Repatriation: an Assignee’s Perspective
One of our Strategic Directors recently spoke with an old friend from their days as expatriates living in Hong Kong. Colleen and her family lived a peripatetic expatriate lifestyle for almost 15 years, beginning in London, moving to Hong Kong, returning to London, then three years in Madrid, capped off by another few years in London. The family moved back to the United States a couple of years ago, settling in suburban Connecticut. Colleen commented that, after living in London for almost nine years, she felt as if she was “leaving home,” in a way, when they moved back to the U.S. She loved living in London with the city’s vibrant and exciting lifestyle accessible just steps outside her door. While living in London they also travelled frequently throughout Europe, resulting in the sentiment that while lovely, Connecticut, by comparison, is a “sleepy” place to live.
When asked to explain her feelings after repatriating, Colleen described a “funny sensation that I was not really special anymore.” She elaborated by telling a story about grocery shopping: she finds the task of going to Stop & Shop rather mundane, as opposed to food shopping abroad, where every occurrence gave her an opportunity to discover new foods, deal in foreign currency, and learn a new language (as in Spain). While daily life abroad was an adventure, life in suburbia became “the same old thing rather quickly for me.” Colleen also recalls the feeling that she was “special” in a foreign land, whether it was because of her accent, complexion, or culture, but back in the U.S., she fits in seamlessly with her new neighbors. She admits that the car culture of the U.S. surprisingly makes her miss the jam of humanity on the buses and subways of London, Hong Kong, and Madrid. Another element of expatriate life that Colleen pines for is the frequent travel, and the excitement that enveloped the preparation and pleasure of exploring new places.
Despite missing city living and the whirlwind life of an expat, the family was happy to be back, as one child was in college and the other about to go, and aging parents were in need of more care. “Reconnecting with old friends and being able to attend family events without a Trans Atlantic flight is a real bonus of being back in the U.S.” Colleen also enjoys being a homeowner again, having the freedom to decorate a permanent home, rather than a rental.
Even though the family moved several times to different countries, her husband’s company did not provide cross-cultural training, which would have been extremely valuable as they settled in vastly dissimilar locations, yet no thought was given to preparing the family appropriately beyond reimbursing language lessons during their time in Spain. Upon her return to the U.S., Colleen was offered the chance to attend a one-day repatriation session but did not find time to do so. Instead, she simply received a packet of brochures on the Fairfield/Westchester County area.
Her advice to someone repatriating is to think deeply about the type of lifestyle they prefer, and to recognize that choosing a place to live is dependant upon the stage in life one finds themselves at this critical juncture. She recommends going on a trip a few months after returning to alleviate the feeling that the excitement was over now that the expatriate assignment had ended. She also cautions, “Don’t blame your husband for moving back; the expat life is bound to end.” She says that connecting with other expatriate friends, and finding a group of similar women in your new community would go a long way in hastening the re-acclimation process. Finally, she emphasizes that life is short, “Put yourself out there, make new friends; enjoy what you had, but learn to appreciate what you have now, as that is what makes life interesting.”
While expatriate life can be very exciting, the very nature of the program implies that the assignment will end, and helping assignees prepare for their return is a critical, but often overlooked, part of the repatriation phase. We suggest that companies provide Repatriation Training through their cross-cultural partner, as well as Destination Services to include Orientation and Settling-in, in addition to House Hunting assistance, to ensure the returning family finds what they need in their new community. The attrition rate of employees returning from expatriate stints is extremely high, and is a high-cost challenge for many employers, but helping the returning family to assimilate back home is one way to stem the tide.
Posted on 11/11/2009 in Global Mobility | Comments (0)
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