Today’s workforce is remote—at least part of the time. What does this mean for outsourcing? It’s on.
Key takeaways:
- 87% of employees still prefer to work remotely at least one day a week, and 68% say a hybrid model is most ideal
- Outsourcing isn’t offshoring, a common misconception
- Benefits of outsourcing:
- More flexibility
- Lower costs
- Greater efficiency
- Niche skills and professional services
Hybrid work has become a key component of the modern office. Employees demand it, and companies are wise to offer it (when it makes sense).
While remote work was already on the rise pre-2020, the pandemic caused many businesses and employees to shift to a home office setting, where they telecommuted to work every day. Now, many people around the globe are still working remotely, at least part of the time.
So what’s a hybrid work arrangement?
This setup is when workers come into the office a couple of days a week and stay at home a couple of days a week, give or take. It’s popular because it’s the best of both worlds—companies can justify paying for office space, workers can have more social interaction, and they can still take advantage of the perks of working at home (like picking up the kids from school and saving time and money on a commute).
This shift to hybrid has caused companies to rethink what it means to outsource, removing a long-held stigma. Here’s why.
Remote work: people still want it
Google announced early in 2022 that the company would ask workers to come back to the office on a part-time basis. Google’s CEO emphasized excitement around a more flexible future, and many other companies follow suit.
The Pulse of the American Worker Survey found that 87% of employees prefer to work remotely at least one day a week, and 68% say the ability to work remotely and at the office is the ideal workplace model.
Workers love having the mix of social interaction and getting out of the house while still being able to sign on to work from their home offices in their pajamas.
This emphasis on remote work means that functions like outsourcing look a bit different now. Companies may be more apt to try outsourcing since half of their workforce isn’t in the office much of the time.
Outsourcing isn’t always offshoring
Let’s clear something up: outsourcing isn’t always offshoring.
Many companies want to avoid offshoring because of the potential exploitation and profit-over-people implications but outsourcing today doesn’t mean sending tasks overseas. Businesses can outsource various tasks, and remote workers may be right here in the U.S.
Common tasks to outsource include:
- Accounting
- HR management
- Recruitment
- Administrative assistance
- Writing and editing
- Billing
- Legal services
- And more
Many independent contractors and full-on companies work with organizations on a project-by-project basis to handle these responsibilities. They can be hired from anywhere in the country if they work remotely.
So, while offshoring still exists, the new remote-work normal has removed some of the stigmas of outsourcing.
Benefits of outsourcing in today’s work climate
Not only is the stigma around outsourcing disappearing, but it’s proving its benefits for companies again and again. Here are some of the most important perks to know about:
More flexibility
Just like setting up a hybrid work model gives employees flexibility, outsourcing creates flexibility for the business at large. With many contractors, work can be done only when needed, and you can decide when to start and stop services.
Lower costs
It’s expensive to pay for full-time and even part-time workers. You have to consider their regular salary and benefits on top of it. Sometimes these employees may not have enough to do every day and are only really needed during busy seasons, so outsourcing gives you a chance to get the help you need and only pay for it when you need it. You also don’t have to worry about covering benefits costs for outsourced tasks.
Third-party professionals will have access to the technology necessary to carry out the tasks, so you don’t have to provide equipment for them, saving you a lot of money.
Greater efficiency
When you send out jobs to an individual or company that can handle the tasks right away, without much guidance from you, you can create much more efficient workflows for your business. You’ll have certain responsibilities off your plate and those of your employees, so you can focus more on growing and improving the business.
Niche skills and professional services
The places and people you outsource to are typically experts in a field or skill. They only do that one thing, so you know it will get the attention it needs. They know what’s going on in their given industry and are specialists in what you’re asking them to do. No training is required from you, and you can rest assured that your tasks are being done by professionals.
This level of expertise and the wider talent pool you have access to may not be a reality if you were to hire full-time workers, since they’d cost more. So, you’re getting a lot better skills and services with outsourcing.
Why outsource your content?
One area to consider outsourcing is content for your business. For your marketing efforts to succeed, you have to be able to send out personalized, exciting content that’s been catered to your specific audience.
Working with professional marketers, writers, editors, and designers via outsourcing means you’re gaining access to a repository of talent and expertise solely for your content.
The team at ContentBacon gives you exactly that. We get to know your brand and your mission, then put our writers and strategists to work to give you content that sizzles, exciting your target audience again and again.
Get in touch with ContentBacon now to learn more about our content subscriptions.
