Compared with the expatriation process, repatriation is often:

Repatriation is frequently more challenging for an employee than the initial expatriation. A primary reason for this difficulty is the lack of suitable and well-defined job opportunities upon return. During the assignment, organizational changes may have occurred, and the home office may not have a clear plan for how to utilize the repatriate's newly acquired global skills and experience. This can lead to underemployment, a perceived loss of status and autonomy compared to the overseas role, and career stagnation, making the professional readjustment process highly stressful and dissatisfying.

A. The return position is often seen as less challenging and with less autonomy, which is a major source of repatriate dissatisfaction.
B. While employees may look forward to returning, the reality of reverse culture shock and professional challenges often makes the process difficult.
C. The repatriate's international experience is often undervalued by the home organization, which contributes to the difficulty of readjustment, rather than easing it.

1. Black, J. S., & Gregersen, H. B. (1999). The right way to manage expats. Harvard Business Review, 77(2), 52-62. The article highlights that a major failure in the expatriate cycle is poor repatriation planning, specifically the failure to provide a suitable job upon return (p. 59).

2. Stroh, L. K., Gregersen, H. B., & Black, J. S. (1998). Closing the gap: What managers can do to ease the strain of repatriation. Journal of World Business, 33(3), 275-287. The authors identify uncertainty about the new job back home as a primary stressor and a key reason for repatriation failure (p. 278). https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-9516(98)90013-0

3. Lazarova, M., & Caligiuri, P. (2001). Retaining repatriates: The role of organizational support practices. Journal of World Business, 36(4), 389-401. This study empirically links career support and the availability of a suitable job upon return to repatriate retention, underscoring that a lack of such opportunities makes the process difficult. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1090-9516(01)00066-8