Reference no: EM132963282
Stromboli Alumina International Repatriation
Hubert Gerard, the Human Resources Director for Stromboli Alumina, is going into a meeting with the directors from various departments of the company to discuss the resignation of Romesh Singh. Singh was the 7th repatriated manager in 5 years to resign within a year of returning home. Four other managers also had to be repatriated early because of family adjustment issues and the managers' inability to adjust to the new environments.
Stromboli Alumina is based in Pakistan with operations in five other countries: Sweden, Norway, France, Argentina and, the newest office, Chile. Although they had been sending expatriates abroad for over 30 years, the employees had never been gone for more than two years at a time and were often able to visit home during their work terms. But when the Chilean office opened, Romesh Singh was sent for a 5-year term to train and guide the new office employees. This extended assignment proved very effective for the company. Now as a replacement expatriate was preparing to move to the Chilean office, Hubert and other senior-level colleagues were discussing what improvements must be made to achieve smoother transition to the new environment and repatriation in the future.
Singh's extended term in Chile has been deemed necessary by the Stromboli Alumina management team due to the fact that the extreme cultural and work differences between Pakistan and Chile requiring significant adjustment and time to make an impact in the assignment. The new office start-up also required a major initial time investment in new workforce staffing and training. Singh has worked with Stromboli Alumina for 10 years before moving to Chile with his family. He had a wife and 3 children who were between the ages of eight and thirteen upon departure from Pakistan. He was chosen primarily because he wrote and spoke Spanish fluently, but being able to speak a second language was the exception rather than the rule for managers sent on international assignments. Mangers for expatriate assignments were usually chosen on their technical ability and managerial skills.
In Chile, Singh was the head of a team that included three other Pakistan employees who ensured that the Chilean office was run parallel to the Pakistan office and that employees were trained according to Pakistan standards. Ramesh's family has some culture shock when they first arrived in Chile, but with an improvised training programme and ad hoc support from the company they were able to work through the issues and became well adjusted.
After the 5-year term expired, the family moved back to Pakistan to begin reintegration into their home country. This is where major problems began to occur. The children were having difficulties readjusting into their schools. The eldest, who was now in high school, was facing complications in the company of girls. He was seen as being too forward and aggressive toward his female friends, who rejected him. The youngest who was in primary school, was dealing with the fact that her former friends had changed and developed new groups of friends. Due to the reserved manner of the Pakistan culture, she was finding it harder to meet new people and had quickly acquired the reputation of being overly friendly. These issues were a result of their years in Chile's very outgoing culture.
Rajhi's wife, Crystal worked as a preschool teacher before leaving for Chile. She opted not to work while away from Pakistan. She was not only having a hard time finding work in Pakistan but was not looking forward to spending days away from her family again. In addition, she was not feeling comfortable with her old friends. During her stay in Chile, she had learned to express herself more openly and developed different values that were more in line with Chilean views. Her friends, however, did not understand her changed mentality. This caused Crystal to perceive them as being slightly cold and aloof.
Singh was also having some problems, primarily at work. He was not fully aware of changes that occurred at the Pakistan office during his absence and was struggling to settle in again. Colleagues who had previously been on par with him had been promoted, which was causing some tension. While in Chile Singh had been in charge of a team overseeing the entire operation and was responsible for many others as well. But back in Pakistan, Singh has been returned to his old position of quality engineer manager and was responsible for far fewer employees and decisions, making his work seem less significant. In addition, before leaving for Chile, Singh has been told of the strong likelihood of a promotion at the end of his term abroad. Due to the developments and changes within the company during this time, there was no longer a position available for his promotion. The lack of increased income with the anticipated promotion was making it feel very expensive to live in Pakistan again. The family had become accustomed to having an elevated disposable income in Chile, and moving back to the high cost of living in Pakistan required them to tighten their budget significantly.
Based on the company's previous repatriation experiences, Hubert felt that the issue was larger than Romesh experience and that his colleagues had not been sensitive to the difficulties of managers being sent overseas or returning home. This was the first time this problem would be discussed. It was going to be a long afternoon before any resolutions regarding improvements in international assignments and repatriation policy and practice would be found.
- Critique the repatriation process used by Stromboli and make recommendations on the changes needed and likely components to improve the outcomes for the organization, the employees and their families.