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Yang 1
Chapter 7
Re-entry and Career
Issues
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Chapter Objectives
This chapter deals with the post-assignment stage, which
raises issues for both the expatriate and the multinational.
We treat this stage as part of the international assignment.
Some of the issues may be connected to events that
occurred during the international assignment. We examine:
The process of re-entry or repatriation
Job-related issues
Social factors, including family factors that affect re-entry and
work adjustment
Multinational responses to repatriate concerns
Return on investment (ROI) and knowledge transfer
Designing a repatriation programme.
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Re-entry
Expatriation process also includes repatriation:
The activity of bringing the expatriate back to the
home country.
Re-entry presents new challenges:
Expatriates may experience re-entry shock or
reverse cultural shock.
Some exit the company.
The multinationals ability to retain current and
attract future expatriates is affected by the
manner in which it handles repatriation.
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Expatriation Includes Repatriation
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The Repatriation Process
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Repatriation Phases
1. Preparation Developing plans for the future, and
gathering information about the new position
2. Physical relocation Removing personal effects,
breaking ties with colleagues and friends, and traveling
to the next posting, usually the home country
3. Transition Settling into temporary accommodation
where necessary, making arrangements for housing and
schooling, and carrying out other administrative tasks
(e.g., renew drivers license, applying for new health
insurance, banking, etc.)
4. Readjustment Coping with changes (e.g., company
changes, reverse culture shock, career demands, etc.)
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Repatriation Challenges
Little evidence in the literature that multinationals
view the preparation for repatriation as important as
pre-departure training.
Readjustment is the least understood and most
poorly handled.
52% of 287 surveyed subsidiaries reported repatriate re-
entry problems (Harzing, 1996).
44% turnover rate among 181 multinationals surveyed by
GMAC-GRS 2002
50% leave the firm within one year
39% of surveyed firms did not know their turnover rates
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Individual Reactions: Job-related
Factors
Career anxiety
No post-assignment
guarantee of employment
Loss of visibility and
isolation
Changes in the home
workplace
Work adjustment
The employment
relationship and career
expectation
Re-entry position
Devaluing of the
international experience
Coping with new role
demands
Role behavior
Role clarity
Role discretion
Role conflict
Loss of status and pay
Autonomy
Responsibility
Lower pay in absolute
terms
Drop in housing conditions

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The Repatriates Role
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UK Repatriate Study
Surveyed 124 recently repatriated employees
Indicated five predictors for repatriate
maladjustment
In ranked order:
Length of time abroad
Unrealistic expectations of job opportunities in the
home country
Downward job mobility
Reduced work status
Negative perceptions of employers support during
and after repatriation
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The Readjustment Challenge
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Individual Reactions: Social Factors
International experience can distance the
repatriate (and family) socially and
psychologically (e.g., Kingpin syndrome,
financial loss)
Each family member undergoing readjustment
Re-establishing social networks can be difficult
Effect on partners career
Recent research indicates a decrease in spousal
assistance upon re-entry (e.g., job search, resume
preparation and career counselling)
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Multinational Responses
Staff availability
How repatriation is handled is critical
Return on investment (ROI)
Defining ROI in terms of expatriation
Gains accruing through repatriated staff
Knowledge transfer
A one-way activity?
Tacit and person-bound?
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Measuring ROI
Expatriates are expensive, averaged $1m/per
assignment by the U.S. multinational.
High turnover rates represent a substantial
financial and human capital loss to the firm.
Difficulties in measuring ROI (GMAC-GRS 2002):
Receiving feedback from the business unit concerned
Tracking international assignments in a systematic way
No formal planning
Lack of objective measures
Too many decisions made without cost considerations
of the international assignment
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Designing a Repatriate Program
Topics covered by a repatriation program

Repatriation, physical relocation and transition information that the
company will help with
Financial and tax assistance, e.g., benefit and tax changes, loss of
overseas allowances, etc.
Re-entry position and career-path assistance
Reverse cultural shock, including family disorientation
School systems and childrens education and adaptation
Workplace changes, e.g., corporate culture, structure,
decentralization, etc.
Stress management and communication-related training
Establishing networking opportunities
Help in forming new social contracts
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The Use of Mentors
Aims to alleviate the out-of-sight, out-of-mind feeling by
keeping expatriate informed
Mentor should ensure that the expatriate is not forgotten
when important decisions are made regarding positions
and promotions
Effective mentoring needs managing
Mentoring duties include:
Maintaining contact with the expatriate throughout the
assignment
Updating developments in the home country
Informing management developments
Providing assistance in the repatriation process
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Factors Affecting Mentoring
Size of expatriate workforce
Firms with over 250 expatriates are more likely
to assign mentors.
Who is responsible for repatriates
Corporate HR or a separate international
assignment unit is more likely to provide mentors
than the divisional level.
Company nationality
European firms are more likely to use mentors
than U.S. firms.
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Chapter Summary
The repatriation process.
Cultural novelty has been found to affect adjustment in the
host country and, for the majority of repatriates, coming
home to the familiar culture may assist in readjustment.
However, given the profound effect of job-related and
social factors, re-entry shock or reverse cultural shock
is likely to occur in the readjustment process upon
repatriation.
(cont.)
This chapter has been concerned with the repatriation process.
We have covered:
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Chapter Summary (cont.)
Job-related issues centered on career issues upon
re-entry.
Factors that affect career anxiety include no post-
assignment guarantee of employment, fear that the
period overseas had caused a loss of visibility, changes
in the home workplace that affect re-entry positions and
the employment relationship.
The re-entry position is an important indicator of future
career progression and the value placed on international
experience. Coping with new role demands is another
factor in readjustment, along with loss of status and pay.
(cont.)
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Chapter Summary (cont.)
Social factors explored include loss of social
standing and the accompanying loss of the
expatriate lifestyle.
Family readjustment is also important.
A specific aspect is the effect of the international
assignment on the spouse/partners career, such as
being re-employed and having international experience
recognized.
(cont.)
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Chapter Summary (cont.)
Multinational responses to repatriates concerns
focused on re-entry procedures.
How repatriation affect staff availability
Whether companies are measuring and obtaining a return
on investment through international assignments, and
The contribution of repatriates to knowledge transfer, and
Designing effective repatriation programs, including the
use of mentors.
(cont.)
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Chapter Summary (cont.)
Although the focus of this chapter has been repatriation in the
general sense, issues concerning expatriates post-assignment
career should be raised.
Viewing repatriation as part of the expatriation process, as
suggested in Figure 7-1, should remind those responsible for
expatriation management of the need:
To prepare repatriates for re-entry and
To recognize the value of their international experience to
both parties.
Firm and cultural factors should be understood in order to
develop and manage an effective mentoring system.