8 Ways to Manage Offshore Employees for Accounting Firms

Your offshore accountants can be as effective as your in-house team if you manage them well. But how can you do it if they’re miles and hours away from you? 

Let's talk about the common challenges of outsourcing offshore accountants and the eight (8) effective ways to manage offshore employees for your accounting firm.

Why work with offshore accountants?

Compared to the traditional work setup where your employees report to the office every day, the remote work setup is still a fairly new idea. We're still in the trial-and-error stage where we test different ways to make it work. We can’t also deny that it’s here to stay; it’s no longer the future that we’ve once thought of but a reality we must accept if we aim to remain competitive, especially in attracting and retaining top accounting professionals. 

For accounting firms, having remote employees can be a combination of hiring in-house employees who can work virtually or working with offshore accountants who provide finance and accounting support services. 

If it’s your first time hearing about offshore accountants, in the context of outsourcing, they’re the accounting professionals who work for an external vendor operating from a different country. They render their services as employees of your chosen vendor and not as your direct employees. This, in itself, is already an advantage given that you’re receiving the accounting support you need without being tied to any employer-employee responsibilities. 

Related: Key Differences Between Employee vs Independent Contractor vs Outsourcing 

For one of our accounting firm clients, getting outsourced offshore accountants frees them up from recruitment woes.  

“I don’t have to think about resourcing and staffing, and that’s part of why I want an outsourcing firm. I don’t want to have to think about staffing. I want you guys to think about staffing,” shares Remco Marcelis, the co-founder and CEO of Standard Ledger.  

D&V Philippines’ engagement with Standard Ledger started in 2015. Back then, they only have operations in Australia. Today, they have expanded to the United Kingdom, with our outsourcing partnership still intact and going strong. 

Of course, cost is also a huge driving factor for outsourcing. As long as you’re working with a reliable service provider, you can use this as an effective strategy to cut costs while maintaining service quality. 

These are only some of the benefits you can get from working with an offshore accountant. Should you be interested in learning more, we’ve written a more extensive discussion on this topic: 7 Reasons Why You Should Work with Offshore Accountants. 

5 common challenges of managing offshore accountants

Before you can experience the benefits of having outsourced offshore accountants, you must be aware first of the challenges that come with them. In most cases, it’s not about the talent themselves; the challenges often stem from miscommunication and a lack of proper outsourcing governance. 

Acknowledging these concerns early in the process can reward you with an outsourcing partnership that strengthens your ability to provide quality services to your firm’s clients.

1. Communication barriers

Communication is essential in effective people management, more so when your outsourced team comes from a different country. 

In most cases, communication barriers start to build up because of: 

• Language differences 

• Varying accents 

• Cultural communication styles 

• Time zone differences 

• Technical jargon 

• Industry/Business terminology 

• Minimal opportunity for non-verbal communication 

These nuances in communications can cause misunderstandings even when English proficiency is high, as the case of accounting professionals from the Philippines. 

Another point to consider is the close to non-existent non-verbal communication when working remotely. As such, it becomes harder to gauge your team’s confusion and frustrations. If these communication barriers pile up, the progress of your outsourcing engagement may also slow down. 

2. Quality control difficulties

Maintaining consistent quality standards across different locations and work environments is another major concern when managing offshore accountants.  Without clear guidelines, the quality guidelines they deem acceptable may fall short of your expectations. 

Differences in accounting software proficiency and technical skill levels can also result in inconsistent work output. Even if your offshore team is highly qualified, if they’re unfamiliar with how things work on your end, quality issues may possibly arise. 

3. Time zone management

Offshore accountants are usually situated in a country with a different time zone due to factors such as cost efficiency and talent availability. That's why when urgent tasks or last-minute client requests come in, there’s a probability that your offshore team may not be available to respond right away. 

Setting meetings during your normal business hours may also be a challenge since it often falls outside of their schedule. Unless you set a standard working time for them that overlaps with your schedule, it can be tough to give them updates and vice versa. 

Holiday calendars for different countries rarely line up as well. A holiday in the Philippines doesn’t mean U.S. tax deadlines will adjust. If not managed properly, this misalignment can put pressure on both sides and disrupt workflow. 

4. Legal and compliance complexities

Data privacy regulations add another layer of responsibility when you choose to work with an outsourced accounting team.  

For instance, rules such as GDPR require firms to meet strict compliance standards when client information crosses borders. At times, these requirements may even conflict with local laws in your offshore team’s country. 

Professional licensing is another concern. Some accounting tasks in the U.S. require specific credentials that only onshore accountants can apply for.  

For example, outsourced accountants can be tax preparers, but they don’t have representation rights to the IRS. Thus, they can’t file returns. In this case, your tax accounting team can be a combination of in-house and outsourced accountants. Your workflow should then accommodate the needs from both parties, which can then be another challenging area to manage at the beginning. 

5. Cultural and work style differences

Cultural differences can affect how your offshore accountants understand instructions and priorities. A directive that feels clear to you may come across differently to them, which can then lead to misalignment in deadlines and output. 

Expectations around work-life balance also vary. Some teams may value strict separation between personal time and work, while others may approach it more flexibly. Management style is another factor. What you may see as constructive feedback in your local culture may be perceived negatively elsewhere.  

The way you deal with the challenges listed above will determine the success of your offshore accounting engagement. However, instead of seeing them as setbacks, treat them as opportunities to improve your processes and strengthen relationships with your offshore team. 

8 effective ways to manage your offshore accounting team

How can you turn the challenges presented above into your advantage? Here are 8 effective ways to manage your offshore accounting team.

1. Implement clear communication guidelines

As mentioned earlier, communication can be one of the biggest barriers in a remote work setup. But with clear communication guidelines, it’s also an area you can easily improve. 

An ideal way to get started is to set a schedule that works for both parties.

For example, if you’re from the United States and you’re starting an engagement with an outsourcing company from the Philippines, there can be some 12-hour difference between you and your offshore team. Some of our U.S. clients here at D&V Philippines prefer to have their offshore team work simultaneously with their onshore team. The catch is, it’s usually nighttime in the Philippines during those hours. Meaning, accountants have to work the night shift. It may not be suitable for everyone, especially for people who function well during daytime. 

Other clients, meanwhile, require their team to work on a schedule that overlaps with them by at least four hours. This can be enough to receive updates and for the offshore team members to ask questions. If it isn’t really necessary to be with your team during the eight-hour work duration, this could be a better option. Afterall, your team is being supervised by a team lead or a senior-level accountant.

Other ways to improve communication include: 

• Using a main communication tool for daily check-ins 

• Creating different channels based on the urgency of the topic (e.g., urgent matters, regular updates, simple catchups) 

• Documenting your communication guidelines and expectations 

• Specifying the required response times for different types of messages 

• Developing escalation procedures for urgent matters 

2. Use of project management systems

Provided that you can’t meet with your offshore accountants face-to-face, it’s essential to invest in a reliable project management system. 

With this tool, you can get real-time visibility into their current workload distribution, task progression, project updates, and deadlines without micromanaging them. 

3. Offer comprehensive training and documentation

Never assume your offshore accountants understand your specific processes, even if they're highly qualified CPAs. Remember, you’re dealing with clients from different industries with nuanced practices and regulations. Your firm itself may have unique processes and policies. 

To help your offshore team start on the right foot, it’s crucial to have detailed documentation of your procedures, be it about client onboarding or even the month-end closing process. 

You should also consider recording video tutorials for complex tasks and software-specific procedures. Doing this may take some time at first, but will save you from repeating the same training every time a new team member comes in. 

Scheduling regular training sessions is also necessary. Through this, your offshore team can stay on top of any applicable regulatory changes. 

4. Set clear performance metrics

Setting expectations is another good practice when starting an outsourcing engagement.  

As a start, prepare specific and measurable performance metrics that outline what your offshore accountants should do and complete to meet your expectations. Instead of using vague expectations, you should use specific targets related to turnaround times, accuracy rates, quality scores, and the like. 

5. Implement strict data security and compliance measures

See to it that your offshore accountants follow the same strict security measures as your local team.  

Put proper data protection measures in place, such as: 

• Secure file sharing 

• Encrypted communication 

• Access controls 

• User permissions and audit trails (for cloud-based accounting software) 

Make sure as well that your team’s aware of compliance requirements applicable to your firm. This can include GDPR, HIPAA, ISO-related standards, and other applicable industry regulations. 

To further increase their awareness and ensure compliance, you must also provide regular training on data privacy and require signed confidentiality agreements from all team members. 

6. Establish regular feedback and review cycles

Offshore accountants may not openly say it to you, but most of them value constructive feedback. Many accountants are competitive people who work hard to finish their degree and get their licenses, so it’s natural for the majority of them to seek growth. They want to know how they’re doing, if you’re satisfied with their performance, what else they can improve, and if they can still grow when they choose to continue working with you.  

Holding back your feedback or denying them of any mentorship and/or coaching opportunities only makes them feel that their professional growth has already plateaued. This may result in work dissatisfaction, and when push comes to shove, an increased turnover rate.  

Even if your offshore team works remotely, show them that their work matters. Spend enough time to share your feedback about their performance and address their work-related concerns. And of course, let them know that you’re actually listening to their possible grievances. 

At least once or twice a year, set up formal review processes that look at both their technical and soft skills. These reviews help you identify training opportunities and support professional development. 

7. Create standardized quality control processes

Develop clear quality control checklists for every type of work your offshore accounting team handles, be it about technical accuracy, formatting, and client-specific requirements. 

You can also set up a multi-stage review process before final delivery such as peer reviews, supervisor checks, and a final partner review for more complex work. 

8. Treat your offshore team the same way as your onshore employees

If you want to bring out the best from your offshore accountant, you should make them feel like part of your team and not just some outsider who completes work on your behalf. Whenever appropriate, include them in meetings, company updates, and strategy discussions to help them feel engaged and aligned with your accounting firm. Let them meet with your full-time in-house team as well. 

Another good practice is to acknowledge their achievements publicly as recognition boosts morale and loyalty. It can be about a tight deadline met, great client feedback, or new skills gained. 

Hire offshore accountants in the Philippines

As an accounting outsourcing company, D&V Philippines understand the unique challenges accounting firms face when working with offshore teams. That’s why we designed our outsourced accounting services to integrate seamlessly with your existing operations and provide you with the support you need in expanding your firm’s operational capacity. 

If you’d like to know if we’re a suitable outsourcing partner for your firm, contact us today. You can also download our whitepaper, D&V Philippines: Your Talent Sourcing Partner, to find out how we nurture our talents. 

This post was first published on 20 June 2017 and has been updated regularly for relevancy and comprehensiveness.

Last edited: 24 September 2025

Edited and updated by: Mary Milorrie Campos