The modern gig economy has reshaped the labor market in the United States and across the whole world. After all, the prevalence of outsourcing work is how the Virtual Assistant field emerged. Businesses are opening up to outsourcing more and more roles, including knowledge roles. We’ve gone from outsourcing food deliveries and ride sharing to outsourcing customer service, accounting and financial roles, managerial positions and more.
More and more companies are outsourcing work, hiring Virtual Assistants who can come from anywhere in the word. Unrestrained by distance or borders due to remote work technology, they can hire based on qualifications and competence while staying on a budget. The benefits are being reaped by everyone, from small businesses hiring secretaries to medium companies Virtual Teams and even big corporations outsourcing entire departments abroad.
Nonetheless, even in these times, myths persist regarding outsourcing. Misconceptions regarding the remote work setup, part time workers, and the general reluctance to delegate to people outside the company. This is why many are late to adapt to the trend, and often this is to their detriment as competitors improve their operations. So in this article we’ll go through those myths and refute them with facts.
Myths Regarding Outsourcing Work
Many of these misconceptions emerged back when the outsourcing boom started out. A lot involved low-level work of dubious quality but these perceptions also apply to higher-level roles. Since then, the industry has grown and is now worth billions, with millions of workers involved in it. But the myths continue, and include cliches such as:- Outsourced work has lower quality and is always cheaper than in-house equivalents.
- Or, conversely, in-house work is more affordable and better.
- Outsourced staff aren’t loyal to their clients.
- Outsourced personnel are independent so they can be left alone with minimal oversight and can produce the desired results.
- Outsourcing is a risk for confidential business data.
The Reality of Outsourcing Work
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, those beliefs had a bit of truth in them. Maybe. Back in the day when outsourcing was a new thing, a fad, with no way to weed out dodgy and shady actors trying to make a quick buck. There definitely are individual case of bad actors. But these examples do not, and should not, cast the entire field in a negative light. Especially when, nowadays, there are thorough checks and balances in place to determine the legitimacy of potential hires.- Outsourcing to a part-timer might cost lower because they will work less hours than their in-house equivalents
- On the other hand, highly skilled specialists may charge higher per-hour rates because they can deliver quality results without working full shifts
- Outsourcing can make work more efficient, if a company doesn’t need someone to fill a certain role (like web designer or content writer) around the clock.
- Remote staff like Virtual Assistants might be independent but to do their jobs well they cannot be treated as separate from the workforce. They need to see how the business operates, and they need oversight, input and feedback to fulfill their duties.
- While they’re technically independent, they can’t just abandon clients or disappear if a better offer comes along. That won’t look good on the resume, and if the clients treat their outsourced workers well then loyalty will come naturally. Moreover, ;legal repercussions should always be specified in contracts.
- Likewise with potential leakage of confidential data to outside parties. Non-compete clauses and robust cybersecurity measures should be standard S.O.P.
- Access to sensitive data can be restricted to company-run accounts that can be monitored.
