The topic of outsourcing is a big issue now, and there are conflicting opinions on the issue. For many business owners, it makes complete sense. However, others view this as a threat, specifically employees. So what are the ways that outsourcing can benefit your business, and what are the perennial drawbacks?
The Financial Impacts
The topic of cash flow is always going to be a big issue. It is a lot easier to manage your cash flow when you have outsourced workers. Permanent members of staff don’t just come with the pay packets that you give them, there are other things you need to consider, but when you are managing freelance workers, especially those that get the job done, it is quick and painless. On the other hand, this gig economy, which is very popular at the moment, may not be the way for you to endear yourself. While there are plenty of people who are looking for short-term work, if you are hiring people for a quick task, this can cause certain issues for your company, but the financial aspect would remain intact for you.
Solving Technical Issues
A lot of companies outsource their technology, and there are cloud service providers or companies that manage your network, such as Solucion Host, and this can be a great way for you to protect your most valuable asset, your data. If important customer information is stolen by hackers, your business will pay for this. It is the main way you can lose data now, and if you are a small business with limited finances, if the data is stolen, you are going to struggle, especially if you don’t have adequate backup and recovery options.
Managing The Work/Life Balance
When you are hiring freelancers, a lot of people who are doing this our people who are keen on maintaining that balance, such as millennials who are valuing this lot more. So, by outsourcing to a freelancer, you are essentially hiring someone who is very happy to work in this manner. The other side of the coin is that your business has no sense of continuity when it comes to its workers. You will have to train people up continuously, only for them to fly the nest as soon as the task is done. So, in this respect, do you want a core group of workers, that are diverse and can complete the tasks as and when they arise, but are also dedicated to the company? It’s something that you need to think about considerably.
The Personal Factors
With freelancers, there is a limited amount of personal interaction. Although you may be communicating with them on a regular basis, they are at the end of a telephone or an email. So, do you want this in your business, do you find this to be the way forward for you? Outsourcing temporary or freelance workers for a company where you are trying to communicate a more personal image may not be the right combination.
Outsourcing is a mixed blessing, it can be great in many respects, but it can also have some long-term effects that you are not aware of at this moment in time. You need to figure out how to manage this properly, and while there are plenty of benefits, the debate between having a team in-house, as well as having people work remotely, can be a mixed bag.
