Everything You Wanted to Know About Offshoring Roles

Yes, you can (and should). We will take care of scheduling the interviews between you and the candidates.

The interviews will be conducted via Zoom and will be facilitated by one of our Lead Recruiters.

We have made the following improvements to our services over the last 15 years to help over 3,000 clients hire 8,000 Filipino remote workers for the long term: 

• Using best-of-breed recruitment technology;
• Building a great employer brand for remote working across the Philippines; 
• Employing senior lead recruiters to do end-to-end recruitment;
• Monitoring the areas that have inconsistent internet connections and are prone to flooding and other such natural disasters, minimising typical remote working challenges;
• Testing for English writing, speaking, and comprehension skills; 
• Discerning key attributes of reliable remote workers, such as resourcefulness (i.e., the ability to troubleshoot on their own), tech-savviness, and the initiative to ask questions; 
• Inspecting the work from home resources of the staff we endorse to ensure that these are up to scratch.

The first thing to keep in mind is that long-lasting remote working relationships are a result of the following factors:

• Proper hiring; 
• Availability of the right tools and resources for the role;
• Key client support to enable remote contractors to succeed in their jobs, specifically the communication of the following:
  • a clear and measurable role outcome; 
  • client’s primary business objectives.

Whether you hire locally or remotely, you won’t really determine if the new staff is a good fit until after at least 30 days of working together.

However, there are signs that your new remote staff would be a good fit: 

• You are able to communicate with them well;
• They are inquisitive and ask a lot of good questions;
• You communicated clear expectations about the outcome of your staff’s role;
• There is a camaraderie that emerges within the new team;
• Your remote contractors advance in the role you have given them;
• Their output and performance standards increase; and
• Deadlines are consistently and satisfactorily met without much trouble. 

We conduct Cognitive and Behavioral Tests. We can also conduct technical skills tests upon your request. 

The candidates we profile have to pass minimum standards for their work environment, resources, equipment, and internet connection speed.

For instance, the minimum resource requirement is as follows:

• Processor: At least Intel Core i3 or its AMD equivalent
• RAM: 4 GB for non-heavy graphics work (data entry, admin, etc), 8GB or 16GB for heavy graphic such as Graphics Design, CAD works, etc

Click here to see staff roles being offered.
For more details about the popular roles we offer, click on this link

No. However, you can terminate your arrangement with a remote contractor with a 24-hour notice, PROVIDED that you do so within the first 30 days of hiring.
Beyond that, we would require two weeks’ notice prior to termination.

Yes, you can. As your outsourcing partner, we are committed to getting you the best talent your business needs throughout our partnership. Thus, we offer an unlimited replacement hire guarantee.
However, be assured that our success rate for the 1st replacement hire is nearly 100%.

The role type, length of tenure, or the number of staff you are looking to directly hire may result in an adjustment in the placement fee.
A placement fee of AUD 5000 + GST would apply.

Yes, so long as they are still available for hire and are willing to work with you again.

There might be, depending on the volume you would require and the type/s of roles involved.

We have two available hiring schedules:

1. A full-time shift (8 hours a day, excluding a 1-hour lunch break).
2. Part-time shift (4 hours in the morning or 4 hours in the afternoon during the normal business hours of a particular time zone).

Yes, so long as the contractor is willing and able to accommodate such a schedule.

However, we find that working relationships are more successful when the contractor’s schedule is more structured as this is better for accountability and transparency.

Yes, you may change your remote contractor’s contractual status from part-time to full-time or vice versa, but you will also need their consent beforehand. Do note that some contractors may not agree for various reasons.

Furthermore, the contractor may change their rate in line with the change in working hours.

Within the first month, you could terminate a remote working relationship immediately, that is with only a 24-hour notice.
After the first month, you will need to give two weeks’ notice to terminate.

However, we do recognize special circumstances conditions where we can immediately suspend a contractor pending a three-day investigation. These include:

(a) the failure of the Remote Contractor to repair or upgrade, as the case may be, their equipment, software or Internet connection in order to meet the Client’s work requirements;

(b) the unsuitability of the Remote Contractor’s work environment;

(c) a disruptive natural disaster having occurred at the Remote Contractor’s location;

(d) constant power issues affecting the Remote Contractor’s ability to perform services for the Client;

(e) major medical issues affecting the Remote Contractor’s ability to perform services for the Client; and

(f) any other significant failure of the Remote Contractor to perform services for the Client.

It’s up to you. However, this two-week period still needs to be paid for, whether your contractor works during this time or not. Think of it as severance pay of sorts for your contractor.

Yes, so long as invoices are paid according to our payment terms. Otherwise, contractors are paid monthly.

First Month’s Invoice:

• The first month’s invoice is pro-rated up until the end of the month.

If your remote contractor’s start date falls under the last week of any given month, your invoice will reflect:

1. the remaining days of the current month;
2. the full working days of the following month.

Recurring Invoices:

• Recurring invoices are issued at the beginning of the month. These exclude Australian public holidays, but not international public holidays.
• Recurring invoices fluctuate due to:

• • the number of working days ranging from 20-23 total each month;
  • forex market valuation fluctuations;
  • unconsumed hours or overtime hours;
    • You will be issued a credit memo if your contractor was absent;
    • You will be billed extra on the next month’s invoice if your contractor works overtime as per your request;
  • invoice adjustments from offline hours due to power and internet outages or technology issues.

Note: Credits or debits to either invoice are applied to the following month’s invoice.

Remote Staff service fees are dynamic. They change depending on the following factors:

• remote contractor’s role, experience, skill level, and contractual status;
• staff contributions and benefits;
• forex market valuation and fluctuations.

That’s why we can’t disclose the service fees.

The remote contractor’s hourly rate factors in our service fees and staff benefits. It is all-inclusive of the following:

• Recruitment services
• Administrative support
• Payroll handling services
• Remote contractor monitoring
• Use of our proprietary technology
• Dedicated account management support
• Skills Development Program (SDP) registration
• Compliance, government contributions, and benefits management

You are not obligated to pay for Australian or Philippine holidays because our remote contractors are independent self-employed professionals.
Although, we do have a mandatory 5-6 days of paid leave during the Christmas season.

Just like how merchant fees are applied to credit card transactions, we do the same with PayPal fees. PayPal merchant fees fluctuate month to month, depending on the volume process.

If you want to avoid PayPal or merchant fees, we suggest transferring money directly to the Remote Staff bank accounts. As of the moment, it’s available in AUD only.

As the client, you have the responsibility to manage, instruct, and train your remote contractors, depending on your requirements.

You can only refund unconsumed hours. Rest assured, only proven work hours are paid.

It is not commercially viable for us to accept full invoice payments in Philippine Peso. As an Australian company, we invoice you in AUD. We also have multi-currency accounts in CAD, NZD, USD, and GBP.

When the dollar is weak, the staff prices increase; when it is strong, the staff prices decrease.

We deal with an international market landscape because we invoice in the currencies our clients are located and pay wages in the currency the remote contractors are located.

Currency adjustments are applied at the closest possible rate in the following month’s invoice. We credit or debit your account to make up the difference of a strong or weak currency.

We are affected by currency at two different points in time:

1. when we generate the invoice
2. when we make the payroll

As a result, two different solutions are applied. At the time when your invoice is issued, we apply a forex reference rate so that your invoice amount is as close to the market rate as possible.

The forex reference rate is an estimated average of the market value applied to any currency. It can be adjusted monthly, depending on the market currency fluctuations.

A separate solution is applied when payroll is made. In this instance, we apply the currency rate used when making the payroll payment as your actual currency adjustment. It results in either a credit or debit in the following month’s invoice.

Contract periods are on a monthly basis recurring indefinitely. 

Every remote working relationship has a Lead Account Officer. When any issues arise between you and the remote contractor, it is advised that you connect with a Lead Account Officer first.

Your Lead Account Officer can translate your concerns into Filipino, and hopefully, remedy any performance issues you may be experiencing.

If you are still unable to achieve your productivity standards with your remote contractor, and have made all efforts to onboard and train them on your business, know that we have a lifetime replacement guarantee.

We will make all necessary contact through phone, text, email, and house visit, if necessary, to get clarity as to why your remote contractor decided to AWOL.
If we cannot reach your remote contractor within a week, we may resort to legal arrangements to issue formal instructions to return equipment and hand over passwords, data, etc. if need be.

Many challenges are discussed, and solutions are provided in our Skills Development Program for both clients and remote contractors.

Common Problems Occurring from the Employers’ Side

• Employers who don’t invest time with their remote contractors.

Employers need to invest time in helping their remote contractors succeed in the job they gave them. Chat and email instructions will not suffice.

• Employers who expect peak performance immediately.

When remotely working with other cultures, you have to be prepared that it will take a longer period of time to help your remote contractor achieve the productivity standards that you desire.

• Employers who don’t build trust with their remote contractors.

In order to build trust, you need to be visible to your team, and you need to get to know them as well. And this can be built with proper communication. The best way is via voice or video call so that it can be more personable.

• Employers who don’t consider cultural differences.

As the leader of your team, you have to bridge cultural gaps to avoid misunderstandings. But how will you know?

Worry not; you have a dedicated Lead Account Team that can help you in aligning and understanding the common cultural differences in your remote working relationship

Common Problems Occurring from the Remote Contractor’s Side

• Problematic equipment, internet, and power outages.

Generally speaking, it could take two weeks and as long as six weeks for a remote contractor’s internet to be upgraded and stabilized. Some provinces might also have intermittent power outages.

But remote contractors usually have a backup internet connection, and some invest in their own emergency power generators just in case.

• Slow to Open Up

It could take weeks or even months for a remote contractor to feel supported enough to ask questions and take the initiative.

• Non Confrontational and agrees most of the time.

It’s a common Asian cultural attribute to avoid conflict. This trait can result in Remote contractors saying “yes” too often.

The negative impact of this attribute is that they will not advise you of problems they see. In extreme cases, they may continue to do something ineffective for an extended period of time if left unattended.

• Low Self-Confidence and Constant Need for Feedback

Remote Contractors generally have low self-confidence in their ability to become high performers. As a result, they require a lot of feedback at the beginning of a remote working relationship. But once they ease in, they can be one of the best people you’ll ever work with.

To strategically grow your business, you need to invest in supporting your remote contractors to become better at the job you have given them. But Remote Staff has a dedicated Lead Account Team to help you every step of the way.

The Lead Account Team will work with you in providing the support for your remote contractors by:

1. Making remote contractors understand your instructions.
2. Achieving the productivity progress that you desire.
3. Dealing with remote contractors with inconsistent output.
4. Handling remote contractors who have inconsistent attendance.
5. Helping remote contractors who experience internet and equipment challenges.
6. Providing assistance to remote contractors who experience tech challenges.
7. Dealing with conflicts due to cultural and communication gaps.

The Lead Account Team also handles HR-related matters that help build trust such as:

1. Managing remote contractor leaves and commission payments
2. Taking care of accounting and payroll issues of your remote contractors
3. Expanding and growing your team via our recruitment services
4. Setting you up for cross-functional collaboration with other Remote Staff departments.
5. Coordinating with you in planning purchases and delivery of equipment to your remote contractor.
6. Recommending remote working tools and helping you set them up.
7. Keeping you in the loop regarding the health of your remote working relationships.
8. Being a cultural bridge between you and your remote contractors by providing insights about their feelings, motivation, etc.

You can reach out to Rica Jankulovski via rica@remotestaff.com. Rica has been with Remote Staff since the founding of the company and has been supporting Clients like you for over 13 years.

Yes, you will.

The Remote Staff Platform is compatible with the following operating systems: 

• Windows
• Mac (Catalina, Leopard/Snow-Leopard, and Lion/Mavericks, Yosemite/El Capitan)
• Linux

In your Remote Staff client dashboard, you will have log-in access to the system where you can view productivity and attendance records, invoices, and the historic forex breakdown sheet.

Yes, of course. All screens are monitored.

As of the moment, there are no plans for smartphone monitoring.

If your business counts on people and you value loyalty and commitment from your staff, Remote Staff is the right HR and recruitment service supplier for you. 

Although we do not specialize in providing office-based staff or full project management, we offer fully equipped Remote Contractors that can help you in your businesses. 

With this setup, you are assured that you’re getting quality talents adept in the new normal.

Our services are designed to protect your investment both in time and money to establish a productive remote working team for your business.

70% of clients we service are from Australia and 30% are from the United States, United Kingdom, New Zealand, and Canada.

We offer the following services: 

• Attendance and active monitoring;
• Payroll and Staff Benefits and Contributions Payment;
• Admin support to manage your remote workers’ government obligations;
• Lead Account Team for both clients and remote workers;
• Recruitment services, such as Talent Matching and Custom Recruitment;
• Remote Working Skills Development Program; and
• Remote Working Technologies

When you start working with your remote contractors, both of you will have access to our Skills Development Program. 

The Skills Development Program will provide you with essential insights on how to optimise your remote working relationship with Filipino contractors. 

It’s designed to make your working relationship productive sooner.