Ultimately the goal of an expatriate performance management system is to define, facilitate and encourage performance in the individual and the teams they work with.
Your company’s international performance management system should enable managers of expat employees to set specific, realistic, measurable goals that feed into the overall objectives of the business. However, setting goals is not sufficient for success, the programme should also contain a method of assessing performance on several occasions over a year.
To achieve the goals that have been set, employees need to be able to facilitate performance through removal of barriers like outdated equipment or software, poor procedures and micro-management. However, international employees may encounter further difficulty with government requirements or personal safety depending on where they are based. Flexibility needs to be included in this regard when developing an expat performance management system.
Finally, encouraging performance has been shown to be another marker of a successful international assignment. The methods for encouraging performance may vary from country to country. While additional remuneration may work successfully at headquarters, time off or other special privileges may be more valued in other countries. The easiest way to find out what may work best is to survey international employees. Once agreed it is essential that the appraisal process is transparent and fair.