Ihrm

Introduction

Repatriates , who have completed a global assignment , can help establish and expand an MNC’s international business because they possess first-hand knowledge of particular cultural contexts . They understand how the company is perceived in another country and are part of a global social network that can advance the company’s business around the world ( Downes & Thomas , 1999 ) . For these   reasons , many companies view their repatriates as an important human capital investment . Despite the strategic and financial importance of repatriates , MNCs often fail to capitalize on these human investments , because many of their assignees leave the company after the assignment is completed . There are several factors that are associated with turnover among repatriates and it is possible to group the major factors that have been identified as moderators of re-entry readjustment into two categories – job-related factors and social factors.

On one hand , job - related factors center around future employment prospects as a consequence of the international assignment , value being placed on the person’s international experience , coping with new role demands and the loss of status and financial benefits upon re-entry . First is career anxiety , including no post-assignment guarantee of employment , a fear that the period overseas has caused a loss of visibility and isolation and changes in the home workplace . Repatriates often encounters changes in the formal and informal information channels in the home organization , particularly if there has been widespread restructuring and downsizing . Knowledge of such changes and potential or real job loss naturally will add to the level of anxiety . Second factor is devaluating the overseas experience . This has been linked to repatriate turnover because the perceived degrading of the repatriate’s experience may be coupled with negative career progression , that is the re-entry position is a less challenging job...