DESIGNING A REPATRIATION PROGRAM
International HRM
Submitted to: Miss Mugheera Maqbool
Submitted By: H. Salman - 37
UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, LAHORE.
Designing A Repatriation Program for Expatriates
Planning for Repatriation
Organizations should plan for repatriation well before employees arrive back from their overseas
assignment, if they wish to cultivate long-term retention. Forward-planning reduces some of the anxieties
associated with repatriation, and provides expatriates with a sense of stability. There must be clarity as to
the principles and philosophies which are to be followed when constructing a repatriation strategy.
Policies should provide guidelines to ensure that all repatriates are fairly treated whilst working away from
the company base. Sample policies are available in the literature. They demonstrate the value of
documenting the organizational commitment to repatriation.
A policy may incorporate a number of elements:
1. A statement recognizing the possible stress repatriation may cause, and the support of the company
during the time of transition.
2. An affirmation of the value of expatriates to the employer, and the importance of their skills upon
his/her return.
3. A review of the rights of the employee during the repatriation process.
4. An outline of the degree to which the employer accepts responsibility for family settlement on return
to the home country.
5. The identification of specialist support services which can provide assistance to the repatriate during
the transition phase.
The construction and promotion of a repatriation policy assists in affirming the company’s commitment
to repatriates. It serves to assure those departing and those returning as to the social responsibility of the
company.
The Repatriate Agreement
A company makes a significant investment in an employee who slated to work overseas. Thus, plans must
be made in the early stages to determine how the employee’s newly acquired skills will be utilized upon
return. A repatriation agreement should be developed at the onset of each international assignment to
manage the employee’s goals and expectations. Included in such an agreement is a specification of the
assignment period, details of the return, incentive payment, and a guarantee of a job equal to or better
than the one held before leaving, provision for re-entry training, and a repatriation program to support
the repatriate and help the family readjust upon return to their home country. The specification of
relocation support such as pre-repatriation house-hunting, school registration, and shipment of personal
goods further strengthens the agreement. The core elements of a repatriation agreement that would
demonstrate equitable and effective repatriation practices. This agreement should be signed prior to
departure, providing the employee with an assurance of fair and equitable support on return. Developing
such an agreement would greatly assist in retaining good repatriates.
A repatriation agreement will greatly assist in clarifying the support a repatriate may reasonably expect
from the employer. The commitment to providing career planning whilst an employee is away is
particularly important to retaining good employees. If an expatriate’s career stagnates upon return then
the company sends a strong message to future candidates that an overseas assignment is a poor career
move. Hence, companies should visibly nurture the careers of those that are on overseas assignments.
Loss of visibility is one of the most commonly expressed fears of employees at all levels as they
contemplate the possibility of being assigned to an area far from headquarters. Modern technologies such
as fax, phone, voice mail, and e-mail make it much easier to keep in touch with colleagues than in the
past. The key is to maintain regular contact for the purpose of maintaining rapport, educating colleagues
about work in the field, and remaining current with developments in the home country. The most effective
visibility strategy is personal visits to headquarters, which also allows family members to stay in touch
with changes at home.
Repatriation Programs
Many companies have excellent intentions. However, the implementation of repatriation programs often
leaves much to be desired. Repatriation is similar to other human resource practices in that it can flounder
badly if left on its own. The appointment of a repatriation manager is a major step for creating an effective
repatriation process. The manager is then responsible for tracking individual repatriates, providing
specialized support and re-entry programs, and assessing the adequacy of policies and their
implementation. The appointment of a specific contact person ensures that someone is accountable for
the success of the repatriation program.
There are a number of issues that must be addressed when the employee returns home. The key issues
are the provision of a comparable or better position in the company, and assistance for the employee and
family in re-assimilating into the home culture. Companies must ensure that an overseas assignment
benefits an individual’s career, and that this commitment is visible to the work community. Repatriates
should receive challenging assignments that utilize their newly acquired skills, and their international
experience should be used to guide expansion of the home country’s operations. Additionally, employers
need to ensure that expatriate career trajectories compare favorably to those employees that did not go
overseas. If a significant number of the company’s senior managers have international experience the
company sends an effective signal to its employees that international experience counts.
In order to achieve this, it is necessary to integrate repatriation management data into the human
resource management system, and to ensure ongoing intra-company communication. In addition, a
regular scan of career opportunities and movements - to be escalated into an intense program of
preparation six months before the expatriate returns - should be managed on the employee’s behalf. It is
also important to make an organized and concerted effort to reposition the expatriate in a position that
will utilize his/her new skills and perspectives, as well as one that will call for further development. These
core strategies are employed by successful international companies.
The use of a structured career development plan can assist employees in considering various options and
their implications on current and future opportunities. Long before proposing an international
assignment, the general HR planning system can encourage high potential employees to build firsthand
international experience into their long-term career plans. This would enable employees to look ahead to
the experience, give them a chance to gain cross-cultural and language skills, and prepare their family for
overseas relocation before it happens. This approach can reinforce the importance of international
experience as a career building block, and reduce the shock of such an assignment when it occurs.
Another repatriation strategy is the use of mentors. The mentor serves as an adviser and confidant, and
helps to foster a connection between the expatriate and the home country operation. A formal mentor
would support each expatriate while in the field, and assist in his/her successful return. They should be
assigned before departure in order to allow sufficient time to establish a rapport between the two parties.
Expatriates who feel connected with the home country may experience less conflict with home operations
and develop a stronger sense of commitment upon return. The expatriate’s mentor and the HR
department are the most important vehicles for identifying suitable job opportunities in preparation for
return. Mentors in companies with Internet or electronic job postings can make sure that expatriates are
tied into those systems as well. A screening and training program for mentors should be carried out to
ensure consistency. Characteristics associated with successful mentors include personal international
experience, sufficient influence to advocate for the expatriate (particularly during repatriation), and the
dedication required to keep in contact with the expatriate.
When an international assignment is offered, the expatriate can be given a preview of the types of jobs
guaranteed on their return. The jobs offered should be comparable to, and not lower in level than, the
one held before the overseas assignment. This commitment to the expatriate will lead to two outcomes.
First, the employee is more likely to accept the overseas position, and experience less uncertainty and
stress about his or her return to the home country. Second, having issued a guarantee the company will
be more likely to take the necessary steps to provide for the smooth repatriation of the employee.
Since most international assignments are temporary, it is likely that an expatriate’s next job move will be
back in their home country’s organization.
The expatriate is retained in the HR planning system, he or she will be entirely excluded from job
screenings, while the domestic employee will be included. Appearance in job screenings, even before a
planned return, will increase the visibility that many expatriates fear losing while in the field.
Many international assignments come with a fixed end-date. In some cases, this is necessary to
accommodate school schedules and assure employees that they will return to the home country in a
timely fashion. The downside is that a fixed return date tends to limit job opportunities. A more open re-
entry time frame of three months to one year will increase the likelihood that an appropriate position can
be found for the expatriate. The expatriate will have the flexibility to explore and select job possibilities.
While the certainty of a specific re-entry may be comforting, the flexibility to exercise greater choice over
the return time and position he or she accepts may be welcomed by both employee and family.
Organizations can also increase repatriation options for employees by allowing for the possibility of cross-
divisional moves. The sending division may feel temporarily unhappy by this approach since it would lose
the services of a valued employee. However, the company as a whole would continue to benefit from the
effective retention of a valued employee - who may at some point return to the original division.
Occasional placement problems can occur even after employing advanced career planning methods and
building more flexibility in the placement process. Under these circumstances, the creation of a temporary
holding job (either in the home or host country) may provide a bridge for an expatriate until a suitable
position is found. For instance, repatriates can be temporarily placed in consulting capacities within the
company or assigned to a special project. This option should be implemented with care or the holding
position could become indefinite, causing the eventual departure of the employee from the firm. This
issue can be addressed through the establishment of a strict time frame and a clear set of objectives
associated with the assignment. The assignment should involve a substantial, value-added contribution
to the company that will offer an opportunity for the employee to maintain visibility and credibility within
the organization.
Expatriates often report that their international experience is ignored or disliked because they encounter
a hostile reception upon their return. While a more receptive environment cannot be dictated by senior
management, several approaches can help the organization better value and utilize expatriate
background. These include arranging an event to welcome and recognize the employee and family, and
incorporating a post-assignment interview with the expatriate and spouse to review their experiences and
identify any repatriation issues that the firm should address.
A repatriate directory and network can be established in order to facilitate ongoing follow-up with former
expatriates as the repatriation process continues. A database can also help track other important
information on international assignments, such as average length of stay, percentage of completed
assignments, locations and reasons for early terminations, length of stay with the organization after
return, and career movement of repatriates. The database can also help the company utilize former
expatriates for assignments that require their unique expertise.
Training and preparation of new expatriates is an important function that repatriates and their families
can be called upon to perform. Repatriates can offer firsthand experience and advice to prospective
international assignees, their families, and newly returned repatriates. Several expatriates noted that it
was important to screen the repatriates and their families before assigning them to this preparation role
since excessive negativity could scare away prospective expatriates, or set up expectations that tainted
the field experience from the outset. Ideally, expatriates should be chosen for their ability to convey a
realistic, but enthusiastic, account of the experience in the field.
Re-entry training should focus primarily on helping the repatriate and spouse align their expectations
with the actual situation that will be encountered, both within the organizational context and, more
broadly, within the social scene. Corporate communication and re-entry training activities increase the
alignment of expectations with reality, and raise re-entry satisfaction while diminishing re-entry
difficulties. Companies that prepare expatriates and their families for coming home after global
assignments are increasing the odds of retaining these valuable employees, and of helping them make
the challenging adjustment to being home. In short, companies must work to close the gap between
expectations and reality for returning expatriates.
The creation of a comprehensive repatriation program ensures that the policies and agreements that were
initially presented to an employee is fully honored. The need for regulated repatriation processes
becomes more critical as the number of employees that experience expatriation increases. Repatriates
have a right to be appropriately treated on their return, and should be supported through the initial
process of re-acculturation.
Evaluation of the Repatriation Strategy
All facets of human resource management should be evaluated on a regular basis, and this is particularly
important for repatriation strategies. However, there is little evidence of an extensive evaluation of
repatriation strategy outcomes. The impact of repatriation extends much more widely, and can impact
the individual’s work commitment, job satisfaction, work values, and the wider perception of the
expatriation process. The commercial viability of the expatriation strategy relies on its positive image
amongst potential participants. Thus, it is essential that the repatriation programme be regularly
monitored.
The evaluation process can focus on four aspects: the impact of the programs on repatriate retention,
satisfaction and job commitment (outcome measures); the participant’s assessment of the effectiveness
of different strategies (process evaluation).
The results of the expatriate review can offer important guidance on desirable programs and policy
changes. The results of such reviews should be widely disseminated. Sharing feedback promotes open
communication on issues that need to be addressed, and leads to a healthy work environment where
repatriation is acknowledged as an important company concern. The actual process of debriefing also
reassures the repatriate and their family members that the company is concerned about their well-being.
This message is an important one to have during the resettlement process.
Conclusion
Companies with returning expatriates need to recognize their vulnerabilities and their potentialities.
Expatriates can be significantly protected from re-entry culture shock through the provision of effective
policies, anticipatory agreements, and supportive programs. In addition, their extended knowledge of
corporate business should be nurtured and fully utilized in the business setting. Companies can send a
clear signal to their repatriates that they are valued and appreciated by singling out these employees for
activities that call upon their international experience. Repatriation should also involve both the
expatriate and the family in order to facilitate adjustment to work and life. The repatriation program
needs to be constantly reviewed to ensure it effectively anticipates repatriation concerns. If repatriates
are taken for granted or ignored, it is at the company’s peril, for an effective repatriation strategy can lead
to a significant competitive advantage in the global market.
