IT Staff Augmentation services are a great alternative, to support the development of specific projects or cover an urgent need. This is a smart and strategic solution that allows companies to rapidly scale in specific projects by filling up those personnel gaps they have in their teams. Through this type of work, they can subcontract professionals on a temporary basis from staff augmentation companies. Even though the concept of staff augmentation is not new for companies, it is only now that its adoption is picking up pace and more and more organizations are open to hiring their resources through an offshore staff augmentation model, accelerated by the pandemic.

There are early adopters who have already tried this service and have verified the benefits it brings to the processes and then there are those who are hesitant to take the leap. But if you are still one of those who are struggling to have this paradigm shift from the traditional method to IT Staff Augmentation, this article is for you since we are going clear those myths about this service.

Myths about IT Staff Augmentation Debunked:

1. Myth - It is Expensive

The most common myth that arises out of the recurring question about an IT Staff Augmentation company is whether it is more expensive than hiring fixed or permanent staff. Companies do the mistake of counting the hourly rates of augmented resources compared to that of the salaries of permanent employees, which can be misleading, as these don't show the entire picture. Whereas when you evaluate the expense for permanent employees you can find out that they come with a lot of direct and in-direct expenses and overheads like health insurance, worker’s compensation, legal requirements, infrastructure cost, personal developments, L&D programs etc. which cumulatively sum up to a lot more than the expense required for an augmented staff member.

2. Myth - No control over the projects and the IT Staff Augmentation Resources hired

Companies are skeptical about the fact that hiring a dedicated development team for a project through offshore IT staff augmentation model, there will be no control over it and the result won’t be as expected. Often companies are of the view that the company that offers the staff augmentation services will be in charge of the authority in the project and will make the important decisions and they won’t have a hold over the project.

In fact, having incorporated developers, who will work exclusively for the contracting company, the commitment with the project and the company’s vision will be impeccable. When a company wants to augment their staff, the different types of service there are need to be taken into account, and in this way, decide which one better suits their project. In staff augmentation more control over the recruitment and management of a project.

3. Communication issues and time differences

The offshore model gives the impression that dedicated teams working from different geographical areas would create a restriction of matching time zones, which will prevent communication to be carried out in a proper way. Whereas considering it as a cohesive team that is being hired as part of a company and not a group of independent contractors, having clear communication lines inside the team saves the company headaches due to possible inconveniences with communication over the course of the project

The technological tools of communication and project management, without, a doubt can give a correct direction to this common myth.

4. Less quality and productive work

Productivity and quality are often questioned and doubted when it comes to contracting IT staff augmentation services. This may be assumed due to many factors like remote working mode, communication obstacles, and other issues like time and cultural differences.  

But actually, there are successful cases in the Staff Augmentation companies in the US that prove that the staff augmentation model supports operating efficiency by permitting flexible work platforms. The individuals take responsibility for productivity and efficiency with dedication when working from a flexible set-up.  

5. It is too risky and there are no long-term benefits

• The greatest impediment in the way of a company’s decision of augmenting their IT staff, is that they think they would be taking a chance and their project will not be taken seriously or with the responsibility, it requires with a such team.

The knowledge of the fact that the company that offers the Staff Augmentation services follows certain processes before hiring can assure the contracting company that they are taking the right decision. The process includes a pre-selection and selection process, those who adjust accordingly to the profile needed and those who are trained to carry out the job.  

6. Security of data is risky

Security is one of the biggest concerns companies have while outsourcing their work . That includes security of privacy and confidentiality. The only way to tackle this problem and ensure the security of data to conduct a thorough check of the company you plan to outsource resources from. The data policies of the Staff Augmentation Company should be compliant with those of your organization and scrutinize the repercussions in the case of the occurrence of any data breach. It is essential for companies to sign a formal NDA (Non- disclosure agreement) with the resource and staff augmentation company before commencing any work. These practices safeguard the contracting companies against any data or privacy breach activities.

IT staff augmentation services empower businesses with better and more effective recruitment solutions for their staffing requirements and even though there are a few myths circling this HR-friendly method of recruitment, we can confidently say that before reaching any conclusion, it is important for businesses to understand the logic behind them, in order to extract the most of benefits from the same.