Topic: Turnover
Publication: Academy of Management Journal (APR 2012)
Article: No place like home? An identity strain perspective on repatriate turnover
Authors: Maria L. Kraimer, Margaret A. Shaffer, David A. Harrison and Hong Ren
Reviewed By: Nupur Deshpande
What happens to employees during and after an international assignment? Mostly, they leave. Why? Well, it has to do with the strain that assignments abroad have on their (now) dual identities—a conflict within the repatriate. You see, while employees enjoy the sunshine, gourmet cooking, new sights and sounds along with other perks of working in a whole new environment, they are also taking on an international employee identity, wherein they see themselves as an aggregate of their international work role, work-related experiences, and interactions with international and non-international employees in that setting, thereby making it a part of their self-concept.
This process is facilitated by the degree of job embeddedness (feelings of attachment toward the organization) the expatriate has toward their international role, on and off the job. However, being involved and owning their international identity means letting go of their old one. When they come back to their home county, they see themselves as having taken on an ex-pat identity and responsibilities, which may lead them to expect their home organization to reward them with better perks such as higher levels of job responsibility, higher pay, opportunities to utilize skills acquired on global assignments, and respect from colleagues. When they aren’t met with the fanfare they feel they deserve, they may experience feelings of job deprivation when the repatriates compare themselves to their home-based colleagues. This induces identity strain—the feeling that your positive self-image is threatened because the organization does not see them as they see themselves. If the level of strain gets too high and reaches a point that is unbearable, the repatriate quits in order to find an environment that is supportive of their new identity.
What can employers do to help their employees readjust to life back home? Two things: 1) acknowledge that the employees self-concept may have changed in their time abroad and 2) change their work to fit their new identity. Communicating the value of their experience and involving them in operations in which they now have expertise may keep them in your organization and happy.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
As a former expat that followed the same trajectory after my return to the US, I would agree that identity strain (though I did not have a term for it at the time) is real. While no two expat assignments are the same, it is almost always the case that those who return possess valuable information that should be mined for key learnings. However, what’s important here is not just the repatriation process that could be vastly improved. Organizations can also do a better job in setting expectations upfront about what may and may not happen as a result of time abroad. Many expats are sent abroad in response to an immediate need or issue so there is little thinking about the long-term implications for the individual’s career path. Left unsaid, assumptions creep in and plant the seed for future identity strain. There will always be a need to send people abroad in response to a crisis but setting clear expectations in advance will go a long way toward repat retention.
That being said, I strongly strongly endorse an international assignment to anyone who has the opportunity. The personal and professional benefits far outweigh the stress that happens upon return, however that is handled.