Repatriating Families: At Risk of Neglect

by Robert E. "", President
ExpatRepat Services


The coming home process known as "repatriation" has been a focus of my concern for many years. Repeatedly, I have found evidence in my research and in working with families returning from international assignments that large numbers of former expats go through traumatic experiences when readjusting to their culture of origin.

Recently, a business executive wrote us after reading about our emphasis on repatriation on our website. He stated:

"You are 150% right on helping companies focus on the re-integration of International Assignees back into the home country. Why spend all this money and time sending your valuable employees abroad and not take the time and make the effort to ensure they are fully utilized and culturally readjusted upon return?"

He went on to say, if repatriation resources are not provided, you "take the chance of losing them." Our research indicates one in four (25%) of the employees who complete their expatriate assignment successfully will leave the company following repatriation.

This concerned executive also spoke of the failure of companies receiving repatriating employees to utilize their experiences and what they learned to bolster the overall operation of the company. What a sad commentary on poor utilization of those who repatriate for them dejectedly to say, "no one ever de-briefed me to learn whether or not I had learned things that might benefit future expatriates, or company operations, as we move into the global marketplace."

ExpatRepat Services is ready to visit with you about how you can do at least two things:

  1. How you can lessen or eliminate the period of trauma, or lessen its intensity, among those of your employee families when going through the repatriation experiences.

  2. Reduce the risk of forfeiting your considerable investment on expatriate employees by conveying to them and their families this vital message as you provide them resources for repatriation: "You are valued and appreciated by this company."

Contact us soon for an appointment to visit about how your company and your expatriate families can be provided appropriate resources for repatriation.

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