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Home
Sweet Home?
Expats neglect repatriation issues at their peril, says Jacqui
Canham.
On accepting an overseas assignment, most employees are smart
enough to consider the all-important issues of finding a new
home, sorting out their finances, adapting to unfamiliar work
ethics and coping with culture shock. But there is one crucial
question that is rarely asked: ‘What’s going to
happen when I return home?’
Repatriation is one of the great neglected areas of expatriate
life. Before embarking on your new life abroad you might employ
a home-search company to help you find somewhere to live. You
might talk to tax or financial advisers. You might even attend
a pre-departure briefing to help you adapt to your new surroundings.
However, when you eventually return to your home country, you
will probably expect to pick up exactly where you left off.
“Having done it myself, I think coming home is actually
harder than starting a new job abroad,” says Jeff Toms,
director of client services at the UK-based International Briefing
Centre at Farnham Castle. “On returning home you anticipate
picking up where you left off – rejoining your friends
and family, slipping back into the same social routines and
work environment. Realising how much things have changed can
be quite a shock.”
Farnham Castle offers relocation seminars and courses to expatriates
and corporations, many of which include repatriation issues
and ‘coping strategies’ to help them ease their
way back into the home country.
Toms points out that although you may have been communicating
with friends and family while working away, you can get a very
disjointed view of life back home. “People will tend only
to give you the highlights, and you may develop a rose-tinted
view of your home country.”
One area of concern for repatriates is their return to work.
You may find the philosophies of your company have changed.
Whole levels of management might have been extracted or departments
diluted, particularly in the wake of a merger or takeover. You
may discover your previous mentors have moved on and there is
no-one to watch out for you any more.
“Usually, overseas assignments mean you become a bigger
cog in a smaller wheel,” says Toms. “You have more
responsibility and autonomy. But when repatriating, the levels
of attrition are high – around 40 per cent of employees
leave their company after coming home.”
Repatriation problems are not limited to work. There are the
mundane practicalities – shipping belongings overseas,
rebuilding a home, making financial and tax arrangements –
but these are also an intrinsic part of the outward relocating
process and will have probably already been worked through by
the expatriate.
The new problems which occur are mainly of a social nature,
and many people find the jolt of adjustment worse when they
come home than when they went out. When the plane touches down
on home soil once again, few people are prepared for the changes
that may have occurred within their trusted social circles or
their company. Colleagues or friends may seem different, and
relationships have to be re-established.
“When you return home, you may want to regale friends,
family and colleagues with talk of your life in Dubai or Hong
Kong, what you learned, and how you did things there,”
says Toms. “But this is akin to showing off your holiday
snaps; after a while the novelty wanes for everyone around you.”
Accompanying partners can have a rough time of it too. Many
have put the brakes on their career while accompanying their
husband or wife abroad, and may find it very difficult to slip
back into the working arena when they come back home. They may
have learned a whole new set of survival skills such as language
capabilities and better communication skills, and they will
have probably seen some amazing sights, but these do not stand
for much on a CV.
In her book, Homeward Bound, Robin Pascoe says: "Women
who felt a profound loss of independence when they first agreed
to move abroad with their partners, always felt in the back
of their minds that they would reclaim that independence when
they returned home. Things don't always turn out that way.
“When work neither magically nor easily appears, a repatriated
wife may slowly realize that she may now be just as dependent
on her husband as before, only without the excuse of living
in a foreign country. That's a scary thought.”
Clearly, repatriation is a significant concern on the expatriate
agenda and there is increasing demand for solutions to problems.
Toms believes that although companies give a lot of lip services
to the repatriation issue, few are actually wiling to do anything
about it. Most will spend up to four times an employee’s
salary posting them overseas, but few will invest in repatriation
programmes that would minimise the risk of an employee leaving
the company on their return home.
Nevertheless, it seems as though employers are becoming more
aware of the issue. A survey undertaken last year by consultants
Cendant Mobility – ‘Emerging Trends in Global Mobility:
Policy and Practices’ – revealed that 80 per cent
of relocation practitioners feel there is room for improvement
in their repatriation programmes. Changes would include: more
formalised programmes and reintegration strategies; and better
career planning, tracking and retention of talent.
Checklist for returning home
Your return home should be planned as though you
are moving to another country. Here are some of the more important
aspects to consider before coming back.
• Find out if your employer offers a repatriation programme.
This should include regular communication during and after
the assignment, and ‘settling-in’ services to
help you with practical issues on return.
• Arrange for a mentor to keep you updated about company
policy, staff changes, mergers, take-overs, and so-on. Or
see if there is a corporate intranet service available that
covers this information.
• If your company does not offer such a programme, suggest
they send you on a repatriation course or seminar run by a
relocation or cultural briefing company.
• If you have not been guaranteed a continuation of
employment with your employer when you return, circulate your
resume to all potential hiring units. Communicate with home
mentors who can identify potential job positions at re-entry.
• Arrange for the resumption of tax residence in your
home country. It will help if you have kept strict financial
records because your tax situation will depend on when and
where you received money, and when and where you entered into
your financial transactions. You may need the help of a tax
expert.
• Consider your international investments. Close bank
accounts if necessary. Dispose of interests in offshore roll-up
funds if the proceeds will be taxed at a lower rate in the
foreign jurisdiction than your home country.
• If you own a home in a foreign jurisdiction there
may be numerous tax issues to consider. For instance, if the
sale is subject to capital gains tax (CGT) in your home country,
make sure you prevent double taxation.
• Arrange for a pre-repatriation home country visit
several months before you plan to leave your host country.
This will allow you time for house hunting or re-occupying
your home. If you have children, you can use this visit to
register them for school.
• Give your forwarding address details to the postal
service in both the foreign jurisdiction and your home country.
• Arrange in plenty of time for the shipment of personal
goods. Many people leave arrangements until the last minute
and this can complicate matters. Contact one of the bigger
associations which can put you in touch with reputable global
removals companies.
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