High-Performance Offshore Staff – with Dan Roggenkamp of Set Up My Offshore

In this podcast episode, Derek Gallimore spoke with Dan Roggenkamp, the co-founder and director of Set Up My Offshore, which assists Australian businesses in establishing their offshore operations, primarily in the Philippines.

The episode explored Dan’s expertise and its application to the outsourcing industry.

Providing quality staffing with values

Dan shared his journey and the vision behind his company’s mission. 

He stated, “We started out with a very clear vision and drive to provide high-performing staff members to businesses across Australia.” 

“My background specifically has been in systems and technology and people, and I use those three things quite together.”

Aligning company and employee performance

Dan discussed the challenges many businesses face when fostering a high-performing organizational culture. 

He noted, “If I look at an example of a lot of small businesses that we speak to in medium-sized enterprise and larger size enterprise, I think a lot of those businesses would like to think themselves as high performing.”

The director also highlighted the common practice of businesses making hiring decisions based on their current infrastructure, which may not necessarily support a high-performing culture. 

Furthermore, Dan emphasized the importance of a holistic approach.

He stated, “When we look at a staff member working remotely, there’s an extra emphasis on making sure that high performance is a holistic picture. And what I mean by holistic is combining the systems, the people, and the process in one journey.”

Effective hiring strategies

Dan discussed the recruitment process and their unique approach in the outsourcing and offshoring industry. 

He emphasized that their recruitment process was a combination of various elements. He stated, “Genuinely, it’s a blend of all those things [qualitative interviews, objective tests, and measures, and personality assessments].”

The co-founder of Setup My Offshore further explained that many potential employees in the Philippines faced extremely restrictive practices when applying and qualifying for a first-round interview at other organizations. 

According to Dan, this restrictive approach acted as a deterrent to high-quality talent. 

He stated, “A lot of staff members physically in the Philippines do have to go through very restrictive practices just to apply and qualify for a first-round interview, which we’ve found is quite a deterrent for a lot of good talent for those other organizations.”

 “So naturally, we focused on enabling good talent to find us and to enjoy the recruitment process.”

Dan also highlighted his background in psychology, which provided valuable insights into the recruitment process. 

He explained, “So my background actually originally was in psych and, you know, having access to some of you know, the more valid and reliable psychometric assessments, technical assessments, depending on the industry vertical and the technical vertical, allowed us to get the skill set right…”

Building team connectivity

Dan discussed the approach his company took when they first started. 

He mentioned, “What we did when we first started is similar to our offices here in Australia. We maintain the same set of rules and the same set of expectations in terms of working from home, working in office, etc.”

The director also discussed their physical office facilities in Manila, particularly in Eastwood, which he described as a beautiful hub. 

However, he recognized the commuting difficulties in Manila, stating, “As you would have found [Derek] living in Philippines for a while, traffic’s not your friend at all.”

He explained, “So some of our staff will work a few days from home, a few days in the office. 

Other staff will work permanently from home, and we’ll do regular monthly or quarterly visits where we’ll get together at a certain location in either bubbles or in groups. And that really helps build the connectedness across the entire team.”

Dan and his company stressed the importance of employees coming into the office and having opportunities to interact with one another. 

He said, “For everyone’s well-being and happiness, people need to get out and see people.”

Dan also added, “People need to come into the office. And we balance that between office time but obviously doing things outside the office, as well. So, building that sense of community and trying to strike that right balance is incredibly important. 

I don’t believe in any 100 percent permanent work from home, never see your colleagues is ever going to be successful, truly successful.”

Unlocking potential with AI

Dan emphasized the significant opportunity presented by AI and technology in business. 

He said, “It’s 100 percent an opportunity. And I think any business owner just holistically should really consider the opportunity [that AI] in this type of technology.”

Dan described this opportunity as a dynamic force, saying, “There is a piece that this is a moving ball, a moving ball that we can’t stop or slow down, particularly in the context of staffing.”

To know more about Set Up My Offshore, you can visit their website at https://setupmyoffshore.com.au/, or you can email Dan directly at [email protected]