Should Your Offshore Hire Work from Home, the Office, or Hybrid?

A follow-on from last month’s discussion on hiring offshore staff with tax experience.

We were hardline “in the office” people until Covid upended that. Our clients went from full office-based to fully WFH set up or remote work, and some never came back!

I’ve observed clients where full WFH has worked amazingly – their teams are both happy and productive. But there are other clients who’ve experienced something like this…

While WFH is desired by most staff, a disconnected or unproductive team happens more often than people realise.

The question of where your offshore team works—at home, in the office, or somewhere in between—is an important decision. And there’s no one-size-fits-all answer.

Let’s explore the options.

Office-Based: The Fastest Way to Transfer Knowledge

Putting your offshore team in a physical office—especially when starting from scratch— is generally the best way to accelerate training. There's something about proximity: the ability to lean over, ask a quick question, or hear how someone else handles a task. That fast-tracks learning.

Learning by osmosis can occur in an office. Not so easy over Zoom!

When you're trying to ramp up new hires quickly and create the team culture you want, being face-to-face can’t be beaten.

One study says that for those seated within 25 feet of a high performer, productivity is boosted by 15%! The inverse is true also, so remove toxic people quickly (that’s a topic for another article).

Fully Remote: The Fastest Way to Hire
The opposite end of the spectrum—full Work-from-Home (WFH)—is without a doubt the most desirable setup for skilled Filipinos. Long commutes (ask them about Manila traffic), family responsibilities, and rising living costs make WFH highly attractive.

The staff with the strongest CVs will expect full WFH, seeing themselves as 'the prize' in a jobseeker’s market. Whether they really are the prize is something I covered in last month’s article (Can I Hire Staff with AU, UK, or US experience?).

Opening the door to WFH also opens your recruitment pool. You’re no longer limited by geography, and you’ll likely find it easier to attract experienced staff—especially in a candidate-driven market.

But it comes with a catch.

For WFH to work well, firms need to already have strong training programs, good systems, and an embedded culture. If you haven’t nailed how to keep staff accountable in a multi-office environment, you risk morale issues, as remote staff can be left feeling isolated and disconnected.

Having said that, plenty of firms have their culture created, systems in place, and are scaling up using a full WFH arrangement.

Hybrid: The Compromise That Works

Not every firm wants a permanent WFH model. That’s where hybrid comes in—1 to 4 days in the office, the rest at home. It’s a balance. Staff enjoy flexibility, but you still get the benefit of face-to-face time.

It also gives you access to candidates who may not commit to five days in an office but are happy to show up part-time.

What’s the Right Approach?

It depends on your stage and your goals. 

• New to offshoring? Office-based is likely the safest bet. 
• Scaling fast? WFH might be the best recruitment strategy.
• Want flexibility? Hybrid offers a workable middle ground.

The good news? With Frontline, you don’t have to lock yourself into one model. We give you full control—if you want to switch, you can. Unlike some other BPOs, there are no hidden charges to change the arrangement.