GPHR cheat sheet

PESTLE scans Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal and Environmental forces; SWOT pairs internal Strengths and Weaknesses with external Opportunities and Threats.

Perlmutter staffing orientations: ethnocentric (parent-country nationals), polycentric (host-country nationals), regiocentric (regional talent), geocentric (best person regardless of nationality).

Turnover rate = separations in the period ÷ average headcount × 100; annualize monthly figures (×12) before comparing countries or units.

Revenue per FTE = total revenue ÷ full-time-equivalent headcount, a broad human capital efficiency indicator used in HR scorecards.

Ulrich's four HR roles: strategic partner, change agent, administrative expert, and employee champion; the partner role aligns HR practice to business strategy.

Workforce planning: demand forecast (volume × time standard ÷ productive hours per employee) minus current headcount adjusted for attrition = net hiring or redeployment need.

HR due diligence in M&A covers compensation and pension liabilities, collective agreements and works council obligations, key-talent retention exposure, and culture integration risk.

Global policy decision rule: standardize where law, ethics, safety, or scale economics demand it; localize where labor markets, statutory benefits, or culture differ.

Assignment types: short-term (typically under 12 months, no household relocation), long-term (1–5 years, family relocates), commuter (family stays home), rotator (fixed on/off rotation), permanent transfer.

The balance sheet approach builds pay from four differentials - goods and services, housing, income tax, and reserve - plus premiums, to preserve the home-country standard of living.

Tax equalization: the employee bears only hypothetical home-country tax while the company pays actual host tax. Tax protection: the employee keeps any host-country tax savings.

A hardship premium compensates for adverse living conditions and is normally a percentage of base pay tied to a hardship classification, not to cost of living.

Cost-of-living indices compare a goods-and-services basket between locations; housing is handled as a separate differential and is not included in the COLA index.

Localization converts expatriate terms to host-country terms, usually by phasing out premiums and allowances over a defined transition period.

Family and spouse/partner adjustment is the strongest reported predictor of assignment failure, so selection should weigh adaptability, not technical skill alone.

Right-to-work and valid work authorization must be verified before the start date; most countries require employer sponsorship and some require a labor market test.

Compa-ratio = salary ÷ range midpoint; range penetration = (salary − range minimum) ÷ (range maximum − range minimum).

Home-based pay references home-country salary plus differentials; host-based pay references the local market salary. Permanent transfers usually move the employee to host-based pay.

Tax equalization neutralizes tax outcomes for the assignee; tax protection leaves the employee with any advantage created by a lower-tax host location.

Purchasing power parity equalizes the price of a standard basket of goods; it is not an exchange rate, and market rates govern actual payment amounts.

Total rewards = compensation + benefits + work-life effectiveness + performance and recognition + development and career opportunity.

Statutory benefits vary widely by jurisdiction (paid leave, social security, notice, severance) and must be mapped country by country before designing a global plan.

Cross-border equity requires review of securities registration, exchange controls, withholding obligations, and the tax-triggering events of grant, vest, exercise, and sale.

Third-country national = an employee who is a citizen of neither the home country nor the host country; the pay approach must state which home reference applies.

70-20-10: roughly 70% of development comes from challenging on-the-job experience, 20% from coaching, mentoring and social learning, 10% from formal instruction.

Kirkpatrick levels: 1 reaction, 2 learning, 3 behavior, 4 results; the evaluation design is set during analysis, not after delivery.

ADDIE: Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, Evaluation - iterative, with evaluation feeding back into analysis.

Nine-box grid plots performance against potential in three bands each; high-potential labels should rest on evidence and be confirmed in calibration.

Succession planning rates critical roles by vacancy risk and business impact, then names ready-now and ready-later successors; bench strength = qualified successors per critical role.

Kotter's eight steps run from urgency and guiding coalition to anchoring change in culture; ADKAR sequences individual change as awareness, desire, knowledge, ability, reinforcement.

Common rating biases: halo, horn, recency, central tendency, leniency/severity, and similarity; calibration panels and documented evidence reduce them.

Learning transfer depends on opportunity to apply, manager support, accountability, and content relevance to the learner's actual role.

Works councils (for example Germany's Betriebsrat) hold information, consultation, and co-determination rights; consultation timing matters as much as the financial terms offered.

EU Collective Redundancies Directive obligations trigger at 20 or more redundancies within 90 days, with longer notification periods at higher thresholds.

TUPE-type transfer rules preserve employment terms when a business or service transfers and void changes made solely because of the transfer.

GDPR: establish a lawful basis, honor data-subject rights, notify qualifying breaches within 72 hours, and use an approved mechanism for cross-border data transfers.

Termination risk: notice periods, statutory severance, consultation duties, and dismissal approval requirements vary by country and must be checked before any decision.

Non-compete enforceability depends on reasonableness of scope, duration, and geography, and some jurisdictions restrict or void them entirely.

Risk scoring uses likelihood × impact, with responses of avoid, reduce, transfer, or accept; record residual risk and a named owner.

Duty of care extends to travelers and assignees: security briefings, medical and evacuation coverage, and a documented emergency response plan.

Anti-bribery laws such as the FCPA prohibit payments to foreign officials and require due diligence on agents and intermediaries.

Strategy formulation sequence: external and internal analysis, strategy selection, HR practice alignment, then measurement through metrics and scorecards.

HR metric definitions must be fixed before comparison: a turnover or cost-per-hire figure is meaningless across countries unless headcount base and period are standardized.

Build-buy-borrow-bot framework: close capability gaps through internal development, external hiring, contingent labor, or automation, chosen by cost, speed, and strategic criticality.

M&A integration risk rises when pay structures, job grades, and pension obligations differ sharply between acquirer and target; harmonization is usually phased, not immediate.

HR operating model components: service delivery channels, process ownership, technology platform, and role clarity between business partners, centers of excellence, and shared services.

Assignments are approved against a business case stating objective, duration, cost estimate, and repatriation plan; assignment creep beyond the planned duration is a leading cost driver.

Mobility cost elements typically include relocation, temporary housing, tax advisory, schooling, home leave, and social security continuation - each governed by policy caps.

Total assignment cost should be compared with the cost of a local hire or an employer-of-record arrangement before approval.

Social security coverage for assignees depends on totalization agreements between countries; without one, dual contributions can occur.

Pay mix decisions (fixed versus variable) are driven by line of sight to results, risk tolerance, and local market practice; sales roles typically carry a higher variable proportion.

Salary survey selection rules: match by job content and scope, use consistent company-size and industry cuts, and age data to reflect the effective date of the structure.

Allowance design should be transparent and defensible: itemized differentials are auditable, while lump-sum premiums invite equity disputes across assignee groups.

Benefit mandates differ by country (pension, health, leave, thirteenth-month pay), so a global benefits framework sets minimum standards with local carve-outs.

Engagement surveys measure drivers such as recognition, career growth, manager quality, and workload; results must be cut by country and unit to be actionable.

Competency models distinguish threshold competencies (minimum acceptable performance) from differentiating competencies (linked to superior performance).

Organizational design levers: span of control, number of layers, centralization versus decentralization, and process ownership; each change alters cost and decision speed.

Development plans are strongest when they state a target capability, a specific experience, a measure of success, and a review date.

Employee relations climate is shaped by consultation quality, grievance handling speed, and consistency of discipline; documented process reduces litigation and reputational risk.

Whistleblowing channels must guarantee confidentiality and non-retaliation, and reports require a documented investigation trail.

Business continuity for people risk includes identifying key-person dependencies, cross-training, succession for single points of failure, and remote-work security protocols.

Collective bargaining outcomes set minimum terms that individual contracts cannot undercut; any local variation must be checked against the applicable agreement.