Assessing assignee performance in a global context: Return on investment or expectation management? Part 1
In the first of a two-part series, Dr Sue Shortland explains the issues associated with understanding return on investment and the nature and value of performance management processes in the context of global mobility.
It is generally accepted that the cost of using an international assignee averages around three times the salary of a local person. Given the high cost of deploying international assignees, it is critical that employers gain a positive return from their investment in global mobility. This means that organisations must engage in performance management (PM) processes to ensure that assignees’ performance is monitored and linked to assignment, team, local business and organisational objectives, and is supported through relevant and necessary training and development interventions. Potentially, the identification of high performance outcomes through PM processes may also be linked to assignment rewards reflecting the value of the assignees’ contribution to organisational global success.
While this summary might sound relatively straightforward, regrettably it is not. The first hurdle that must be overcome concerns how we understand and define return on investment (ROI). Next, there is the need to define what is meant by PM and to consider what it is concerned with in order to determine its scope. In addition, there is the requirement to assess assignee performance against the backdrop of a different societal and organisational culture and in the context of individuals needing to uproot themselves and potentially their families and to link it to measures of success. Then there is the requirement to take forward any actions to improve performance through appropriate training and development and to consider any potential links between PM and pay.
…Read the rest of this article here on our sister website Relocate Global
