Do You Hire Foreigners?

[fisicx]

The times when you could get cheap hardworking overseas labour is nearly over. They have seen how much their UK couterparts can earn and get away with and are now starting to demand the same. I'm not even sure they work as hard anymor. And the low cost builders were great at making the job look good but the actual quality often wasn't the best.

As an aside, Indian IT now costs almist the same as it does in the UK. Which is why they are now starting to struggle, firms are bringing their business back home (as it were).

Select your new staff on their competence not their cost or country of origin.

PS, who is the girl in your avatar? She looks a little vacant (not saying she is, that's just how she looks to me).

 

[sirearl]

GDP per capita OECD figures for 2013 -

Sweden $57,110
Denmark $59,890
Norway $98,080
Luxembourg $79,785
Austria $49,580
Finland $48,810
Germany $44,020
Belgium $46,610
Switzerland $83,330
Netherlands $50,090
France $42,380
Ireland $47,480
UK $39,183

Britain is the 6th richest country in the world.

Seems we ain't so good at sharing as some.

 

[The Byre]

Britain is the 6th richest country in the world.

Seems we ain't so good at sharing as some.

You are confusing wealth with size.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

But you are right to say that we are not good at sharing, we have the largest difference between rich and poor of any European country, so our poor and far poorer than comparable economies.

 

[Banksbroo]

I'm not predudiced, but I would think twice before employing someone from, um, Suffolk. Just can't be trusted.

As for Jocks, well everyone knows they are ginger and drink all day. Completely unsuited to floor sanding.

BTW - great job in promoting your company.

 

[WHARTY]

Our company doesn't think "all foreign workers are better than UK workers". We only consider hiring foreigners because most of them are not too picky when it comes to hard work and salary. 2014 was a difficult year for Great Floor Sanding and our manager wants to cut some expenses. This is the sad truth!

2014 is a difficult year, you want to cut expenses, yet hire 10 new employees? Are you firing 10 employees and replacing them with cheap foreigners?

 

[SwindonSteve]

I wrote a fairly long reply to this but it didn't get posted for some reason so I'll skip straight to the points

1) Some of the posts on this thread could be considered racist, especially the ones that all but call the British lazy etc, if they were said about any other nationality or race.

2) The OP is, as has been said got this whole approach wrong. Look at skills, ability, compatibility and potential. Worry about right to work if they tick the boxes on the aforementioned.

3) I am an expat who has previously been homeless and penniless in a foreign country and believe me, I worked for people, in conditions and for wages that I wouldn't have considered in different circumstances. I could have legally and rightfully claimed benefits but chose not to.

4) I have worked with and employed people from all four corners of the globe and I can tell you for a fact, half have been a waste of space, the other half have been great, some almost as good as me ;-)! The good ones are usually the ones who haven't got a pot to do the proverbial in (see above), two of which are still with me. The others tend to move on because they're craps, or can and do go further. The generalisations being made are quite frankly, bo11ocks.

 

[SwindonSteve]

Oh and I also remember growing up with news reports about how the British were working the longest hours and were the most productive in Europe. I think that's changed shortly after the 1997 General Election.

 

[Faevilangel]

Spot on Steve, saying a Polish man will work harder than a British man is rubbish as it will depend on their own circumstances and up bringing.

 

[simon field]

However, what is really important for us is to know which foreigners have the best reputation.

Ok Cristina, let's cut to the chase: It's the ginger ones

 

[sirearl]

You are confusing wealth with size.

.

Nope but I might be confusing wealth with greed.

To many people in the UK getting paid for nothing,a parasitic society.

Hedge funds control it all ,and its an exclusive club.

 

[K-rado]

"Spot on Steve, saying a Polish man will work harder than a British man is rubbish as it will depend on their own circumstances and up bringing."

Seriously. Read the original post as I have already mentioned. In all fairness, the OP asked a fair question and banter has diverged this post into a needless off-shoot that has no right or wrong answer least of all a place on a business forum. Whats worse, there is a site moderator throwing a tuppence into the pot when he should be keeping the topic, on topic. Might I suggest you change the title to "hire of a non-UK workforce". K.

 

[SwindonSteve]

I have and I stand by by my statements.

Perhaps the OP should have thought about the original post in more detail?

Perhaps you should also consider the potential controversy a post such as this could invoke?

 

[Faevilangel]

"Spot on Steve, saying a Polish man will work harder than a British man is rubbish as it will depend on their own circumstances and up bringing."

Seriously. Read the original post as I have already mentioned. In all fairness, the OP asked a fair question and banter has diverged this post into a needless off-shoot that has no right or wrong answer least of all a place on a business forum. Whats worse, there is a site moderator throwing a tuppence into the pot when he should be keeping the topic, on topic. Might I suggest you change the title to "hire of a non-UK workforce". K.

The OP asked: Do you recommend workers from a certain country that are generally hard-working?

I therefor answered with my post, which was on topic and a reply to the OP's question.

 

[RedOnion]

The OP asked: Do you recommend workers from a certain country that are generally hard-working?

I therefor answered with my post, which was on topic and a reply to the OP's question.

That was the original question, but later seemed to turn in to "Where can I get the cheapest workers from?" The OP wants to cut costs, so wants a cheap work force, not sure she is necessarily looking for the hardest working.

 

[SwindonSteve]

That was the original question, but later seemed to turn in to "Where can I get the cheapest workers from?" The OP wants to cut costs, so wants a cheap work force, not sure she is necessarily looking for the hardest working.

So... She's asking for cheap employees...

 

[Office Cleaning]

I cant understand how this post is allowed? Of course we hire people from abroad, we dont hire them because they are from abroad but because they are suitable.
Are you seriously running a poll using a criteria based upon ethnicity? Is the OP's highlighting of the Germans as superior workers some sort of sick joke? You do know what happened, oh I dont know, say 100 years ago or even 75?
Xenophobia? Racism? Ignorance? Where to start?

 

[japancool]

Don't tell me - cheap compared to our (once) 'flourishing' labour market? You know, the one where plumbers 'wouldn't get out of bed for less than £200 a day'?

£200 a day? My plumber doesn't come round for less than £200 an HOUR...

 

[japancool]

Why not ask the foreigners, instead of a bunch of natives on a business forum?

I'm a foreigner.

 

[japancool]

Hmmm and what do you expect them to say? Are they supposed to answer honestly?

Are you calling me a liar?

 

[japancool]

My dad was rewiring houses for roughly 2 grand ten years ago. 10 years later he's still rewiring them for roughly 2 grand, but the materials have doubled in price, so he's effectively taken a pay cut.

What is level about that playing field?

Ten years ago, I used to commute to London to work. Cost me about £42 for a round trip.

It now costs £98. My wages haven't doubled in that time. So I'm not sure what you're complaining about.

 

[japancool]

I know a certain company that hired an Argentinian last year, who couldn't even speak English. He did amazingly, and has sadly been poached by one of their London competitors.

By contrast, one of the biggest companies - perhaps the biggest - in that sector hired a Scotsman, had-picked by his predecessor. Their last year was, by their standards, appalling. The Scotsman lost his job, and after a brief flirtation with a Welshman taking temporary charge, the company has now turned to a Dutchman, who has very good credentials and has recently had some international success. Their new year hasn't got off to a flying start though.

Just goes to show, you hire the right people for the job, never mind the nationality.

 

[KM-Tiger]

The poll leaves out the nationality with the strongest work ethic of all which is the Strines.

 

[japancool]

No love for the 'Merkins?

 

[Blood Lust]

Hi there!
Our floor sanding company is about to hire 10 new employees next month. We have only hired people from the UK so far. We don't have any experience in hiring people from other countries. So, could you help us by answering some of these questions:

What experience do you have with foreign employees?
Do you think it's a good idea to hire people from abroad and why?
Do you recommend workers from a certain country that are generally hard-working?

Three things are important:
1 - Is the foreign candidate the best for the job?
2 - Is their English good enough to avoid problems with customers?
3 - Are your customers largely patriotic/nationalistic?
4 - Are a lot of your customers foreigners?

Our society may promote equality but many people avoid companies using Indian call centres and employing foreign staff. Know your customer. If a large percentage of them wont take kindly to you employing foreigners make sure if you do employ some that they are back office staff. This usually only applies to non Western Europeans, the Spanish are usually liked.

Likewise if most of your customers are foreigners you want foreign workers out front dealing with them. Doing so will bring you extra revenue as their perception of your business will be favourable.

 

[Talay]

Each version of Johnny Foreigner comes with their own problems. Each version of Mr UK comes with their set of (usually) different problems. They both come with a similar set of similar problems.

 

[LeafletsInLincs]

"Of course we want to hire people who can do the job, but there are so many job applicants and it's hard to interview all of them."

What an awful approach to hiring people.

You cannot select interviewees based on what country they originate from and you cannot really make generalizations like this.

 

[sirbrandy]

Is this a case of offshore outsourcing? That was how I understood it the first time I read the question.

If yes, then this should be a good read:
Offshore Outsourcing: Which Country Should You Hire From?

The answer could be summed up to "hiring where talent is available."

There are countries with more skilled developers, others with more native english speaking people and other with more talented designers.

No matter where in the world they are, that is where you will hire them. The challenge then would be finding one that would exactly match the skill you are looking for in the first place. But then, that is another story.

 

[WHARTY]

I know a certain company that hired an Argentinian last year, who couldn't even speak English. He did amazingly, and has sadly been poached by one of their London competitors.

By contrast, one of the biggest companies - perhaps the biggest - in that sector hired a Scotsman, had-picked by his predecessor. Their last year was, by their standards, appalling. The Scotsman lost his job, and after a brief flirtation with a Welshman taking temporary charge, the company has now turned to a Dutchman, who has very good credentials and has recently had some international success. Their new year hasn't got off to a flying start though.

Just goes to show, you hire the right people for the job, never mind the nationality.

I was expecting an Englishman and an Irishman somewhere in that.

 

[nelioneil]

I know a certain company that hired an Argentinian last year, who couldn't even speak English. He did amazingly, and has sadly been poached by one of their London competitors.

By contrast, one of the biggest companies - perhaps the biggest - in that sector hired a Scotsman, had-picked by his predecessor. Their last year was, by their standards, appalling. The Scotsman lost his job, and after a brief flirtation with a Welshman taking temporary charge, the company has now turned to a Dutchman, who has very good credentials and has recently had some international success. Their new year hasn't got off to a flying start though.

Just goes to show, you hire the right people for the job, never mind the nationality.

Any problem in life can be explained by football events

 

[UKSBD]

I was expecting an Englishman and an Irishman somewhere in that.

And someone from a swamp?

 

[japancool]

Any problem in life can be explained by football events

I wasn't sure if anyone got it.

 

[japancool]

Is this a case of offshore outsourcing? That was how I understood it the first time I read the question.

Given that they're a floor sanding company, I would think that's unlikely.

 

[MASSEY]

Ten years ago, I used to commute to London to work. Cost me about £42 for a round trip.

It now costs £98. My wages haven't doubled in that time. So I'm not sure what you're complaining about.

Hmmm, well i think most people in the UK complain about how the cost of everything is going up but wages are largely staying the same.

And why are wages staying the same? It's because we have too many people hunting for the same jobs / unvetted immigration.

As the links to the economic side of things point out, the UK may have the 6th largest GDP but that is a vanity figure, the sanity figures show that compared to many countries we're piss poor.

 

[UKSBD]

Given that they're a floor sanding company, I would think that's unlikely.

I think you will find there is a little more to them than that.

 

[ITM House]

Cheap sounds offensive. But yes, it is cheaper to hire foreigners. Don't you agree?

Not always. If you hire a professional, there is a high chance that it won't be much cheaper. Professionals know how much do they cost regardless of the location. At least I can say that for Eastern European employees. That is why it's better not to pay attention to the country, but to the professional skills & experience.

 

[sirearl]

And why are wages staying the same? It's because we have too many people hunting for the same jobs / unvetted immigration.

That is not the major problem.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/mar/22/robot-jobs-humans-used-to-do-fight-back

 

[Nuno]

Foreign robots coming over here taking our robots' jobs?
Cutting edge complaint there...

 

[japancool]

As the links to the economic side of things point out, the UK may have the 6th largest GDP but that is a vanity figure, the sanity figures show that compared to many countries we're piss poor.

Compared to which countries, for example?

 

[japancool]

I think you will find there is a little more to them than that.

I might have misunderstood. I was just going by this:

Our floor sanding company is about to hire 10 new employees next month.

 

[Concept Vehicle Leasing]

Sure someone will be along to clarify the legal position but I'm quite sure you can't set out with the intention to hire a foreigner based on the fact that you assume they work better for less money.

Its discriminatory, but most of all, its going to rule out a good number of people who may be perfectly fit for the job.

We're not talking about vehicles. We're talking about a workforce of people who you want to recruit from, and your methods are frankly bizarre.

Even being complementary to the Germans sounds bizarre. Have you sampled a sufficient number of Germans to make that judgement?

Put your prejudices aside, write a job spec of what is required and decide what you're going to pay, and see who you get.

From that batch, shortlist based on merit and interview the best.

I'm not offended, but I don't think asking on the internet about people's experiences is in any way a good approach to the challenge of recruiting someone in your area for your job.

THIS makes sense! Very good advice!