Repatriation adjustment process of business employees: Evidence from Spanish workers

This study analyzes the key issues affecting the repatriation adjustment process of international workers and the impact of this process on repatriates’ performance, satisfaction and turnover intentions when they have returned to their parent companies. A total of 122 Spanish repatriates participated in the study. The findings confirm previous literature that some individual—characteristics such as self-efficacy—and other variables such as changes in autonomy at work, the creation of adequate working expectations and changes in social status can affect adjustment to work after the repatriation. However, the repatriation adjustment process is a dynamic phenomenon and its effects vary over time. We find that work adjustment after 2 months impacts positively on performance, whereas adjustment after 9 months is correlated with higher satisfaction and an intention to stay with the firm. Hence, this research points out the importance of reducing the duration of the adjustment process of the business employees in order to improve some organizational outcomes. A new model of the repatriation process is proposed which includes the time variable.