Is your candidate pool looking a little barren? Are you struggling to find top-notch talent within your region, or even your native country? Hiring internationally is not a new phenomenon, but it has grown since the pandemic. With companies offering employees the chance to work remotely, engaging an international workforce is not out of the question.
What you may be questioning is exactly how to hire internationally and why you should think about it. Before opening up all of your applications to global candidates, there are a few things to keep in mind. Besides having to manage team members in different time zones, you’ll have to consider further legalities when hiring international employees. Fortunately, to avoid any unnecessary stress, there are partners that can help make the process more manageable.
If you plan to have a business presence in the country where you’d like to hire, you can work with a professional employer organization. A PEO is a human resources provider that serves as a co-employer for your company, handling things like payroll, benefits administration, and payroll taxes. A PEO is similar to an employer of record, although an EOR can legally employ individuals on your behalf. You’d likely want to work with an EOR instead if you don’t intend to establish a business entity in the country of hire.
With the right HR partner in place, you can begin to focus on the advantages that come with a global workforce. Small and large businesses alike can reap the benefits of hiring international employees. Let’s examine three of them.
1. It Increases Cultural Diversity
Diversity, equity, and inclusion considerations are top of mind for many businesses today. Employees are looking to work for companies that value diversity, and companies are seeing the benefits in a resulting larger candidate pool. In fact, a LinkedIn study found that 76% of candidates are looking for companies that value and prioritize DEI.
By hiring internationally, your company gains inherent diversity, which denotes traits that cannot be taken away, such as race, ethnicity, born gender, or age. Inherent diversity complements acquired diversity, which includes characteristics that can be developed. A learned language is an example of acquired diversity, as is a postgraduate degree. Having both inherent and acquired diversity is important because it creates a more inclusive, positive atmosphere. Employees have a greater sense of belonging when they can show up to work as themselves and contribute in ways that make a real impact.
For their part, companies also require both kinds of diversity. A company that hires only individuals that fall into an inherent diversity bucket may lack the necessary skills to excel. On the flip side, a company that employs only those boasting exquisite acquired skills won’t necessarily have the cultural knowledge to expand globally. International hires already have the inherent diversity component, and many have acquired diversity traits as well. Recruiting both inherent and acquired talent enables companies to increase cultural diversity from both sides of the diversity coin.
2. It Encourages a Broader Range of Perspectives and Ideas
By hiring internationally, you’re also obtaining a broader range of perspectives and ideas. Those who live in other countries instinctively come to the table with a fresh point of view. Someone born and raised in Tokyo, for instance, has different values and beliefs than someone from Paris or Chicago. This diversity heightens cultural awareness within your team, creating more meaningful interactions among co-workers. Everyone has something different to offer — whether it is inherent or acquired — and no trait is more significant or valuable than another.
These differing perspectives discourage groupthink, which is when everyone automatically concurs without any type of evaluation or critical thinking. You’ve likely been in a workplace scenario where you saw groupthink at play. Everyone in a meeting agrees with the leader because it seems like the fastest, easiest solution. When employees have different lived experiences, though, they can bring divergent ideas to the table. The initial proposal may start to show its pitfalls, and together the team can devise a better one.
In order to encourage your team members to share their perspectives, you need to foster a culture of openness. Everyone should feel like they have an equal seat at the table. No matter whether an employee has been there for several years or just a few months, their opinion should be respected. To encourage this positive workplace, ask questions and actively listen to all of your team members. When providing feedback, do it in a constructive way that helps others learn from the final outcome.
3. It Taps Into Specialized Skills
If you are hiring for a specialized role, listen up. Opening up your applications internationally can help you find qualified talent sooner. Let’s say you’re a smaller company and need a user experience designer. You may not have the budget to hire for such a role in the U.S. Yet an international candidate with the necessary education may find your salary adequate for the job.
Regardless of what role you’re hiring for, international talent may offer more specialized skills based on their backgrounds. For one thing, educational systems vary across countries. Many international employees are fluent in several languages besides their native tongue. This can be advantageous if you’re looking to expand into new markets.
International hires may also be familiar with technology platforms that are not commonplace in the U.S. Having these skills can give your company a competitive edge in the marketplace. For example, TikTok first launched in China back in 2016 under a different name. Imagine if your social media lead had had an early introduction to the app before it became mainstream globally. You would have gotten a massive head start on this increasingly important platform.
Takeaways
International hires can be advantageous for diversifying your workplace, both in terms of cultural acumen and acquired skills. And with digital technology and the right HR partners, developing a global workforce is more feasible than ever. So consider your company’s current and future needs to determine how internal hires might well be able to meet them.
