Repatriation Shock

Little in the way of a reintegration strategy is offered to those who work overseas for a period of time for their employer before repatriating to take up their old position, and nothing in the way of a set repatriation plan exists for independent expatriates who blithely assume that they will pick up where they left off when they ‘go back home’.

And yet - according to expert analysis of the emotional upheaval suffered by expats and ‘repats’, repatriation shock lasts three times as long as the culture shock endured by new expatriates.  So, what is repatriation shock and how can an expat retuning home cope with it?  We take a closer look…

The majority of expats have planned their expatriation carefully – those who are being relocated by an employer have extensive assistance with everything from finding housing to settling in and socialising.  Others spend time getting to know the region they will be moving to, they generally research information about what it is actually like to live in a given location and they get in touch with fellow expats to learn about the realities of living abroad.

All of these efforts pay dividends when the time comes to move abroad.  It’s a given fact that the quicker someone gets familiar with their new surroundings and routine the quicker they will adapt and feel at home.  Furthermore, because an expat is in the mindset of moving abroad, adapting to a new way of life and coping, the majority do find they cope and settle in within a year of moving abroad.

For one reason or another a large percentage of those who move abroad actually return home at some point in the future…

The reasons for this are as broad as the reasons people expatriate in the first place.  Some people return home after a fixed sabbatical or sojourn overseas, others run out of money, some return due to ill health and others just decide that they are ultimately homesick and want to live back with family and friends.

For those who have been expatriated by an employer an increasing number are being offered ‘repatriation training’ or a home finding trip because over the years surveys, statistics and the experience of international employers have proven that those who repatriate after a prolonged period of four or more years overseas find it incredibly hard to settle back in.

One of the main issues is a feeling of displacement, of not belonging and of ultimately having nowhere to call home which can result in feelings of panic and depression. 

According to Robin Pascoe, a Canadian expert in expatriation, of those employees who have been expatriated by an employer who then return home to take up their old job, over one quarter resign from their posting within two years of repatriation. 

Robin Pascoe’s findings were based on a survey she conducted with a broad cross section of employees and their spouses as well as the HR directors of the companies for whom the employees were working at the time of expatriation and repatriation.

The repatriation shock issues manifest themselves in various ways and come about from an ongoing, underlying sense of confusion in the expat’s mind.  On the one hand they know that they should feel ‘at home’ in their country of birth and possibly in their old house even, but because significant things have changed – from a change in government to a change in road layout, from a change in bureaucratic rules to a change in staff at an old place of employment – where should feel home actually feels alien and the repatriating individual has not prepared themselves for the feelings of displacement and confusion that they will encounter.

As so little has been written about repatriation shock and the negative effects that returning home can have on a seasoned expatriate, so little is known about how to cope with repatriation – this is why it can take up to three years for an expat to settle back in and start to feel as though home is actually home. 

Thankfully employers are beginning to realise that they are losing key staff as a result of not reintegrating them properly and over time it is hoped that large employers will all offer a home finding trip for international employees and that independent expatriates will learn more about how it feel to be ‘going home’ and how to cope with the culture shock that will ensue.

Further Expatriate Living Articles

Share this article with others.