Anyone who’s played sports knows that a champion team will beat a team of champions any day of the week. Well, the same is true for your offshore accounting team.
To be successful, your offshore team will need to be good at what they do and have the right systems, training, and accountability, but without a team culture and camaraderie in place, all of your investment of time and money could go to waste.
How do you take your group of skilled individuals and turn them into premiership contenders?
Culture: The X-Factor in Offshore Success
Culture is an intangible quality where everyone’s energy is high, and people seem to genuinely want to perform well. They also seem to have the most fun doing it. In speaking with many firms each week, here’s what I’ve noticed about culture.
Having a great culture in your home country doesn’t automatically guarantee you’ll have a good one in your offshore team. It takes effort, but there are some simple things I’ve seen other firms do that you can do, too.
Virtual Integration
Inclusion is key. By involving your offshore team in company events, even virtually, you can foster a sense of belonging. For example, if your Australian team participates in end-of-quarter drinks or dinner events, consider replicating this experience for your offshore team. Virtual gatherings help build camaraderie and ensure that your offshore staff feel like an integral part of the team.
Do you have a footy-tipping competition? Why not invite your Filipino colleagues to participate? They may not know much about the sport, but what a great way to learn!
Team Bonding Trips
Nothing beats spending time face-to-face, whether that’s for training or simple team bonding. At Frontline, we hold a Team-Building Trip in the first half of the year, where firms and staff all go to a resort for three days to participate in team-building activities, sing karaoke, and get some rest and relaxation. You can come to Manila earlier or stay later to spend some time training your team in the office and get to know them on a more personal level.
If you can’t make the trip, don’t stress. We have our Christmas Party in November, and you can also visit your team whenever you’d like.
The next step is bringing the staff to your country. It’s another great opportunity to train in your office, get to know your team on a more personal level, and for them to get to know their colleagues and culture.
Recognising Achievements
Celebrating achievements and milestones as a unified team reinforces a shared sense of purpose and belonging.
And everyone likes a pat on the back from time to time, right?
Whether it’s completing a major project or hitting a key performance indicator, acknowledging these successes across the entire team fosters a cohesive and motivated workforce.
It might be something as simple as buying your staff a Starbucks for meeting a deadline early, celebrating their birthdays with a virtual song and a cake delivered by Frontline, or sending them flowers for their anniversary. You can do hundreds of little things to recognise achievement and show appreciation.
Conclusion
While you’ll always need to have people who are good at their job, with the right systems, training and accountability in place to ensure success, culture will guarantee that your team can go to the next level and win the accounting premiership!
Connect with me on: LinkedIn.com/in/adrianbeales
P.S. Ready to transform your offshore team into a high-performing, collaborative powerhouse? Frontline Accounting can help build a strong team culture that drives engagement, productivity, and success. Schedule a Discovery Call today, and let's discuss how we can help you unlock the full potential of your offshore team.
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