A global mobility strategy offers several advantages to businesses invested in the benefits of remote work.
Building a global team allows companies to access international talent, draw from broader perspectives, and — with talent working across different time zones — effectively operate around the clock, lowering costs while supporting employees’ work-life balance.
With virtual management tools, video-conferencing platforms, and countless other tech tools now standard in the workplace, the ability to go global through telecommuting has never been easier.
Below, we’ll get into the top seven reasons to build a global team.
Key takeaways:
- Tapping into international talent expands your hiring pool and improves your chances of finding highly skilled, diverse candidates.
- Global teams enable continuous productivity through time zone coverage, reducing project turnaround times and boosting efficiency.
- Employing workers in different countries provides valuable insights into local markets, helping businesses improve their expansion efforts.
1. Access to a Diverse Talent Pool
According to Deloitte, 90% of business leaders report that recruiting and retaining talent is a moderate or major challenge. Expanding globally provides companies with access to a diverse talent pool, significantly enhancing the chances of finding the perfect fit for each role.
Ireland, for example, has a thriving tech scene powered by a highly educated workforce that prefers hybrid work and remote job opportunities, making the Irish an attractive choice for companies building a global team.
But the benefits of remote work aren’t limited to Ireland. Studies show that flexible work and remote teams present borderless advantages for employers and employees.
2. Increased Productivity
Employing workers across various time zones allows work to be handed off seamlessly from one region to another, creating a follow-the-sun workflow.
For example, a project started by your U.S. team during the day can be picked up by your team in the Philippines overnight, and then reviewed by your German office the next morning. This continuity shortens project timelines and enhances overall efficiency.
But it’s not just a matter of expanding hours of operations — global virtual teams can also drive productivity. In fact, a peer-reviewed study completed before the COVID-19 pandemic found a 13% performance jump among those working from home versus on-site, in-person at a physical office — and those numbers have continued to climb in recent years.
Employees empowered to create a work schedule that aligns with their personal rhythms experience improved work-life balance and overall well-being. This contrasts with traditional office settings that typically lock employees into rigid 9-to-5 schedules.
As a result, remote employees often report increased productivity due to fewer distractions and the ability to work in their preferred environment.
3. Cost Savings
Recruiting remote global talent can help companies reduce overhead, save on salaries and benefits, minimize turnover, and boost the bottom line.
From Belmopan, Belize, to Astana, Kazakhstan, it’s no secret that many countries have a significantly lower cost of living than London or Silicon Valley. Recruiting from these regions helps companies employ skilled talent at comparatively lower salaries than those required in major tech hubs.
Remote workers also help companies reduce overhead costs. Studies show that business owners can save up to $11,000 per employee per year by switching to remote work and lowering expenditures on expenses like rent and utilities, office equipment, and even taxes.
Besides these direct savings, global hiring and remote work can lead to indirect cost reductions like lower turnover. In fact, studies find that remote employees experience more job satisfaction and are up to 35% less likely to leave.
Here’s how to calculate the cost of hiring international employees.
4. Happier and Healthier Employees
Remote work offers employees numerous benefits beyond the convenience of working from a home office, co-working space, or local coffee shop.
Less time spent commuting improves employees’ personal lives by saving time, money, and stress, allowing them to enjoy healthier lifestyles, spend more time with family, or indulge in hobbies.
Remote employees also report lower stress levels and improved sleep than those in traditional office settings, and they even take fewer sick days. For employers, this results in a more focused, motivated, and productive workforce.
Furthermore, remote work contributes to a better work-life balance, even when employees work more hours. This is a critical factor in overall happiness and well-being.
After all, happier employees are four times more likely to stay with their company than unsatisfied employees, and employee happiness directly impacts employee retention, including a company’s ability to retain top talent.
5. More Around-the-Clock Business Support and Growth
Around-the-clock operations can be a game-changer for businesses requiring continuous, full-time customer or IT support. Having a workforce that spans multiple time zones allows your business to operate beyond the traditional 9-to-5 schedule.
This means customer service inquiries can be addressed in real time, technical issues can be resolved faster, and critical operations — such as order processing or system monitoring — can continue without interruption. This leads to faster response times, higher customer satisfaction, and a stronger employer brand.
Providing 24/7 support also enables your company to expand into new markets more effectively.
Having team members who understand local customs and languages and are present in different time zones allows you to launch campaigns, schedule meetings with international clients, and handle regional logistics with ease.
6. Access to Local Market Knowledge
International remote employees bring firsthand insights into local consumer behavior, cultural preferences, regulatory environments, and business etiquette that you can’t necessarily find through market research alone.
This understanding of the local landscape can be a huge help in making complex business decisions.
These employees can provide real-time feedback on how a brand or product might be perceived in their country, allowing your company to tailor messaging, pricing, and user experience accordingly.
International employees can also help identify potential pitfalls, such as language barriers or cultural taboos, and generate ideas that are more aligned with local culture, increasing brand acceptance and engagement.
Plus, international employees often have a network of local contacts, including potential partners and suppliers, which can be invaluable when entering a new market. Their familiarity with local labor laws and business practices also helps companies navigate regulatory requirements more efficiently and cost-effectively.
7. Ability to Flex Up and Down with Business Needs
Eliminating the costs associated with a large brick-and-mortar footprint does more than lower day-to-day operating costs. Going global also helps companies gain the financial flexibility to employ talent where they want and when they need it.
Such flexibility can be critical for small-to-medium-sized businesses and startups, which often operate with lean budgets and fluctuating staffing needs.
If a project requires additional manpower, for example, global mobility empowers companies to quickly onboard remote workers from anywhere in the world. Similarly, if demand slows, they can reduce their workforce without the burden of maintaining excess office space or laying off staff.
A Guide to Building Global Teams
Ready to expand your workforce internationally? Here are some high-level steps to get you started.
Get Clear on Why You’re Going Global
Identify what your goals are for hiring internationally. Are you looking for specialized talent? Expanding into new markets? Offering around-the-clock customer support? Having a clear idea of what you hope to gain will help you determine who and where to hire.
Identify Key Roles and Locations for Hiring
Determine which roles benefit most from being globally distributed, such as customer support, engineering, or market-specific sales. Next, consider where you’ll find the right talent based on time zone coverage, language, or local expertise.
Find the Right People
In addition to looking for hires with the skills you require, It’s also important to find people who are a good cultural fit for your company. To get started, check out our best practices for hiring internationally.
Partner with an Employer of Record
One of the best ways to simplify global hiring and onboarding is to work with an Employer of Record (EOR) like RemoFirst. An EOR handles legal compliance, payroll, taxes, and benefits in each country, so you don’t have to set up a local legal entity every time you hire in a new country.
Develop a Communication Plan and Get the Right Tools
With employees working across various countries and time zones, you’ll need to establish asynchronous communication guidelines and provide people with the right tech tools to follow them. Here are our favorite tools for distributed teams.
Create a Shared Knowledge Base
Organized documentation is key for internationally distributed teams, so set up a knowledge base that covers everything from product specs to brand and voice guides. This helps eliminate bottlenecks and allows for more autonomous work.
There are a variety of tools you can use to set up your knowledge base, including Google Docs, Confluence, and Notion.
Build a Strong, Inclusive Culture
Remote and global shouldn't be disconnected. So create opportunities for bonding, celebrate wins, and make sure everyone — no matter where they are — feels like part of the team. Check out these 10 best practices for managing remote teams.
Stay Compliant
Labor laws change, time zones shift, and team needs evolve. Regularly check in on local compliance rules (or simply partner with an EOR like RemoFirst) and get feedback from your team to keep improving your global expansion efforts.
Build Your Global Team With RemoFirst
Growing your team worldwide can clearly be beneficial, but it comes with hurdles.
Navigating the complex maze of international employment laws, ensuring compliance with local regulations, understanding the risk of permanent establishment, and managing a multinational payroll can become overwhelming.
It’s essential to ensure you remain compliant with the laws in all the countries where you hire a remote workforce, and this is where RemoFirst can help.
RemoFirst provides a comprehensive solution that simplifies global hiring in 185+ countries and handles employee onboarding, compliance and risk issues, payroll and benefits management, and more.
Book a demo to learn more about how we can help you build a global team.
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