A recent WSJ piece on the topic of Office Outsourcing has reignited the globalization debate. The headline pretty nails it: Next Wave of Remote Work Is About Outsourcing Jobs Overseas. Most of the conversations are about the politics of globalization, but for many of us, that (cargo) ship sailed a long time ago. The real story is what happens once a global team is in place? What are the challenges or hiring and managing international remote teams? If done wrong, hiring overseas with the goal of saving money can be one of the most expensive decisions a company can make.

While bosses say they want their people back face-to-face, employees want more flexibility deciding where they work, and this is leading to more businesses taking a middle path commonly called hybrid work. But this approach can be harder than bringing people back to the office or having them work fully remote. Welcome to the complicated world of hybrid work.

We are living and working in a shrinking world. Technology has allowed us to blur international lines and make connection and collaboration easier than ever. How we listen and understand our remote colleagues can hinder or propel us to our business success.