Expatriate Repatriation

Expatriate Repatriation
Presented by
Sara Mehmood
Repatriation is defined as the process of reentry in individuals
home country after living abroad for a significant period of

time
The repatriates have to adjust this time to the home country
and their work, start communicating again with their friends
and colleagues.
Most expatriates and managers assume that adapting into ones
own culture is easy.
However, this is not the case. In fact, for many of them adjusting to their
home is more difficult than adjusting to living abroad.

The returnees experience a reverse culture shock and this time it is more
severe than when meeting the host country and culture. Short after their
arrival home they are in a high mood and everything seems perfect; this is a
rather short period which is followed by period of a very low mood when
nothing is as it used to be. After some time has passed the repatriates feel
neither overexcited nor anxious, they feel average
The retention of corporate professionals after a global

assignment is key to the future success of your global
organization. How can we minimize the challenges
that our repatriate employees face after returning from
an overseas assignment? How can the knowledge they
have learned abroad be transferred and shared? These
five steps can help.
1. Dealing with Reverse Culture Shock
Until fairly recently, the idea of offering training to

professionals who were coming home was considered
odd.
Repatriates were often thrown back into their jobs
with no discussion of their international assignments.
Research has shown that a home culture can seem
strange after having spent a period of time negotiating
a new culture.
Providing repatriates with an outlet to discuss their
feelings can be crucial to successful repatriation.
2. Transferring knowledge. Sound repatriate training should include

time for the repatriate to discuss how to transfer the knowledge he or
she has learned. This may best be done on an informal, just-in-time
basis during a special project, or during meetings with the boss, or
during special meetings of their team.
3. Mentoring expatriates. The repatriate can serve a key role in helping

the organization develop a global workforce by serving as a mentor to
expatriates going to the same country or part of the world. The
information exchange between the repatriate and expatriate can help
ensure a positive experience for the expatriate by alerting him or her
to the challenges faced when working abroad.
4. Conducting repatriate forums
Organizing a group of repatriates who can share their

knowledge of international business during regularly
scheduled presentations gives a clear signal to all
employees that global experience is valued. In addition,
the networking between repatriates can help your
organization build a more satisfied global workforce.
5. Providing career paths.

The strain and uncertainty of the overseas assignment can be
reduced when the expatriate knows what career opportunities
are available upon return. This knowledge also can create a
much smoother transition once the employee returns home.
To remain competitive globally, organizations need to make it
clear to all employees that global experiences are encouraged.
One way to do that is through an organizational design that
promotes international assignments. Another way is to provide
repatriate training programs.
Too often, repatriate professionals leave their organizations
because they feel that their knowledge is undervalued.
Repatriation Courses
Some companies offer their employees a repatriation course
after they arrive home
This is a useful way to prepare the returnees and their families
about all the challenges coming along with their readjustment.
Through counseling sessions, group discussions, handbooks,
films, seminars, social get-togethers, the repatriates and their
families get informed about the difficulties they are going to
experience in their reentry
Issues and Causes of repatriation failure and

resignation from the employees
The difficult process of adaptation is influenced by different
factors including the expatriates expectations and the

companys perception about the international assignment. the
most common expectations the expatriates have:
I do not need professional help with repatriation

I'm going home, therefore no problems!
My family will also find returning home presents few problems.
Everything will be basically the same as when I left.
Everything is cleaner, better organized, safer and easier at home.
People back home are more efficient and courteous.
I'll be better off financially when I return home.
My friends will be keen to hear about my exciting experiences. I
expect some form of promotion on returning home as I will be able

to apply what I have learned abroad.
Because I have been successful in my job abroad, I expect to be
equally successful on my return.
My close friendships will pick up where they left off.
My organization will value my new skills, experiences and contacts
and will wish to debrief me on these.
These expectations are developed long before they come
back home, during their international assignments and

sometimes even before them leaving for the assignment.
If this expectations are met, the employees effectiveness
and job commitment increases, the turnover rate decreases
and the company saves the cost of loosing a key employee.
Therefore, it is of the companies benefits to get acquainted
with this expectations before the repatriates return home.
This can start during the expatriates preparation and
training; This is the time when the company has to set

their expectations connected with successful completion
of the international assignment and also inform the
employees about the degree of importance of the
assignment
So during the repatriation process, if the employees feel
that the efforts they have put into completing the
international assignment are acknowledged, their
commitment to the job will stay the same or even increase
and vice versa
Work-related changes
Many things have changed during the assignees stay abroad and that does not
exclude the environment of their work.

There is a possibility that some of the colleagues and managers have been fired,
have retired or moved to another department; They can be the ones responsible
for fulfilling all the promises that were guaranteed when the repatriate accepted
the international assignment; Thus the chance of fulfilling the managers part of
the psychological contract is decreased.
The best way to deal with these changes is the constant communication between
the expatriates and the home country. Due to the age of technology there are no
visible problems in keeping in touch with the companies. Through the companies
intranet or by the use phone, e-mail, instant messaging programs the companies
are able to get informed about the expatriates performance during the
international assignment and the expatriates are aware of the changes and
developments in the headquarters.

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Expatriate Repatriation

Repatriation is defined as the process of reentry in individuals

home country after living abroad for a significant period of

home is more difficult than adjusting to living abroad.

The retention of corporate professionals after a global

1. Dealing with Reverse Culture Shock

Until fairly recently, the idea of offering training to

2. Transferring knowledge. Sound repatriate training should include

3. Mentoring expatriates. The repatriate can serve a key role in helping

4. Conducting repatriate forums

Organizing a group of repatriates who can share their

5. Providing career paths.

Issues and Causes of repatriation failure and

factors including the expatriates expectations and the

I do not need professional help with repatriation

expect some form of promotion on returning home as I will be able

These expectations are developed long before they come

back home, during their international assignments and

This can start during the expatriates preparation and

training; This is the time when the company has to set

exclude the environment of their work.

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