OUTSOURCING | Do you flinch or cringe when you hear the word “outsourcing?” Have you thought about it, but quickly rejected the idea because of its bad rep? Few words have been vilified as much as outsourcing, but is this $92.5 billion dollar industry really all that bad?
Bad Reputation, Good Intentions
Outsourcing has an image problem. Often, the image that comes to mind is an honest-to-God Australian worker who lost their job to a lower-priced doppelganger in India.
Sure, it does happen, and we’re not trying to make light of the situation. And we’re definitely not trying to advocate sweatshops or abusive employee-employer relationships either (or the much dirtier word, if you ask me – exploitation). But how much outsourcing actually affects the Australian workforce is minimal to none at all (which we will discuss in detail later).
Before we start accusing anybody of anything, let’s discuss what outsourcing is in the very basic sense. For example, you need a smartphone for work but have no idea how to make one yourself. You’d have no means to create raw materials and assemble parts from scratch! If you could, we’d be very impressed, but that isn’t the case for most of us. So, you outsource the task to a company that can make it for you. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
Outsourcing is a way to obtain what you need more efficiently than doing it yourself. It’s using available resources efficiently.
Misconceptions About Outsourcing
So why is outsourcing considered so nasty? There are a lot of misconceptions about outsourcing that haven’t been addressed. Mostly because businesses are afraid to talk about it because they think it’s such a “taboo” topic. So let’s straighten things out once and for all.
Outsourcing Doesn’t Take Away Jobs From Australians
A statistical analysis conducted by the Parliament of Australia states that “offshoring” (or offshore outsourcing) showed no ties to the increase of unemployment in Australians, and in fact, some sectors have seen substantial increases.
Furthermore, the study suggests that Australia is actually a major benefactor of the outsourcing industry, positively affecting Australian trade and economic growth. Because outsourcing is able to support both big companies and small businesses, the economy takes a turn for the better.
Outsourcing Creates Opportunities for Everyone
Let us not forget the opportunities that have now been made available to workers in countries where there is a far more alarming unemployment rate. Where there are millions of families with an unemployed breadwinners, struggling to find work in a depleting economy.
And what of the small Australian business, who is also grappling for their own families and can’t afford full-time employees or overhead space?
Outsourcing is about value and efficiency. It’s not about exploiting your employees or cheating the system. It just needs a little image boost to warm up to, but ultimately, outsourcing should help both you and the Australian economy!
The Outsourcing Solution
So, now we’ve cleared everything up. Let’s go back to outsourcing.
To recap, outsourcing is all about using resources effectively. How do we determine “effectiveness?”
Lower Cost
One of the most obvious perks of outsourcing is the lower cost at which you can avail yourself of resources. We’re absolutely not talking about cheap labor, and we actively advocate for fair compensation for all outsourced hires. But by lower cost, we mean no overhead expenses, no need to provide office utilities and equipment, no insurance and benefits required because you’d be hiring on a project basis. With outsourcing, you can get the help you need the way you can afford it.
Work with Great Speed
Outsourcing makes things move a lot faster than doing them all by yourself! More often than not, small businesses are able to afford a team of outsourced services that work simultaneously. As a result, they can accomplish multiple goals in a short amount of time.
Superior Quality
Hiring from a trusted outsourcing company means hiring trained professionals. These professionals are regularly trained and assessed to improve their skills and professionalism. Furthermore, outsourcing doesn’t seem too scary when a trusted company is there to be accountable!
When you put all of this together, you create exceptional value for your business operations.
How Outsourcing Helps Businesses
To paint a clearer picture, here are just a few examples of how outsourcing can accelerate value creation in your business!
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A social media manager is one of the most important roles for any business. With the online market getting saturated by the second, you need someone to focus on making you stand out. That means they should have the creativity to come up with engaging content for your audience, but also be analytical to make the best out of social media algorithms.
Bookkeepers at 100% Accuracy
Bookkeepers help you keep track of your expenses and cash flow. With accurate MYOB and XERO data entry to keep your books correctly updated, you can keep a close eye on the health of your business. Bookkeepers follow strict data entry practices and standards that make sure all entries are a hundred percent precise.
Digital Offsider is an outsourcing company in Perth. We have a roster of skilled and experienced employees who will get the job done wherever they are. We’ve selected the best people in their fields and we can match you to whom your business is suited the most. Send us a message today so we can find you the people you need!
