Embracing the Values of Company Culture as a Keystone to Remote Work Success
Culture, culture, culture! In recent years, you’d be hard pressed to find a thriving organization that hasn’t elevated company culture in order to boost performance. There are several studies headlining the most compelling reasons a positive work environment fosters increased productivity. These statistics should speak loud and clear to business leaders nationwide because they show the true power of culture in the workplace. For instance…
Some of the most impressive findings in a recent Gallup study revealed several key performance metrics associated with facilitating a strong organizational culture. Employee engagement soared with a 50-point increase over a three-year period and showed staff are 73 percent more enthusiastic about going to work every day. When team members are proud of the companies they work for, they are 69 percent more likely to adopt changes within the organization because it reflects mutual goodwill. Perhaps the most valuable statistic measured in this study was the 85 percent net profit increase over a five-year period when culture became the centerpoint of an organization. It makes sense that happier employees are more committed and thus, perform better; but that’s not the whole story.
Making valuable shifts in company culture can be challenging enough for the traditional in-person office setting but remote work has added another level of complexity. Work from home policies emerged during the height of Covid-19 as an essential tool, allowing employees to continue productivity from anywhere with dependable WiFi. After demonstrating countless workflow benefits, remote work has become a permanent feature, allowing companies to recruit and/or outsource staff from all over the world. Creating a symbiotic company culture is in many ways even more critical when the only interaction between co-workers is virtual and takes more effort to get right.
We at Cadencia are doing our part to ensure the nearshore staffing industry provides a safe space for workplace cultures to flourish. When employees are subjected to negativity from leaders who do not value culture in a similar way, it strikes a blow to the progress a business has made internally. This is never more true than when partnering with a nearshore or offshore staffing firm. You are bringing staff into your organization another society with different cultural norms entirely. Doing a little homework on the values within an outsourced staffing firm’s culture will help you find the right nearshore fit for your company.
Culture = Values, ethics and profits
As the company employee makeup and diversity evolves in companies across the US, it’s important to understand that culture plays a major role in profitability. Culture has emerged as a tool for promoting, regulating and monitoring the values and ethics an organization operates within. Because the economy has become increasingly global, outsourcing services and staff is ever more essential to ensure profitability, especially for small to midsize companies. Many business leaders have learned over recent years that partnering with culturally like-minded nearshore staffing firms is an investment worth making. Here’s why:
Nearshore staffing is a service rooted in ethics - In decades past, some business leaders grappled with the issue of “sending jobs overseas” and the potentially ethically challenging implications of hiring offshore staff. While that is an admirable concern, nearshore firms focus on providing positions that are difficult to fill in the United States. For example, accounting firms are struggling to attract young talent because certification requirements have become so cumbersome, which has caused a hiring deficiency in the industry. Engineering is another field facing similar challenges. There are currently over one million unfilled engineering roles in American companies which makes nearshore staffing an essential and ethically sound service.
Full-time team members are better than anonymous billable hours - Some offshore firms try to offer a “plug in” employee solution for their clients, which sounds good in theory, but offers little in ROI. While a low hourly rate may seem tempting, if you’re being billed over 30 hours for a project that should only take four, you’re losing money. Your business deserves a dedicated team member who understands your mission, goals, values; and is committed to helping you achieve them. With Cadencia, not only do you get a dedicated person who becomes an extension of your internal team to drive operations and help you scale up comfortably, but they share in your culture. And, you won’t get over-billed for simple projects because you have a full-time staffer working for you at an all-inclusive predictable monthly fee.
Values and ethics extend beyond your internal team - As the world moves towards more sustainable business models, a big part of that includes equity, fair wages, and community outreach. No longer is it acceptable to outsource cheap labor to offshore companies who pay below average wages and provide little to no support for their employees. This business model not only creates an ethical dilemma for a company, but it has been proven to limit productivity and profitability. Today, organizations strive to ensure professional partnerships reflect their ethics which is why Cadencia continues to lead in nearshore and offshore staffing firms. We have built a culture that values people above all else and a business determined to impact the communities we operate in for the better.
Less turnover for us means less turnover for you - It doesn’t matter whether it happens within your internal or your outsourced staff, turnover is expensive and it is often related to the culture employees are working in. Many offshore staffing firms do not prioritize creating a positive work environment that emphasizes the well-being of their team members like Cadencia does. Our clients benefit from a talent pool rich with high quality candidates who look forward to work everyday because they are seeking a career rather than just a job. In addition to providing a long-term nearshore staffer for your business, we also ensure access to ongoing training that elevates our team’s skills and their ability to serve your needs.
Why nearshore over offshore?
Let’s start by answering the question, what does “nearshore” mean? Most organizations are familiar with the concept of bringing on offshore staff to save money, but there are many obstacles to forging a culture-friendly partnership that can be difficult to overcome. First, contracting with an offshore firm usually means you are depending on people who live 8-12 hours away and must combat a natural sleep schedule to show up for work on-time. This has been shown to damage their homelife as well as the mental capacity to fully and effectively contribute to your business. Additionally, you are forced to hire from a talent pool that has been educated within a vastly different core curriculum structure than higher learning institutions here in the US. Unfortunately, this can result in a lack of problem-solving skills or knowledge of American business norms. For these and many more reasons, finding the right offshore talent for your organization can prove extremely challenging.
Nearshore staffing firms that operate in nearby Mexico, like Cadencia does, provide all the financial benefits of an offshore staffing agency without the most common pitfalls. Why? Nearshore means, “not far away” while still offering a massive discount on services because they too are located in a community with a much lower cost-of-living. This empowers your organization to bring on a team member within or close to your timezone who can collaborate in real-time with your internal staff. Plus, they’re not working on your immediate operational needs at an hour when their body wants to be sleeping which means they can more effectively focus on your bottom-line. Not to mention, many colleges and universities in Mexico have a reputation for providing a top-notch education with western academic structures that emphasize critical thinking like American schools do. That means you get to choose from a nearshore talent pool that will blend right into your company culture on day one.
ensure nearshore partners complement your culture
Clearly, partnerships matter and making a good match is the first step to responsible outsourcing. It can be difficult to know which nearshore or offshore firms care about their employees as much as you do based solely on a website or sales pitch. The best approach is to proactively ask direct questions during your vetting process and research their reputation online as much as possible.
These questions are a good start:
How would you describe your company culture?
How do you show your employees you value them?
What kind of investments do you make in developing your staff’s skill set?
How would you describe your employee retention?
What is your work environment like?
How do you contribute to the community your employees live in?
Do you provide health benefits to your staff?
How many paid holidays can they earn per year?
Do you provide sick leave?
The answers to these questions will give you a good idea how close a nearshore or offshore staffing firm mirrors your culture. Even better, find a company that is just as concerned with your culture because they value their employees enough to vet your values as well. Our Cadencia founders have set this standard by incorporating a process for us to conduct interviews with potential clients that highlight our devotion to culture. Hiring a nearshore Mexico-based team member is meant to be a long-term relationship and we are dedicated to ensuring our employees are happy and building a secure future. This is the kind of care every employee deserves and it’s a big part of what sets Cadencia apart from the offshore competition.
Learn More!
And to add to the benefits above, you can have a full-time nearshore team member for up to 70 percent less than hiring internally while they enjoy a rewarding career in their community. It’s a win-win for everyone. To learn more about how Cadencia is matching organizational cultures, driving client results, and making a real difference in the lives of their staff, download our latest Case Study featuring one of our favorite clients, Premier Accounting & Tax, Inc. or Contact Us directly.