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Slash Costs & Hire Top Talent: Your Nearshoring/Offshoring Guide




Hiring Remote



Nearshoring/Offshoring


Use these tips to overcome the challenges of nearshoring and offshoring and unlock all the benefits. Your global dream team awaits!



Your company is all about building dream teams that can propel your business forward — regardless of where your talented crew calls home. But that doesn’t mean finding those unicorns on your home turf comes easy or without its fair share of challenges.

Enter nearshoring and offshoring! These hiring strategies can open the door to the entire world of skilled professionals, giving your company a serious edge. 

So, if your team wants to tap into the global talent pool, this guide is your golden ticket. We’ll explore the differences between nearshoring and offshoring, the benefits you may score, and how to implement a framework to supercharge your hiring and distributed workflows.

👉  New to remote hiring or want to level up your game? Check out our updated guide on How To Hire Remotely in 2024 To Win Top Talent for Your Team!

🤔 Nearshoring vs. Offshoring: What’s the Difference?

First things first, let’s make sure we’re all on the same page.

After the Great Remote Work Experiment proved to be a wild success during the pandemic, more organizations began adding remote employees to their ranks.

However, most on-premise and remote companies still tend to hire workers located in the same country as their HQ. This is called onshoring.

Nearshoring and offshoring differ because they both involve expanding your remote team abroad.

Nearshoring Means Hiring Employees In Nearby Countries

Nearshoring involves hiring remote talent in countries geographically close to your headquarters. Employees in these neighboring countries typically work in similar time zones and may have similar cultural overlaps.



So, if you’re a US-based company, Mexico and Canada would be optional countries to nearshore from.

Offshoring: Hiring Employees In Totally Different Countries

Offshoring casts your net further afield, recruiting talent in countries with different time zones and cultural norms. Despite these differences, the potential cost savings and wider talent pool can be massive.

So if you’re a US-based company, places like India, the Philippines, or Vietnam would offer prime offshoring opportunities.

Both strategies let you build a geographically dispersed remote team to prepare for the future of work, but with unique benefits and challenges.

Why Go Global? The Benefits of Nearshoring & Offshoring for Remote Teams

When you want to build and develop remote teams, nearshoring and offshoring empower your organization to:

🤑 Snag Cost Savings Galore

Let’s face it: talent acquisition can be expensive. But building a remote team doesn’t have to break the bank. By strategically nearshoring or offshoring, you can access a wider pool of skilled professionals at a fraction of the cost compared to your home base.

As Alex Bouaziz, co-founder and CEO of Deel, told Bloomberg, the cost benefits of nearshoring remote work can be staggering. “If for the price of 10 engineers in the US, we can hire 100 engineers in Brazil, there’s definitely something to think about there.” [*]

Besides competitive salaries and more affordable employee benefits packages, some countries also offer tax breaks and government incentives for foreign companies hiring in their domains. Those are all huge wins.

🌊  Embrace the Global Talent Wave

By going global, you unlock a diverse candidate pool. Adding more diverse voices to your crew can:

Enrich your team with multiple perspectives. Nearshoring and offshoring are some of the best practices for hiring for diversity. They provide access to a range of unique skill sets and perspectives that can enrich your company culture and improve your chances of success.



Research proves that diverse, inclusive teams lead to stronger:[*]

  • Innovation, decision-making, and problem-solving
  • Sales and revenue
  • Brand reputation, market share, and customer loyalty
  • Employee engagement and productivity


Close skills gaps. Some countries are taking the lead in specific industries, specializing in a niche set of skills you may need. This specialized expertise may be incredibly beneficial for closing organizational skills gaps while you upskill or reskill your team for the future.

Break into new markets. Want to expand your offerings to new countries? Hiring multilingual talent lets you connect with customers and partners on a deeper level, boosting your market reach and delivering your message to a global audience.

💪 Give Your Organization Unparalleled Flexibility and Agility 

Remote work is all about flexibility and agility, and nearshoring/offshoring takes both up a notch. They offer your company:

24/7 Operations (sans burnout). Spread your team across different time zones and create a global workflow that never sleeps. Tasks can be seamlessly passed on across time zones, keeping your projects moving forward.

Let’s say your US dev team builds all day. Your employees in Japan can test the functionality of those new products while your US team snoozes at night. When they clock in the following morning, they can fix all the critical bugs your Japan crew found by lunch.

Offshoring is a major win for supporting mental health in the workplace. It’s how businesses are able to implement a 4-day work week, boost employee productivity and retention, and fully embrace the 24/7 hustle without burning out their teams.



Scalability made easy. Need to ramp up quickly? Hiring nearshore or offshore talent allows you to scale your team up or down based on project needs. This type of agility and flexibility gives you the power to adapt and thrive without falling behind or overspending.

How To Conquer the Challenges of Nearshoring/Offshoring Remote Teams 

Going global has its challenges, but you can overcome them with a proactive approach. Just follow these best practices for nearshoring/offshoring remote teams:

⚖️  Take Care of Legal & Regulatory Compliance Issues 

Employment laws and regulations vary by country. It’s best to partner with a legal professional to ensure compliance and avoid any hiccups.

Check out these guides next:

🔐  Don’t Forget About Data Security 

Data security is paramount, especially in countries where your IP protection may be at risk. Implement robust security measures and ensure your remote team members are well-versed in data protection and cybersecurity protocols before moving forward with your virtual onboarding process.

🫶  Build Trust & Company Culture 

A remote team spread across the globe can feel disconnected, and this is even more true if your crew comes from different backgrounds and cultural expectations. However, fostering a sense of belonging and team spirit is crucial.



  • Schedule regular team meetings. Virtual meetings allow your teams to get to know each other. Use a time zone scheduler like World Time Buddy to compare multiple time zones at a glance and ensure the best meeting times for everyone.

  • Prioritize virtual team-building activities. Organize online games, virtual happy hours, or collaborative projects to build connections.

  • Encourage knowledge sharing. Create a platform for teams to share best practices and learn from each other.


🤝  Understand and Respect Cultural Differences 

Bridging cultural differences fosters a strong and unified team and leads to a more creative, successful team dynamic. Here’s how to approach it:

  • Do your research. Learn about common work practices, communication styles, and cultural values in the countries you’re considering hiring from.

  • Promote diversity and inclusion. Foster a culture of inclusivity that celebrates differences and encourages open communication.

  • Be flexible. Adapt your leadership style to accommodate different cultural norms.

  • Invest in cultural sensitivity training. Offering language and cultural sensitivity training to your employees will go a long way in promoting an inclusive work environment.



⏰  Prepare for Communication & Collaboration Across Time Zones 

Spreading your team across time zones requires careful planning. Here’s how to ensure smooth sailing:

  • Set clear expectations. To avoid confusion and quality-related setbacks, clearly define your expectations for work, communication protocols, response times, and preferred communication methods (for example, Slack vs. email).

  • Prioritize clear, concise communication. Follow these tips to improve remote work communication with teammates and emphasize documentation and deadlines.

  • Set Core Collaboration hours. Establish dedicated times for real-time collaboration when everyone is online. World Time Buddy can help you find overlapping hours.

  • Make asynchronous communication the norm. Utilize project management tools, video conferencing platforms, and instant messaging apps to keep everyone informed and projects moving forward when team members are offline or working different schedules.

  • Respect work-life balance. Be mindful of individual time zones and avoid scheduling meetings outside reasonable working hours.



Taking Action: How To Nearshore/Offshore Like a Boss

Here’s your roadmap for building remote teams abroad:

📝  Define your needs. Before diving in, use your remote hiring strategy to identify the specific skills, experience gaps, and roles you need to fill. Consider remote internship programs and working with remote freelancers/contractors, too.

🌎  Choose your location(s). Consider factors like time zones, talent availability, cultural similarities, and legal considerations when deciding where to nearshore/offshore.

💎  Polish your employer brand. Learn the difference between your employer brand vs. company culture to leverage the right one to attract top talent. Remember to update your company profile on WWR to really stand out!



🥳  Write remote job listings that sell! Highlight the benefits and perks of working for your remote company and your company culture to get applicants to apply for a job.

🎉  Ace the interview process. Learn how to conduct successful remote interviews to assess skills, cultural fit, and communication styles.

✅  Always Post Your Remote Jobs on We Work Remotely!

Building a stellar remote team doesn’t have to be a headache. We Work Remotely is your gateway to global talent and your one-stop shop for finding the top candidates that fit your needs.

Find applicants faster: +90% fill rate for positions posted. Source and place quality remote candidates quickly from our vast remote community. Over 90% of our customers find their new hires through jobs posted on our platform.

Ready to unlock the potential of global remote talent? Sign up for a free WWR Employer account today and jump into the future of work!

The World of Amazing Remote Talent Awaits ✨

Remote work is brimming with possibilities. By leveraging nearshoring/offshoring strategies, you can build a highly-skilled, cost-effective, diverse team that will propel your company to the next level.

So, what are you waiting for? Start building your global dream team with We Work Remotely and experience the power of nearshoring and offshoring for your organization! 🚀



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