Multinational companies sense efficiencies in their bid to impose a measure of uniformity on HR functions and policies. It makes a lot of sense. Why have myriad local policies when you can have a single standard?

When it comes to compliance across these far flung operations, the stakes are high. In this highly litigious era, scrutiny has really stepped up by local as well as U.S entities. So you need to demonstrate that your practices are sound. How can a company efficiently audit HR assets, information and practices across borders? One expert offers a five prong approach.

"It seems the temptation here is always the quick-and-dirty approach-grab a 'global HR audit checklist' off the shelf, dive in and just do the audit. But this never works, because no one-size-fits-all 'global HR audit checklist' exists that can do the job. Each global HR audit project spins off in its own direction, with its own particular goals, its own pool of affected countries, focused in its own particular industry." The five steps include:

1. Articulate context and scope;
2. Create master template;
3. Align local-country checklists off the master;
4. Conduct the audit;
5. Report and implement remedial measures.

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