There’s always worry in this interconnected world that you’re depriving local job seekers of employment by taking your business overseas or online. How true is this? “off-shoring can benefit on-shoring.” By off-shoring, there’s the niggling anxiety that you’re hurting your chances within the on-shore community. However, that’s not the truth with outsourcing. Outsourcing certain tasks isn’t supposed to take work away from in—house employees, potential or current. Its purpose is to free up time for important projects and growth, of which local talent is a big part. 

There are four main areas where outsourcing actually helps local job growth: 

• Cost: 

Outsourcing is an excellent cost—saving measure as it ensures quality work for an affordable price. It doesn’t carry with it the expense of hiring someone in—house, which includes wages and equipment, office space, and general supplies. The extra savings you and the company make then do what money does best: stimulate the local economy.

• Job Opportunities: 

With time—consuming tasks outsourced, businesses have more energy and time to focus on growth. Expansion generally increases a business’s revenue and net worth; and as any real estate agent worth their salt knows, when one venue’s value goes up, so do those surrounding it. The rise in net worth can result in even more expansion, and as the business spreads out, there are more positions available. 

Additionally, by outsourcing low—level tasks, there’s more space in—house for specialized content. The opportunities to snatch up local professionals goes up exponentially. 

• Entrepreneurial Opportunities: 

Success and growth have always stimulated competition. When others see their peers’ businesses prospering, they sit back and think, why don’t I try that, too? Prosperity in business often fuels economic development within that business and others. It provides people with the opportunity to move out of low—wage jobs and into a position of upward growth. This boosts the employment rates of a locale and increases the worth of the area.

• In—Business Benefits: 

Improvements within the business proper caused by outsourcing will also positively affect other local companies. Growth revenue and the money you save through outsourcing will allow for more changes. You may want to refurbish the building, perhaps add a café or a new kitchen. With a possible jump in their income, people will also feel more inclined to frequent other local businesses and spend money there. With the removal of demotivating tasks, your employees will likely enjoy coming to work more. They’ll get to participate in things that excite them, and happier employees are always a positive boost for any business.

In freeing your staff’s time up as well as your own, there’ll be reduced over time and repetition of work. People are happier doing things they enjoy, and it’s possible to repurpose that freed—up time for more projects that will help build the business. Ensure that most of the tasks are revenue—based or high—skill, and the rest will soon be history. 

An important fact to keep in mind during all of this: no one loses their jobs due to it. One of Hippo’s cornerstone beliefs is that VAs and in—person employees are meant to lift each other up, not fight for positions in your workplace. It’s a common misconception that’s harmful to the entire industry. There are a lot of misunderstanding about outsourcing, but this is the most harmful. Outsourcing is not about taking your work elsewhere for the purpose of letting go of your in—house employees — it’s for maximizing the potential of those already working for you by freeing up their time. If you end up replacing people for this reason, you’re not doing what’s best for your company, but what’s best for your wallet. You want the best talent you can get from around the world, and there’s no point getting rid of your current skilled employees to replace them with a novelty overseas worker. Using outsourcing to scale up is the goal, not getting smaller by cutting costs. 

This is a misconception that Hippo dealt with early in its creation. The very first Client Account Manager that Hippo hired, Josie Holt, previously worked for a business with one of the current directors. As the concept of a Virtual Assistant was introduced, she feared that she was training someone who would gradually replace her. No one enjoys having someone else come along and take their projects from them.  However, Josie came to realise that with the general administration work being completed for her, she had the time for bigger and better things. She quickly moved to an Executive Assistant role and then found herself at Hippo, becoming a superstar CAM. Josie has embraced change and the new opportunities it brings and is always encouraging the same from others.