HRM 7610 Module 6 Discussion: Bringing Expatriates Home Without Losing Them Example

Module 6 Discussion: Repatriation and International Careers

Two of Five Gone Within a Year: Why Returning Expatriates Leave and How to Keep Them

Over the past three years, five Lenape Surgical managers returned to Parsippany from assignments in Germany, Ireland and Japan. Two resigned within twelve months, one to a competitor that hired her to run its European business. Each assignment cost the company far more than the manager's salary at home, so losing these people means losing both the investment and the knowledge they built abroad.

Dowling et al. (2013) describe repatriation as often the most neglected phase of an international assignment. Returning managers face reverse culture shock, loss of the status and autonomy they had abroad, and frequently a job that does not use what they learned. Kraimer et al. (2009) found that repatriates who saw their assignment as a step toward career advancement, and whose companies valued their international experience, were more likely to stay. When they believed the assignment had not helped their careers, they were more likely to leave. Black et al. (1991) described adjustment abroad as involving work, interaction with host nationals and the general environment, and returning home calls for a similar adjustment that companies rarely plan for.

That fits what our exit interviews show. Both managers who left were given "holding" roles on return because no suitable position was open. One told us that nobody at headquarters asked what she had learned in Germany about working with the works council, even as we were planning the acquisition of a Dutch company where that knowledge would have helped.

I would propose a repatriation plan with four elements. First, a mentor at headquarters for every expatriate, who keeps them informed and visible during the assignment. Second, career planning that begins six months before return, with a defined role or a short list of options. Third, a debrief in which the returning manager shares what they learned with relevant teams. Fourth, using returnees deliberately in international projects, such as the Mexican plant start-up, where their experience is valuable.

Comment on Tomas's Post

Tomas, you suggested replacing long expatriate assignments with short-term assignments of three to six months, which cost less and avoid moving families. For specific projects that makes sense. I wonder, though, whether short assignments build the deep local knowledge and relationships that long assignments do. For a role like our German subsidiary's general manager in its first years, a short assignment might not have been enough. Would you combine both, depending on the purpose?

Comment on Rachel's Post

Rachel, your company uses virtual global teams instead of sending people abroad, and you noted that it saves money. I agree that technology reduces the need for some travel, but research on international careers suggests that living in another country develops cultural understanding that virtual work rarely does. Perhaps virtual teams work best for coordination, while assignments abroad remain important for developing future global leaders. How does your company prepare people to lead those virtual teams?

References

Black, J. S., Mendenhall, M., & Oddou, G. (1991). Toward a comprehensive model of international adjustment: An integration of multiple theoretical perspectives. Academy of Management Review, 16(2), 291-317. https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1991.4278938

Dowling, P. J., Festing, M., & Engle, A. D. (2013). International human resource management (6th ed.). Cengage Learning EMEA.

Kraimer, M. L., Shaffer, M. A., & Bolino, M. C. (2009). The influence of expatriate and repatriate experiences on career advancement and repatriate retention. Human Resource Management, 48(1), 27-47. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.20265