Worried about losing your job to someone overseas because your job is now remote?
Will working from home lead to your company hiring someone else to do your work?
These are real concerns for many people, but are they legitimate?
The truth is that the new trend of working from home or working remotely is unlikely to lead your company to outsource your job overseas. While outsourcing helps overcome staff shortages and address urgent project-driven staffing needs, there are many reasons that having local talent to address company specific challenges will remain central to successful businesses.
While there may be some situations where outsourcing work makes sense, other times, it doesn’t make sense at all.
As companies continue to embrace remote working, it’s not uncommon for workers to fear that they will lose their jobs to outsourcing in India, China, or other countries where labor costs are cheaper.
So what do you do if you fear that you may be in danger of having your job outsourced overseas?
Is there anything you can do?
I’ll go over these reasons in detail and explain how you can leverage them to make sure you don’t lose your job to an overseas outsourcing firm.
Real quick, before we get too far into it here, if you want to get more great ideas for your gaming room or home office and want to connect with other home office hackers to make your space the best join my free private Facebook group, Home Office Hacks here.
Will working from home lead to outsourcing?
Now that the panic caused by the pandemic is mostly behind us and so many things are normalizing again, it’s no surprise that people who went to work from home during this time are starting to wonder whether their jobswill be going offshore.
It’s true that companies have been using offshoring as a way to cut costs and increase profits over the past few years. But is this really happening?
In reality, most companies don’t usually want to outsource their employees’ jobs. In fact, many companies still see offshoring as a bad thing. It’s just that they’re finding it hard to find enough qualified workers to fill their positions.
So why would companies even consider outsourcing?
Well, the answer has more to do with economics than ethics. Companies are looking for ways to save money. And one of the best ways to save money is to get rid of expensive labor costs.
And it’s not just salary compensation that makes labor in the U.S. expensive. It’s the accompanying benefit packages like health insurance, employment taxes, paid time off, etc.
When a company uses an outsourced overseas labor source it does not have to worry about those associated costs.
Offshore outsourcing isn’t always a bad thing. If a company is struggling to find good workers, it might be able to hire them cheaply overseas.
However, one thing that many who are worried about their jobs being outsourced to an overseas firm don’t realize is that it’s not always cheaper to do so.
As an example, hiring top-level programming talent overseas can be nearly as expensive as hiring a similarly qualified person in the U.S.em with cheaper domestic workers.
Am I in danger of losing my job because I work from home?
No, in most instances, your job will not be outsourced if you work from home. Whether you work a remote job or freelance, you’ll be more valuable than ever. You won’t have to worry about losing anything.
Working from home seemed like one of the alternatives prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, as the time came, it accelerated itself into what is the ‘new normal’. It may have been a few more years before the concept of working from home was mainstream.
If you are considering the idea of working from home, this guide will help you out. You will not only learn a lot but you will also find out that it may have more benefits than downsides. Let’s take a deeper look now at what to expect.
Does remote work lead to outsourcing?
Yes and no. Because you can work remote, you can work just about anywhere in the world. If anything, the job itself is outsourced, but you are the one that fulfilled it.
They cannot outsource the job you already have occupied. So you’ll be happy to know that just because you are among the legion of remote workers, doesn’t mean you’ll be expendable.
The good news is that you can even take on other remote work if you think you can handle it. Some companies won’t require you to do the work in-house. This means you won’t have to deal with moving from one place to the next or even commuting.
This will make the whole work thing flexible for many. Some may get tired of their commute and want to be closer to family. For this reason, a remote work or work for home option could be done if the business model is feasible.
Some companies will use remote opportunities for cost savings. Some may even rely on cheaper workers residing in other countries. That’s because the currency rate may differ from one country to the next.
If you are paying $5 an hour here in the United States, that could be minimum wage or more in another country. You can pay talented people what could be a good amount of money where they live. For example, that pay rate will be a solid wage for someone living and working in the Philippines for a U.S.-based company.
Job seekers in various countries will be able to search for jobs that will allow them to work from home. This will allow them to create their own workplace culture. Gig workers will have the freedom to do their own thing, get paid what they want, and deliver a job well done to their clients.
Are remote jobs on the rise?
Yes. Remote jobs are rising and have been since 2020. According to FlexJobs, there had been a 12 percent increase in remote openings in 2021 compared to the previous year. This is based on the information provided by over 57000 companies.
These remote jobs consisted of sales and customer service. These two jobs require telework, which makes creating them as remote instead of in-house a lot easier. Not to be outdone, freelance work has also continued to solidify itself as a popular choice.
As of right now, there are 60 million freelancers in the United States alone. This number may rise within the next few years. This gives people an opportunity to showcase their skills and work for clients without being loyal to a single company.
If you are looking for something that is different than ordinary office jobs, you may want to consider freelancing for yourself. This may depend on the skills you’re good at such as writing, graphic design, web design, or something else.
For this reason, this may cause a real disruption amongst the job market. American workers may decide whether or not they want to be a physical worker or go remote if it suits them best.
Will all jobs be remote?
No. Not all jobs will be remote. There will still be many jobs, like service-based jobs , manufacturing jobs, account management jobs, etc. that will require in-person human interaction.
For instance, it would be exceedingly difficult for someone to diagnose a vehicle issue and fix it remotely.
No one may be able to clean a hotel room from home (unless some kind of automated cleaning happens).
Either way, some jobs won’t be feasible for remote work because they will require manual human use most of the time.
Which type of work is most vulnerable to outsourcing as of now?
IT jobs are among one of the most vulnerable types of work in terms of outsourcing. Other types of work include but are not limited to writers, teleworkers (sales, customer service, etc.), medical transcriptionists, personal assistants (including virtual assistants), and tax preppers among others.
The good news is thanks to technology, most of these jobs will be done in a remote setting. However, one type of work that gets outsourced (but no remote option) is manufacturing. These will be outsourced to other countries in an effort to cut down on labor costs among others.
Offshore labor seems to be a controversial issue over the years. The outsourcing of manufacturing jobs has hurt American factory workers and lawmakers are doing their part to stop the bleeding. Depending on the direction of the United States, this may continue unless there is a change in policy to keep manufacturing jobs in the country.
Why do companies want employees back in the office?
It comes down to two things: team building and collaboration. This is done in an office environment where people can work together in one place. It may be good to do it remotely where there is a technological infrastructure.
However, employers want to monitor progress all in one place. It may be difficult to do it remotely. For this reason, they would want them to come back to the office so the monitoring process is a lot easier.
This also means they want to make sure they have the right talent on board. They may get rid of someone who may be considered unproductive. They hold job performance to a high standard and believe a remote setting could affect that.
What can you do to guard yourself against having your job outsourced?
These days, it seems like everyone is worried about being outsourced. Whether your job is at risk of being automated or you’re simply worried about being replaced by a cheaper worker overseas, it’s natural to want to protect yourself against the possibility of losing your job.
So what can you do to guard yourself against having your job outsourced?
First, try to develop a specialized talent or skill set that would be difficult to replace. If you’re the only person who knows how to do something, then it’s less likely that your job will be outsourced.
Find additional ways to deliver value to your employer. If you can offer more than just your core skill set, then you’ll be more valuable to your employer and less likely to be replaced.
Continuously learn new skills and keep up with changes in your industry. This way, you’ll be less likely to be replaced by someone who is cheaper or more qualified.
Make yourself indispensable by integrating yourself into the company as much as possible. If you’re an essential part of the team, then it’s less likely that your job will be outsourced.
Make it hard for your employer to replace you by being the best at what you do. If you’re the top performer in your field, then your employer is less likely to be able to replace you or get rid of you.
Be a team player. I can’t overstate how important this part is. You don’t want to be seen as a troublemaker or someone who doesn’t play well with others. If you’re difficult to work with, regardless of how talented you are, then you’re making it a lot easier for your company to seek out alternative solutions to their staffing challenges.
Be an innovator by developing unique solutions to the challenges your company and its customers face . If you find a solution that nobody else has ever thought of before, then you’ve made yourself invaluable to your employer.
So many times employees are simply order-takers, doing the bare minimum and provide little to nothing other than the basic skill set required to do the job. However, if you’re willing to take risks and think outside the box, then you could be providing your employer with an innovative solution to a problem that no one else has come up with yet.
Volunteer to head up new initiatives. If there’s a project or initiative that you believe in but isn’t getting enough attention or support, then volunteer to spearhead it. By volunteering to take on these types of responsibilities, you’ll be demonstrating your commitment to the organization and showing that you’re willing to step up when needed.
Take ownership of projects. If you see a project that needs to be completed, then make sure that you’re the one leading the charge on completing it. Your boss may not even know that the project exists, so you need to let them know that you’re taking responsibility for it.
Look for opportunities to mentor others. If you have a strong network of contacts within the company, then look for opportunities to help others grow professionally. The more people you can help, the better off you’ll be.
Be a leader. Real leadership is in high-demand today. Look for opportunities to demonstrate your leadership abilities. Demonstrating leadership qualities such as vision, communication, strategy, planning, delegation, motivation, etc., will show your potential employers that you’re ready to take on more responsibility and become a true leader.
Finally, try to develop a good relationship with your boss and co-workers. If you’re liked and respected by those in charge, then it’s less likely that they’ll want to get rid of you. Be a team player and be willing to help out when needed. Go the extra mile to show your boss and co-workers that you’re an asset to the company.
Are there any companies are now 100 percent remote?
Most companies that are 100 percent remote are in the IT and healthcare field. These include SalesForce, GitHub, United Healthcare, and HubSpot among others. Many companies in these fields and other industries will follow soon or may do so in the next few years.
It is vital for businesses to determine whether they have the capacity to go fully remote. They may need to compare the financial figures to determine whether it will be the best move for them in terms of affordability.
Next Steps
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