Question

How does unintentional bias affect the performance appraisal of expatriates? How can it be reduced?

Answer 1

Expatriates are employees who work abroad on long term work assignments. Performance management of expatriates is to evaluate the current performance and facilitate continuous improvement for these individuals.

The unintentional bias affect the performance appraisal of expatriates as explained below:

1. Unintentional bias refers to discriminating individual based on stereotypes or believes.

2. Typically when employees are expatriates the managers sometimes assumes the nature of the employee keeping in mind the citizenship country where the employee belong to. This perspective leads to personality clashes wherein the manager may poorly rate the employee.

3. Since there would be culture mismatch the manager would lack in communication and this communication mismatch would lead to bias in performance appraisal.

4. Due to insecurity feeling of a manager who handles a foreign national may bias in the performance appraisal.

It can be reduced as explained below:

1. In a globalized workplace it becomes mandatory to foster managers a global mind set be it right from political, legal and cultural aspects. These competencies are a definite need for the treat all employees equally without any bias

2. One way through which manager’s integration can be done through framing global performance strategies which includes policies keeping in mind all countries from where the business operates. This will positively impact the manager getting to know how to deal with expatriates.

3. In order to focus and treat all employees same, organization should create awareness to manager by providing training.

4. By visiting the countries where the company operates helps in integration by understanding different culture and changes would automatically be accepted by the manager through global visits.