When using an Employer of Record Service, it is very easy for those remote workers to not feel fully part of the team, and when staff do not feel part of a team, the risk of employee churn is significantly increased.
We think a key challenge that has been solved by our most successful Employer of Record clients is how to maintain a sense of belonging and connection among remote team members; it's essential to prioritise strategies that ensure the EOR staff feel valued and integrated into the wider team.
Remote work, though liberating, can sometimes feel isolating, leading to potential mental health challenges for remote employees who may feel disconnected from their colleagues. This sense of isolation can be exacerbated if remote staff are left out of things because of their location rather than their role. To mitigate these issues, we advise clients to prioritise inclusivity and ensure remote staff receive the same level of support and engagement as their in-country counterparts.
One crucial aspect of fostering inclusion is to ensure remote staff receive consistent HR treatment. Regular check-ins, goal-setting sessions, and personal development meetings should be standard practice. These interactions not only provide valuable feedback and support but also reinforce the remote employee's sense of belonging to the team.
One of our clients with a fully remote business development team gives a top tip for fostering inclusion - establish a short daily morning call with the entire team. This short but effective meeting allows remote staff to start their day feeling connected and informed about team activities and priorities. Particularly when the entire team is remote, these morning calls serve as a virtual water cooler, fostering camaraderie and team spirit.
In hybrid meeting, often those on camera sink into the background, so it is on management to provide opportunities for remote employees to share their insights and ideas on calls, this not only enhances team collaboration but also reinforces their sense of value and belonging within the organisation.
In addition to formal training programs, our most successful clients facilitate informal interactions among remote staff and their peers. Scheduling virtual coffee chats with colleagues can provide remote employees with the opportunity to build genuine relationships and rapport with their team members. These casual conversations help bridge the physical distance between remote staff and their in-country counterparts, fostering a sense of community and camaraderie.
The most successful businesses at leveraging our Employer of Record (EOR) service, often offer hybrid work options which allows remote employees to work from a shared office space together - enabling them to collaborate closely with their remote peers and participate in social work events that bring the team together. These businesses also often have team members’ go on holiday to South Africa, and we really encourage companies to encourage staff of all seniorities to at least go for lunch with the team all together when they are in South Africa, the touchpoints to HQ really matter.
ThinkLocum, a UK-based medical recruitment agency, successfully scaled its operations internationally by outsourcing its back-office functions to South Africa, resulting in significant cost savings of 47% and improved operational efficiency with 24/7 support coverage.
