Businesses Who Outsource Work Overseas Will Get Less In Return Thank You Think
This past weekend I was searching for a coder for a website project I have. Before going to the job boards and looking at Linked In, I did a Google Search online. One of the first organic search results was for a company called O'Desk.
Oh my O'Desk is an interesting freelancer website.
If you log onto O'Desk you can find SEO Specialists, Link Builders, Copywriters,Virtual Assistants, Marketing Assistants, Senior PHP/Sequel Developers, Graphic Artists and more. So far so good right? Then comes the crazy part. You can hire a worker overseas, the Phillipines seems popular, for $3/hour to build your linking strategy. Overseas coders quote 50-75% less than coders for the United States.
And right here is where you say, "Oh Rebecca, Thanks for letting me know about this site...I can afford those prices. I'll have to check it out".
Right?
Wrong. I say wrong and this is why. For every job that you give to an overseas worker, you take the business opportunity away from an able bodied and willing to work American. Does this mean I am prejudice? Do I have something against foreign workers?
I am not prejudiced. I am aggravated. I am sad.
- I am sorry to see so many people willing to work who are obviously well qualified and look at the O'Desk board to see that these U.S. workers have 50% less hours than their foreign counterparts.
- I am sorry to see the unemployment numbers rise and small and large businesses alike continue to outsource labor overseas.
- I am sorry to see solopreuners and entrepreneurs struggle to employ workers to help them with their non-revenue producing tasks and turn toward these board to have their website, blogging and social networking done for them at $3-7/hour.
I am sorry because I know that behind every displaced worker and underbid contractor there is an American who is getting the short end of the stick by their own fellow Americans. I am sorry because the Recession may be officially "over" but if unemployment rises we are headed to something much worse. I can't help but think that these moves relocate more Americans from Middle Class to Poor.
I can't help but think that these moves threaten to move America to a two class society-Have and Have Nots and no in betweens.
You may not know someone who is effected by unemployment but really you do. In six degrees of separation we are all linked to someone who is not doing well and should be given an opportunity if able, willing and ready
Instead by outsourcing work we disable the able bodied American worker.
I am not anyone's moral compass but businesses who outsource work overseas hurt your business more than you think. If we burden the very backs of those who consume and purchase products and services sold in AAmerica who will be left to purchase and who will be left to sell? The decisions we make to outsource work to foreign workers will hurt someone tomorrow.
What businesses may THINK they are saving today will be recycled to hurt them tomorrow.
It may seem painful to pay more when we could pay less. But not all moral decisions are easy decisions. Not all right steps are easy steps. I concur that sometimes the best steps can seem painful, as an entrepreneur I've had to make some of those this year.
No one said running a business was easy. No one said doing the right thing is always easy either. Does each of businesse's survival come at the expense of our American Workers. Though they are not the cheapest they are most likely the fittest.
Come on America, we are better than this and we each individually CAN do better.
Businesses Who Outsource Work Overseas Will Get Less In Return Thank You Think.
Where do consumers hang? I have said this before and I will say it again..the internet is a tool. There are many conversations taking place offline in local communities, there are many questions about lifestyle and real estate happening daily, some of these exist online, but many exist offline. As marketers we live on the internet and tunnel vision is our worst enemy. Most consumers-20-30-40-50-60- do NOT live online.