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Credit: Diageo / Tim Bishop
• By Bill Millar
International experience is becoming
increasingly valuable in a world where
globalization continues to deepen. To succeed
at a senior level, executives need an
understanding and awareness of different
cultures. And perhaps the best way of developing
this experience is through a series of temporary
foreign assignments or secondments.
Moving executives around the globe can be a
valuable way of developing
Summary
Secondments abroad
represent a valuable
opportunity for
employers and
employees alike. But
companies need to
take steps to make
sure that employees
still feel valued once
they return.
the managerial skills and
knowledge that are
necessary for an
international business, but it
can be challenging to get
right. One of the biggest
problems is the regular
departure of executives after
the completion of a foreign
assignment, especially in the
The reintegration process Management
immediate 12–24 months after repatriation.
Over the years, countless surveys have shown
that expatriates who have recently returned
from a secondment are much more likely to leave
the company than those who have not been
away.
This sounds counterintuitive. After all, if a
company is willing to invest time and money to
build the international experience and knowledge
of its high-potential managers, surely those
executives would be more likely to remain loyal.
In fact, the opposite is true. One of the main
reasons for this is that, on return, expatriates
find that the dynamics and management teams
in their home country have changed, leaving
them without their original sponsors or mentors.
“They can return to a sort of vacuum, with no job
and no one looking out for them,” says Marion
Festing, Professor at the Berlin campus of the
ESCP Europe Business School.
A weak economy exacerbates this problem. In
the current environment, many executives are
Welcome back.
Now – please don’t leave!
Departure rates among executives returning to their home country
following an offshore secondment are well above average. Stemming these
losses requires careful planning and constant communication.
Ernst & Young Issue 07 T Magazine 41