Due to the recent rise in remote working, many employers can now take advantage of the benefits of hiring globally. There are many advantages to having an international workforce, including the opportunity to encounter new ideas and perspectives and the ability to work across multiple time zones, but there are also challenges to be faced when working with teams from multiple countries. So, to ensure the success of your business ventures, here are some tips on how to manage an international workforce and avoid the pitfalls of hiring globally.

Hire an interpreter or a translator

If you’re hiring international teams, there is a strong possibility that you will be hiring people who don’t speak English as a first language, and this may cause communication issues if you don’t ensure that there is language support for your workforce. The question of interpreter vs translator can be solved by considering whether you need live translations of speech (interpreter) or translations of the written word (translator), or you could make use of both translators and interpreters if you’d like documents to be translated and live language support during video and face-to-face conferences. Investing in language support for your workplace will make sure that everyone is on the same page and no one is left behind.

Set up regular meetings

Keeping everyone on the same page is crucial for achieving the goals of any business, but this is impossible if there isn’t regular communication between different teams. In addition to translating and interpreting services, regular video conferences are vital for maintaining channels of communication and allowing different teams to discuss projects. International travel is also an option if you appreciate the opportunity to get together as a team and discuss business in person. This would also allow employees from different countries to get to know each other and build stronger relationships.

Have clear goals and expectations

Defining clear goals is vital for any business, but this becomes even more important when trying to manage different teams across the world. Your teams need to be working together towards goals and deadlines whilst also being many miles apart, which is why you should ensure that you set clear expectations at the start of the year or project and keep these goals consistent throughout your workforce. This will also increase fairness and prevent certain teams from feeling like other teams or regions are being favored.

Understand cultural differences

As mentioned above, you must treat your employees with fairness and keep expectations consistent. However, treating your employees equally doesn’t mean you should ignore their differences. When hiring globally, you will find that your employees have different cultures, time zones, labor laws, and social norms, so it’s imperative that you understand these things before hiring and make sure that you consider these differences when working with international teams. You should also educate other employees about these cultural differences so that you can cultivate respect and tolerance in your company.

There may be some difficulties when it comes to having an international workforce, but by being aware of how to manage these potential issues, you can take advantage of the many benefits of hiring globally. With such a diverse workforce, you can learn from different cultures and increase the influence of your business.

HR Future Staff Writer