naturally bring talent with other ideas as they come from various backgrounds and unique life experiences.  

Blending these different perspectives gives you the best recipe for innovation and creativity. Did you know that creativity in the workplace can positively influence employee self-development, work-life balance, engagement, trust, motivation, and teamwork? You did all that simply by hiring internationally!

5 Better Customer Service Can Provide Assistance in All Time Zones

Whether a startup or an international corporation, you require exceptional customer service. When you hire internationally, your company can give better service to your clients, regardless of their location. Happy customers will reduce the stress felt by the overall team. Similarly, depending on your industry, your team's productivity won't be limited by time zones. Your international employees can continue working on projects when your US-based employees end their day.

6 Strength in Diversity

A diverse workforce means having team members from various cultural backgrounds. This will strengthen the organization. Culturally diverse employees can think outside the box and develop unique ideas based on two ways of thinking and collaborating toward a common goal.  

7 More Focus on Asynchronous Work

What is asynchronous work? Asynchronous work means everyone works independently at the time that best suits their schedule; you have no specific business hours. Effective communication is crucial to team satisfaction when the workforce lives in multiple countries. 

Flexibility benefits everyone, regardless of where they live. Employees feel that the workplace supports them when they feel trusted and empowered to get their work done as long as they communicate and meet deadlines. This can boost productivity because everyone fits their work responsibilities into their lives when it's ideal.

Potential Challenges to Consider

Though employees will ultimately benefit when you hire international talent, there are a few challenges to consider. These aren’t necessarily drawbacks, but it might take more time to acclimate to a diverse workforce.

You can give your business a competitive advantage and find the right candidate for that vacant position with our help. The Recruiting Guy leverages an international team of global recruiters to ensure that companies find the right person for the job.

To enjoy the many benefits of hiring remotely, please reach out to us today, and let’s get started diversifying your workforce with international talent!

1 Cultural Differences

Different cultures have various effects on communication and work styles. They may also have differing attitudes about work-life vs. personal life. Therefore, you must be prepared to adapt and be aware of them. Cultural training or coaching can be beneficial but should used only as a last resort. Proactive approaches are often more effective and less expensive than reactive approaches. Try preparing employees well before your international hire starts and educate your current employees on what to expect. This preparation can include views on work-life balance, communication styles, and varying degrees of importance on small talk.  

2 Technology Barriers

One of the most unexpected challenges for an employer hiring international talent for the first time is the cost of technology. These costs are relatively predictable in the United States but are significantly less predictable in other countries.

A great example of this is the cost of technology in Brazil. The total price of the base model 13-inch MacBook Pro in Illinois is $1,380.19. In Brazil, the same model is $3,087.21 (15,299 BRL). Understandably, your financially-minded CFO might not be willing to sign off on a 76% increase in technological costs, but it's essential to weigh the overall cost savings and benefits of this new talent with the increased technological costs. It doesn't take an accounting degree to realize that the infusion of new talent and cost-savings outweigh this increased cost.

Best Practices as an International Employee

Hiring across timezones can be overwhelming for you as the hiring manager or HR team member. However, please think of how upsetting it could be to the employees. Here are a few tips you can give your recruit and current staff to ensure everyone can effectively work together:

1 Be Patient

Things won't magically snap into place overnight, and no one should expect this. Ask your US-based and international employees to be patient with you and themselves while they learn and grow. 

For example, your US-based employee asks an international hire from Germany for a specific project document. It takes a few days to get the information. The requesting employee might get upset and anxious about finishing their tasks on time. However, the international hire is just as worried because they didn't receive the message soon enough due to timezone differences or misinterpreting the level of importance of the request.

There can be countless examples of issues arising between international and American-based talent. The point is that patience, respect, and empathetic communication are essential for everyone. As things come up, it might be wise to work on communication methods to make the process smoother for the team as a whole.

2 Understand Your Duties

Working remotely has many benefits, but there can also be confusion among people about their job duties. No one wants to think they’re stepping on another person’s toes. Therefore, the company owner or HR manager should outline each employee’s role and job description, leaving no room for doubt.

If that has yet to happen, and you're unsure of your duties, it's wise to ask. Though most people don't mind if you do extra work, you're also supposed to focus on what your job description showcases while feeling free to find a work-life balance. This will also help you avoid confusion or burnout when another employee asks you to do something out of your jurisdiction or skill set.

Final Thoughts – Everyone Benefits from International Talent

Every employee on your team can benefit when you hire international talent. You're giving them the stepping stones to be diverse and culturally sensitive. Plus, everyone can increase their world knowledge, gaining new perspectives and ideas that will bring innovation and creativity.

Bringing in international talent doesn't just benefit other employees; your customers will feel the positive and innovative changes. Though there could be some drawbacks initially, it's essential to realize that nothing happens overnight. You must create policies and make sure everyone follows the strategy you’ve set forth. Therefore, patience is crucial.

Understanding how your company’s culture and the strength of your business can benefit from international talent will empower you to bring lasting change.