Essay On Expatriation

The process whereby an expatriate employee re-enters their local global organization after completing his/her assignment, is known as repatriation. Repatriation can be stressful for both expatriate employees and management and the process can be time consuming, however, it is imperative that international human resource managers act appropriately to ensure that this process does not become a failure for the organization. Mulkeen (2013) states that 23 per cent of repatriating employees leave their company in the first year according to a frequently referenced Global Relocation Trends Survey issued by GMAC Global Relocation Services and the National Foreign Trade Council,. After three years the total is at least 40/50 per cent which can

It is important that human resource managers remain in frequent communication with their expatriate employees during this phase to ensure everything is being completed successfully. In some instances companies even hire persons to assist their expatriate employees with this phase. The final stage of repatriation is readjustment. During this phase the expatriate has to cope with reverse culture shock as well as career demands from the organization. Like the transitioning stage, communication must remain intact as a means of providing some sort of cushioning for the expat employee. Constant communication can make a great difference for expatriate employees and can help to avoid feelings of depression and desolation. It is clear that all the phases of repatriation require the input of the international human resource manager. Notwithstanding, as previously indicated, if international human resource managers are unaware of the phases involved in the repatriation process in the first place, the approach to managing expatriate employees will be greatly