The rapid development of information technology in recent years has changed many organizations dramatically. The use of technologies is much more common and intensive. In today’s business landscape, more processes are knowledge-based, which has specific implications for the majority of companies.

Advancements in technology mean new “rules of engagement”, new business models, and innovation in terms of business operation. As a result, change in the way of thinking and doing business is no longer a matter of choice but an essential means of growth.

From the strategic perspective, new business trends and disruptive technologies require a rethinking process that eventually generates transformation. The outcome should significantly improve business procedures, capabilities, and ultimately better business performance when properly implemented.

Companies may know all about their product (or solution), market, customers, and competition. However, knowledge regarding new, similar, or even synergetic technologies is not always available. The reasons are simple. There are many innovative tech companies out there. Some operate in specific regions; others are in a “stealth mode” under the radar. A chosen few are famous and well known. In any case, it is vital to be proactive and identify technologies that could be utilized and enhance business growth.

Businesses today operate in the era of connected intelligence. It means that more and more, smart communication and information technology applications impact many aspects of the business (as well as our everyday life). The shift from knowing to understanding is what made connected intelligence such a relevant business topic. Innovation and new technologies are changing the business world into one that is more agile, smart, and intelligent.

Looking at the broader picture, from a perspective of almost 20 years in the business arena, I realize that innovation has many forms. Moreover, innovation can come from many channels, places, or even other companies. I believe that it is essential to look beyond the existing business boundaries and gain access to new ideas, technologies, and business models. Cooperation with technology business partners can accelerate growth by providing a critical competitive advantage.

How to Leverage Technology within Your Organization was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Data privacy has always been a concern for businesses, especially those dealing with sensitive information, but the introduction of remote, or hybrid, workforces presented a more significant issue. Employees were no longer under the same roof and they did not have access to the same safeguards as the traditional workplace. As a result, data privacy was harder to keep tabs on.

Many of the risks stem from the fact that employees will often use public or unsecured wi-fi or shared computers and laptops. Although this is done unintentionally, open networks and shared workspaces present significant risks which can lead to data and security breaches.

As the demand for remote work continues to increase, companies are now seeking out IT solutions to safeguard their sensitive data against potential breaches. At Elements, we also underwent training — as part of the organization’s continuous learning scheme — to better educate ourselves on the threat of data breaches, from phishing attacks and scams to ransomware and other malware.

This addresses an essential aspect of ensuring businesses remain safe and well-guarded when switching to remote or hybrid workforces. Having clear policies, procedures and guidance for staff allow the organization to continue working as a well-oiled machine, regardless of where employees are based. Whether enacted through training or simply guiding and teaching staff about the best ways to keep data secure and private, these actions go a long way to fortifying data privacy in a modern workforce.

In addition to communicating privacy and security measures, using the most up-to-date version of your remote access solution, such as a Virtual Private Network (VPN), and reminding staff to use more complex passwords and changing them regularly, can leave employees less susceptible to data breaches. Wherever possible, be sure to use multi-factor authentication, so you can rest easy in the knowledge that whoever is trying to gain access to potentially sensitive information is required to, and have permission to, do so.

While not all companies, notably smaller businesses and start-ups, can afford to provide every employee with their at-home work set up, corporate cloud storage is another solution. These solutions allow users to access data away from the office, on any device. However, this can be problematic as easing access to sensitive information means, in theory, it is more accessible to the broader public. It can, therefore, end up in the hands of malignant forces. This is where training is necessary; employees should only access this information on trusted networks and in places where it is safe.

In any case, businesses need to adjust to this new way of working. Having a clear data and security policy in place is a must. Further to that, communicating and training employees is essential to the security of any organization.

The Importance of Data Privacy When Working Remotely was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

PASSION

Rarely have I seen onboarding sessions delivered with so much enthusiasm and dedication. Each session is presented by one employee from each department, who shares their role at Elements, delving into how their department fits into the wider picture — like a well-oiled machine. Throughout the week I met many employees from various departments, and they were always friendly and welcoming. Their positive energy was inspiring and contagious. They love what they do and excel at it. This is undoubtedly the driving force behind Elements’ success because passion is what lifts and enables us to accomplish great things.

TRUST

Trust is a fundamental building block in relationships, yet it is rarely a given. You have to earn it. In an era where remote work is hotly-debated, I was quite amazed at how I — as someone who had never worked with EGS before and had never met my fellow colleagues face to face — was trusted from day one. While many seek remote work opportunities in roles they have held for years, I received a Welcome Pack and a laptop to get started from home, on my very first day!

I haven’t earned that trust; it was given to me as a new employee. It is a gift and there is only one way to go with it: honouring it. Trust is a two-way street.

INFLUENTIAL INNOVATION

Our CEO’s vision is to lead by innovating, disrupting the market and staying ahead of the game. Everyone I have met at Elements strives to do the same thing and drives this mission. They understand that value creation can come from any department or job title.

During my interview, I could feel the importance of being forward-thinking and innovative. These are traits that appeared integral in the talent they looked to onboard. It is a value close to my heart because I believe it opens a whole new world of opportunities. Everyone is welcome to contribute to the business; it gives us a powerful sense of belonging and responsibility.

DIVERSITY

Diversity is another popular term that I have seen or heard throughout my career, yet I discover that companies are looking for someone who fits their narrow parameters — a specific number of years of experience, or selling a particular solution in a certain territory. There is little interest in the person or transferable skills.

EGS goes beyond the checklist of past experience and skills. Throughout my interview process, there was a genuine interest in me as a person. Nine of us started on the same day for the APAC/EMEA regions and I was struck by the diversity, not only in the nationalities (there were eight) but also in the variety of backgrounds, education and interests. Having such a diverse palette of knowledge and experience is a big strength in my opinion. There is so much to learn from one another!

Elements’ values aren’t a marketing tool or something transient like a sugar rush. They are evident in all the teams I interacted with. Everyone is proud of having this DNA in them. Like every organization, I am sure there will be some bumps along the road, but I am confident that these values will continue to lead us to success and remain a cut above the rest.

Diving into Elements Global Services DNA was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

As a business development manager for Elements Global Services, a consistent question I get from my prospects is: “how do I ensure that I’m compliant?”.

There seems to be a lot of conversation surrounding international employment compliance, particularly for companies based here in the U.S. and looking to expand abroad. With that, there is also a lot of misconception surrounding the Employee versus Contractor statuses. In the global space, each and every country is unique in their requirements for defining an employee, but there are some basic core tenants to stand by which can be helpful to determine and answer the question: “am I compliant?”.

Contractor v. Employee:

When thinking about your future or current workers, you can evaluate quickly by understanding the employee through these three main categories: Economic Independence, Integration and Supervision and Control.

Economic Independence

o Employee — does this person work only for you and your company?

o Contractor — is this person free to have multiple jobs creating financial independence from your organization?

Integration

o Employee — does this person have a company email, a given title, potentially reports to a manager? Will this person be representing your company to clients and internal employees as if they WERE an employee?

o Contractor — or is this person representing their own business while also supporting the needs of your organization through their work?

Supervision and Control

o Employee — does this person have to request time off for holiday or sick leave? Will this person receive reviews and promotions from your organization or in a managerial role?

o Contractor — is this person free to make their schedule as they see fit for their business?

Employers previously relying on 1099 or contractor status for simplicity are now re-evaluating. Even with a strong employment service agreement, employees are becoming more knowledgeable and both courts and governments are now pursing employers and reprimanding companies trying to circumvent local laws. A service agreement alone is not sufficient, as court rulings look at the context of the work itself to determine contractor vs employee status. The Uber driver ruling in the UK being the most prominent employment regulation recently that spurred more than “….70,000 U.K. drivers to be paid for all hours logged in the Uber app, regardless of ride demand.” You can see this more thorough article from SHRM here, explaining the Supreme Court Ruling.

But, as with most laws — there are always grey areas. As easy as it would be to always have a definitive answer for my clients, I simply can’t. There are short term assignments and instances where an employment relationship doesn’t make sense, and certainly instances where the “core tenants” listed above seem to be blurred. The nice thing about being in the Business Development role at Elements is, I don’t have to know everything — I have a team for that! Compliance changes, legal questions, statutory or customary HR recommendations — that’s what we DO and thankfully we have the best regional experts that are there to help my clients navigate the more complex needs when expanding abroad.

In short, I love what we do here. The demand for global expansion is enormous and more importantly, being the only company that was built on the premise to disrupt a market as a DIRECT EOR provider puts us leagues above our competition.

The Great Employment Debate — Contractor or Employee? was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The last year saw a dramatic and sudden shift to remote working arrangements as a consequence of the pandemic. Companies and their employees adapted through this phase of transition and, with time, identified the pros of remote working, such as flexibility and increased productivity.

With rampant vaccination drives in countries, such as the UK and US, returning to the office will soon become a reality and most likely, companies will leverage remote working and integrate it into their future working models, either for the short or long term. However, they also run the risk of losing on employee engagement once distributed teams come into play.

Before Covid-19, the in-office environment made it easier for HR teams to engage with employees and keep them motivated to do their best by fostering a culture that resonated throughout the organization. In addition, companies used attractive benefits and competitive salaries to enhance employee retention. On the other hand, employees used the office space for collaboration and conflict resolution. All of this gave people the chance to connect, build relationships, feel a sense of belonging and acceptance and most importantly, see themselves as part of something bigger.

The same office environment that stimulated individual growth, teamwork and meaningful connections can’t be replicated in the same way in isolated, virtual spaces. There are no watercooler chat sessions, team lunches, or Friday night get-togethers, but only hyper-focused work calls meant to be productive and timebound team meetings every Monday — the only way to bring a team together.

So, how can companies step into a hybrid workplace future while maintaining the same ethos, critical for employee engagement and productivity? Here are some suggestions –

a. The Human Touch:

While there could be many ways to rise to the challenge, but it starts with being more human. The pandemic has not ended, and people are still struggling in different parts of the world one way or another. In times like these, it is important that companies act authentic, address real issues and try to understand the needs of employees to create a warm environment where they feel secure, valued and heard, no matter where they are.

For instance, HR leaders can play a vital role in training the leadership team and managers to be more patient and considerate with their juniors and connect with them on a human level.

Just as tools and skills will be essential in preparing to succeed in a hybrid workplace, understanding human realities, addressing employees’ concerns, and providing support will be integral in building trust and loyalty.

b. Purposeful and Transparent Corporate Communication:

Companies need to bear in mind that the level of awareness people had about the company’s goals and objectives when they were in office is not the same anymore. It is easy to lose track of the big picture. The leadership team should be more vocal and speak with employees, not to share only the facts and figures, but reinforce the purpose and the CEO’s vision about the future that will motivate employees and make them feel proud about what they do. Also, transparency when communicating with employees is paramount. Being isolated and not feeling the communication resonates with the reality, with employees’ fears, will do more harm than good. Accept that there are difficult subjects and tackle them — the sooner, the better.

c. Prioritize Physical Interactions and Collaboration:

Hybrid workplaces are likely to become the norm. While working from home is effective from a productivity and flexibility standpoint, face-to-face interactions and in-office team collaboration are the linchpins to boost employee morale, strengthen the culture and build a sense of belonging. Leaders and managers can push for days when all the team members can be in the office on the same day in a week to connect, communicate and collaborate effectively.

In a Nutshell

Building a company’s culture takes time and in a hybrid work model, it will not be easy either. Last year has highlighted the need for agility and resilience in business but building these capabilities will not be possible without people’s commitment to do their best no matter where they are.

As companies plan to bring their people back to the office in some parts of the world, HR teams will need to focus on what policies and initiatives they will implement to create a healthy ethos in their organizations.

Write to me in the comments section below.

I would love to hear your thoughts on how you are planning to sustain your company’s culture for keeping employees engaged as companies look to embrace a flexible future of work.

Sustaining Culture: HR’s new challenge in a Hybrid Workplace was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It was just over five years ago that I sat down to write an article analyzing how millennials had changed the face of marketing. They were the first generation of instant gratification, accustomed to a digital world that waited for nothing. But more than that, millennials craved authenticity, humanness and a true connection from brands.

Now, I’m experiencing a bit of déjà vu as I sit down to write about how Generation Z is changing the face of marketing today. And just like millennials, who continue to demand more realness and authenticity from brands, Gen Z expects nothing less.

Gen Zers have spent their entire lives surrounded by technology, its endless pipeline of information from anywhere in the world and the utterly inescapable messaging from thousands of companies that comes along with it each day. They are constantly targeted with more advanced and more intrusive advertising, wading through oceans of companies trying to sell them something at every glance toward their phone.

Unsurprisingly, this constant flood of information and relentless advertising has cultivated in Gen Z a new ability to filter everything. And being raised in the age of “Instagram vs. reality” has made them more attuned to inauthentic communication than any generation before them.

With Gen Z accounting for nearly 40% of the consumer population in 2020, the change in consumer behavior calls for a shift in marketing strategy and execution as well. And not just in B2C marketing; B2B marketing also needs to adapt as Gen Z is now the newest wave of professionals joining the workforce.

So how does your brand make it through the Gen Z filter and tap into their buying potential?

Embrace Human Connection

Studies reveal that Gen Z is the loneliest generation, so it’s no surprise that there is a huge need for authentic human connection among them. This explains why they put more stock in the recommendations of people they know and communities they engage with than getting lured by expensive ads with fancy graphics and catchy taglines.

They want to feel like a valued partner in the conversation with your brand, not the recipient of a jargon-filled ad delivered by a computer algorithm reducing them to a promising prospect.

Simple, they want you to talk to them like humans because they are humans.

Consider how your brand impacts their daily lives and how you can provide delight and value through your products, services and messaging. Then, embody that in every aspect of your company, from your thank you emailers to your Twitter feed.

Double Down on Purpose & Impact

It’s time to do better. To really do better.

For the lack of a better word, and regardless of how you feel about it, Gen Z is “woke.” They are passionate about a variety of societal issues, from social injustice to climate change, that they perceive as directly impacting their future. And they’re putting their foot down, demanding that companies do better. For real this time.

And these emotions drive their buying behavior, as well. Over 50% even said that knowing a brand is socially conscious influences their buying decisions. Gen Z wants the brands they engage with to have a purpose they can get behind — one that they know is a promise well-kept.

This might mean different things for different companies, and might be difficult to pinpoint, particularly for organizations in more niche industries. After all, if you’re a SaaS provider, how much impact do you really have? But every company, no matter its size or field, does have an impact; you just need to take a deeper look at your company and how its mission relates to the world at large.

Elements Global Services, for example, provides technologies and solutions that power global employment and compliance. When we think about what our purpose is, it’s to simplify global expansion so that everyone has the opportunity to grow their business, regardless of their size, where they live, or the extent of their international labor law knowledge. Whether you’re a young company of 60 or a mature company of 6,000, Elements can make global expansion attainable. It’s purpose-built on inclusivity, equal access and connecting people all around the world. The same is lived and breathed in every aspect of our work — from our culture to our service delivery.

Bolster Trust & Authenticity

Gen Z won’t be fooled by the ‘all talk, no action’ gimmicks of the past. They want to know that you, as a company, are who you say you are and that they can trust you to follow through with your promises — whether that’s a promise of high-quality products or a promise to give back to your community.

Now is the time to be honest, authentic and transparent. Be clear about what you sell, why you sell it and how your company impacts your consumers and the world around you.

The Key Takeaway

Gen Z is rejecting traditional marketing tactics in favor of a more genuine, human-centric approach. If businesses want to tap into their buying potential, they need to genuinely identify with their purpose and make them feel heard and valued.

That having been said, Gen Z is a diverse group of nearly 2 billion unique individuals, and they should be treated as such. Your first step when planning any marketing strategy should always be to do your research. Open a dialogue with your current and prospective consumer bases to get to the root of what your ideal consumers want and need from a company. Interview your current customers or set up a survey or focus group to learn more about previously-untapped audiences. Then, let that guide your strategy moving forward so you know that your marketing activities are truly tailored to your consumers.

The Key to Gen Z Marketing was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It is no surprise that an employee that’s paid on time is an employee that is happy. That is why it is imperative that employers make the right decision when choosing the best payroll solution that ensures salaries are delivered accurately and on time each month. In turn, this pressure from organizations has forced providers in the HR and payroll processing industry to constantly evolve and improve their technology in an effort to replace manual processes and instill efficiency in the way payroll gets delivered.

As companies invest in acquiring the best talent in both local and global markets, managing employees and their payroll can be cumbersome without automation — and this is where a robust HRIS platform helps. Having a flexible and efficient payroll platform is imperative for companies to successfully manage the entirety of an employee’s lifecycle, including timely payroll and seamless management of ongoing employee benefits.

Choosing the Right HRIS/Payroll Platform

When a firm is looking to choose an HRIS platform, they typically need to consider multiple factors to make the right decision:

• Number of permanent vs. contractual employees
• Physical vs. cloud/software as a service (SaaS)
• Data privacy compliance
• Efficient payroll execution
• Virtual learning and development capabilities
• Integration with employee performance management

Many other elements drive the ever-changing demands of the HR and Payroll market. These include, for instance, geopolitical events (like the current global pandemic) that can bring a shift in local statutory procedures in a heartbeat, forcing HRIS systems to catch up with them. It is challenging to predict the requirements that HR and Payroll will put on technology in the future. However, there are some trends that have been increasingly gaining traction that companies in search of an HRIS should keep in mind.

More cloud, less physical

Platforms and applications are increasingly moving to the cloud, simplifying integration between different tools and allowing easy maintenance. An important benefit of cloud-based systems is scalability, which means that if a company experiences exponential growth, cloud-based systems can easily grow alongside it without the need to replace or add to physical servers to accommodate the changes. Cloud-based solutions are also typically less expensive compared to local servers that require physical equipment, floor space, electricity and staff to maintain.

Self-service learning platforms

Training is an ongoing, critical aspect of employment that is growing in complexity through channels such as client primers, prospect demos and internal product training. Newer platforms allow the easy creation of a learning path for employees for better growth and skill development.

Internal networking

Social networking will play a big role in intra-company communications, news updates, knowledge sharing, corporate training and document management, as companies look to engage more with their employees. However, it is crucial to ensure that the information shared in these networks stays inside the company and maintains compliance with local and international data privacy laws.

Better reporting

What good is having data if you can’t properly analyze it? Custom reporting in real-time is quickly becoming the norm for HRIS systems, leaving behind the old, cast-in-stone reports that were run nightly to avoid server overload. Readily available reporting modules provide comprehensive KPIs with excellent analysis features, helping management make decisions, manage goals and steer the company. Yet another area where a capable HRIS system can become an invaluable resource for the organization.

Beyond this, major requirements to consider are accuracy, user-friendliness, secure delivery and exporting capabilities for further offline tweaking.

Conclusion

HRIS cloud-based systems are expected to grow over $13.3 million by 2026. With remote working getting more popular due to the current pandemic situation, it is important that employees can access the HR and Payroll related information securely from anywhere. It, therefore, stands to reason that these platforms are in the budgeting lists of most organizations.

Richer feature sets in HRIS systems should encourage employees to make use of them efficiently and routinely. And as the market develops, we will see these platforms gain more and more visibility in the daily routine of organization members.

Organizations must pay attention to technology advancements in the HR and payroll arena to improve their own people management processes. If used effectively, HRIS systems will enable companies to make better decisions, higher profitability, minimize manual efforts and increase productivity.

How Evolving Technology Will Define the Future of HR and Payroll was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Unions play an important role in enforcing the minimum wage in some countries, while some employees hire lawyers and take on those violating the laws around minimum wages directly. However, government agencies or labor inspectorates tend to be the most visible enforcers.

Employers in violation of minimum wage laws may be fined and subjected to other penalties, in addition to having to pay the wages they owe to their employees. In Germany, for example, companies can be fined as much as €500,000 ($594,000) and under certain circumstances, also be excluded from public contracts for violating minimum wage laws. The UK government recently began publishing a list that “names and shames” employers that violated the country’s minimum wage law.

The most recent list contained 139 employers that were investigated for minimum wage violations between 2016 and 2018. It included Tesco, a major supermarket chain, the restaurant chain Pizza Hut and many smaller businesses. Combined, these 139 employers failed to pay more than £6.7 million ($9.3 million) to more than 95,000 employees.

Fortunately, there are steps employers can take to avoid violations of the minimum wage laws. Occasionally, there are dishonest employers out there, but many violations of minimum wage laws are unintentional and can be prevented with attention to detail and good recordkeeping. For instance, the British government found that “over-deducting” to the point that the employee’s hourly rate of pay fell below the legally required amount was the most common reason for violations of the minimum wage law. Meals, parking, uniforms and training were some of the most common deductions and charges.

Three additional actions will prevent employers from making other common mistakes.

1. Keep Your Knowledge Updated About The Current Minimum Wage

As simple as this sounds, it is easy to overlook a change in the law or forget to raise employees’ wages when it changes. In many countries, a new minimum wage is set every year, or sometimes, multiple times a year. The minimum wage may also be higher for employees in a certain age range, professions, or based on other criteria. Periodic audits to ensure that every employee is being paid the appropriate wage can ensure a business keeps up with the law.

2. Accurately Track Employee Hours

Employers should track their employees’ time precisely and make sure that employees are paid for all the time they work, including the time they are working before and after their scheduled shifts. Employers should also be careful when rounding off employees’ hours; rounding hours down when they should be rounded up can lead to an undercount of an employee’s hours and hence, underpayment.

3. Ensure Correct Employee Classification

Treating an employee as a contractor or self-employed can have serious consequences. Likewise, believing that an employee is salaried when they are hourly can result in an employee being paid what turns out to be an hourly rate below the minimum wage.

The minimum wage is a simple enough idea but complying with it is not always simple. It can be tempting just to do a quick Google search to find the current amount of the minimum wage, make sure that the company’s records show everyone is being paid at least that much and call it a day.

Unfortunately, that sort of quick process may not be enough. A proper minimum wage audit begins with looking up the current minimum wage, preferably from a government website, an official government publication or a trusted platform and then checking closely to make sure each employee is receiving an appropriate wage. Taking the time to be thorough once or twice a year can avoid a lot of embarrassment and expense later.

Are You Paying Your Employees the Correct Wage? was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Global expansion is a fantastic way to test new markets and gain proximity to new audiences, talent and even raw materials. Yet, for businesses seeking to expand, it can also be a complex and uncertain process.

Having worked in this field for more than seven years helping companies to realize their goals of going global, I have been fortunate to see many companies successfully launch into new territories. While each of these growing companies were unique, they all used the same strategies to cement their success in their chosen locale. Experience has taught me that companies which implement these strategies tend to be the most successful in new markets.

Here are the four key strategies that every expanding business should consider:

1. Get the Basics Right

Expansion must start with data, a solid foundation of insight and intelligence that ensures the company is making the right choice of region. Next, they must consider the logistics of hiring in another country, planning how they will legally and compliantly employ and payroll any employees in their new location.

Some businesses will choose to employ contractual staff to start operations, perhaps on a short-term basis. Others will prefer to create their own entity in the new market, fully aware of the list of requirements for incorporation in the country. Entity setup can be a lengthy process and include capital investments, locally based company directors and many other long-term commitments. Of course, opening a new local entity is just the beginning; companies must ensure they meet all HR requirements, labor laws and payroll obligations, including taxes and benefits that comply with local legal responsibilities that come with operating in the country.

The simpler — and faster — approach is to partner with external specialists, such as an Employer of Record, who can facilitate all the local legal requirements for employment and HR, tax and compliance on a company’s behalf. These allow them to expand, onboard, manage and pay new or relocated employees worldwide without needing to invest in, or commit to, untested markets.

Getting business operational and compliant must be the first concern for any expanding company so that they can hit the ground running in the new location. Not choosing the right method for your business will cost you time, money and missed opportunities.

2. Companies Benefit from Local Insight and Connections

Entering a new market comes with a unique set of complexities for every business. The most successful companies use local insights to increase their chances of success; understanding the cultural and language barriers, customs in the region and local ways of working, can make or break a new player in a foreign market. Without understanding how a country does business, including all the small, local nuances, companies risk missing potential business opportunities or even unknowingly cause offense.

This is easily avoidable. A great strategy is to hire at least some of the new employees from the local talent pool; they will be more familiar with the region and its customs and can ensure the company makes the right impression on the new market. In addition, they may be gateways to a new go-to-market approach, a potential network of prospects and perhaps even their first client. Working with local insights ensures that your new operations start with a bang!

3. Bolstering Your In-house Capabilities

Some companies attempt to realize their global expansion goals by increasing their in-house capabilities and project-managing the entire operation themselves. Unfortunately, many of these attempts falter when they run into the reality of dealing with complex, constantly changing local HR and labor law requirements. Other companies struggle to allocate the resources and people required to set up and run their own entities and manage the global HR and payroll requirements, while also supporting the employees with local payroll, benefits, global mobility and other urgent needs.

To be clear, there is absolutely no room for cutting corners when it comes to international HR, payroll and compliance; however, there are ways to remove many of the challenges associated with expansion.

A great strategy is to partner with experts, such as an Employer of Record, who can bolster in-house capabilities and provide the infrastructure and local expertise critical for global expansion. They understand the local HR landscape, the people and their culture — both in and out of the workplace — and, perhaps most importantly, are trained and equipped to be compliant with all local rules.

Recognizing your resource limitations allows you to focus on growth and sustainability in new markets, rather than waste time and energy on things that can otherwise be better handled by specialists.

4. Ongoing Support for International Operations

New operations are often run with a skeletal staff during market testing, with businesses relying remotely on the experience of a few people to bring their new operations to life. Unfortunately, a potential consequence to that pressure is employee burnout and subsequent demotivation. This could potentially derail expansion plans.

Making sure employees feel valued and supported every step of the way is key to providing a great work experience. This is particularly important for employees outside of the company’s home base. A great way to achieve that is to work with local external specialists, who can advise and support employees with everything they need locally, in the right language and time zone. This helps companies maintain high retention and low churn rates while creating advocates for their business in the new region.

Another benefit of working with these experts is the advice they can give on the legality of actualizing further ambitions, providing companies with the knowledge to confidently move into new markets. This type of ongoing support is a powerful asset that deeply engages with clients, combining market knowledge and domain expertise to ensure compliant operations.

Ultimately, while it’s easy to focus initially on the logistical and legal details of setting up operations in a new market, is important to remember that employees are at the heart of everything you do. Setting them up for success is the best way to get yourself on the path to success.

Expanding globally is not a simple task. But with the support and guidance of experts and partners with experience and infrastructure to help actualize these goals, it can be. While you will need to find what works best for your industry, pace and requirements, adopting some or all of these strategies will form a robust foundation for any global expansion plans and help propel your new operations to the next level.

Strategies for Success in International Expansion was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Earlier this year we embarked on a new product launch and in the back of my mind, there was a daunting statistic. 80%.

That’s the failure rate for new projects. Yet despite this and adjusting to the “new normal” we successfully launched Expandopedia — our new global Business Intelligence Platform — in September.

So, how did we succeed where so many have struggled? Collaboration! As a Project Manager, it’s my role to orchestrate collaboration across different teams, personalities, timezones and expectations.

Behind the launch of Expandopedia, there’s a whole lot of numbers but probably the most important is 5,300. That’s the number of Expandopedia-related e-mails I received.

Each message was a decision, question, discussion, recommendation or a problem to solve. And every single one represents the scale of collaboration and cooperation behind the project. It’s a pretty big number but totally normal for a big program like creating a new business.

This endeavor involved so many people across the business as everyone held the keys to success. Whether it’s great vision and incredible executive-level support or amazing commitment from the team and dedicated project management.

Often, people think Project Management is simple.

“Projects manage themselves.”

“It’s just a question of accountability”

“This is just a list of tasks. Let’s just assign them and people will do their work!”

I’ve heard these statements used on previous projects and the reality is that this almost, never happens. There are always gaps, uncertainties to manage, miscommunication and random events we hadn’t anticipated.

Large, ambitious projects need a conductor to organize everything, which often means a Project Manager is needed.

A Project Manager is an expert in managing scope, cost, time, risks, procurement and stakeholders. We are also committed to promoting good governance while streamlining communication.

But what helps Project Managers succeed is a strong commitment to collaboration. We have a finite level of experience to lean on, so we depend on the team to identify gaps, propose solutions and own their area to help us succeed when the statistics are stacked against us.

Our business was focused on strong project management, best practices and processes. By placing Project Management at the heart of great ideas, anyone can avoid the pitfalls of failure and turn smart concepts into incredible new products and solutions.

Collaborating for Success was originally published in Inside Elements on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.