The document discusses considerations for whether to re-assign an expatriate to another international assignment or repatriate them. It notes that re-assignment is only suitable if the expatriate and family are willing, the company needs the expatriate's skills, and there are no other good options. The document outlines factors to consider from the perspectives of the company's operations and strategy, the expatriate's personal situation, and compensation policies. It emphasizes analyzing each case individually before deciding to re-assign an expatriate.

1. FIND THE BALANCE
IN INTERNATIONAL HR
Copyright 2012 Mercer LLC.
See Phil Stanley’s complete article below.
Phil Stanley
Send an assignee on a
subsequent relocation?
Yes, if the assignee (and family) is willing, the
company needs the assignee’s specific skills and
experience, and/or there is no job at home or
headquarters.
Hire locally or send
another assignee
instead?
Yes, if the current expatriate (and family) is
unwilling, the company does not need the
expatriate’s specific skills and experience, it is
possible to find a qualified local, or send another
assignee to strengthen the organization’s pool
of talent with international work experience.
(continuedonnextpage)
RE-ASSIGN OR REPATRIATE:
CONSIDERATIONS BEFORE MAKING
THE DECISION
Phil Stanley
Re-AssignorRepatriate:
ConsiderationsbeforeMakingthe
Decisionpg1
MovingWithChildren:WhatExactly
AretheTopSchools? pg5
AsktheConsultant:When
TerminatinganExpatriate,WhoPays
fortheMoveBackHome?pg6
FoundationsofanInternational
Assignment:WhattoConsider,How
toPaypg7
TheImpactofaMature Expatriate
ProgramonRetainingKeyTalent
pg9
featured consultant
in this issue
Did you
know that
for only
of companies, sending employees
on a series of assignments is the
most common format?
Source: Mercer’s 2011 Worldwide
Survey of International Assignment
Policies and Practices
5.9%
fast facts
INNOVATIONS
Traditional international assignments are on a fixed-term or limited duration basis, with the
expectation the employee will return to the point of origin upon completion of the assignment.
According to Mercer’s 2011 Worldwide Survey of International Assignment Policies and Practices, two
thirds of the respondents send employees on a one-time assignment with a planned repatriation.
Less than one quarter have no fixed repatriation plan.
In some cases, however, management offers the employee another foreign assignment before
repatriating the individual back home. But only 5.9 percent of survey respondents send employees
on assignment as part of a planned series of international postings. That said, the reasons for re-
assignment are diverse, sometimes reflecting the company’s need. But in other situations, the
expatriate initiates the re-assignment; management generally approves the sequential posting if it
aligns with the company’s objectives.
No matter the circumstances, the decision is not always a simple matter. This discussion will present
the pros and cons that employers should consider.
Volume 38, No.1 2012

2. 2
Re-Assign or Repatriate: Considerations before Making the Decision (continued)
2
PRACTICAL REASONS FOR A
RE-ASSIGNMENT
Depending on the company’s strategy in the specific host
location, in conjunction with the employee’s skills and
experience, a number of scenarios are possible. For example,
consider the following circumstances:
• Someindividualsarewell-suitedtolivinginforeignlandsand
caneasilyadapttonewculturesandcustoms.Theexpatriate
under discussion may be one such type of person who also
has the necessary qualifications to achieve organizational
goals in different locations.
• The company continues to need the employee’s specific
skills, expertise, or familiarity with the region in the same
location or elsewhere. Perhaps the problem arises due to
attrition or a shortage of talent locally.
• The assignee is a promising employee who has expressed
a long-term commitment to the organization and shown
excellentpotential.There-assignmentispartofacontinuing
series of postings that are necessary for the individual’s
progression along a specific career track.
• The new assignment reflects a practical decision – upon
repatriation, the expatriate has no suitable job back home
or at headquarters.
So, depending on the specific factors in place at the time, a
sequential assignment can prove to be a win-win situation. This
result assumes not only that the expatriate is willing, but also
that the company needs the individual’s presence in another (or
same) worksite.
BEFORE THE DECISION GOES
FORWARD
For whatever reason underlying the next assignment, employers
should consider this step from several perspectives before
making an offer to the employee. HR should analyze the situation
in light of the following questions:
• How will the assignment impact the organization’s business
strategy?
• Are the assignee’s (and family, if any) circumstances
amenable to another assignment?
• Should there be policy changes to the compensation
package in light of the re-assignment?
THE ORGANIZATIONAL PERSPECTIVE
When sending an employee on an international assignment,
consider the host operation, the company’s strategic aims in
that location, and how the employee fits into the situation. For
example:
• What type of structure exists in the host location? Is it
an existing satellite office? Is the individual comfortable
working in a smaller/larger operation? Is additional training
necessary from a cultural standpoint?
• Is the operation a start up effort for a new product or service?
Doestheindividualhaveanyfamiliaritywiththisnewproduct
or service? Has the assignee launched any new products and
services? Can the individual assess the market’s readiness
for company products and services?
• What are the objectives for which the expatriate will be
responsible? Filling a vacancy in an existing operation?
Transferring technology or knowledge to the worksite (or a
client’sworksite)?Doesthetaskrequireashort-termorlong-
term assignment, or perhaps only an extended international
business trip?
AccordingtoMercer’s2011WorldwideSurvey,participantsranked
their candidate selection criteria as follows:
1. Skills or competencies
2. Job performance
3. Job level
4. Projected cost for that individual
5. Prior international living experience
6. Familiarity with assignment country
7. Language proficiency
8. Marital status
If the person’s career track or unique experience is not the sole
criterion for re-assignment, the organization should consider
whether hiring a qualified local national is feasible. Another
possibility is to consider whether another assignee may be more
appropriateforthejob,asthiscouldstrengthentheorganization’s
pool of talent who have international work experience.

3. 3
Innovations In International HR • Volume 38, No.1 2012
Copyright 2012 Mercer LLC. 3
THE PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE
When an employee is asked to live and work in a foreign country,
the family’s well-being and immediate personal situation
is important to the success or failure of the deployment. In
personal circumstances that involve a working spouse, school-
age children, elderly parents, ill dependents, or other similar
issues, additional pressure comes to bear on family members
both at home and abroad.
It is essential to avoid intruding on an employee’s privacy for
both ethical and legal reasons. Working within legal bounds,
then, an employer should consider the following points before
re-assigning an expatriate:
• Is the family willing to move again? Are they comfortable
with the prospect of getting used to yet another new
culture and language? What is the status of the children’s
education, and how would a subsequent relocation affect
their schooling? Regardless of the number of times a family
moves, culture shock usually re-occurs as they leave behind
the host location that had been their home for several years
and transition into unfamiliar territory. They may be experts
at packing and moving, but encountering new faces and
environments – at work, school, and play – may still be
daunting.
• If the family circumstances are too complex, or they are
undergoing some personal difficulty, a new assignment
might strain family relationships beyond their current
fragility. Is it worth harming the expatriate’s personal life
and/or risking a failed assignment and wasted money/time
on the part of the company to reassign this individual?
• Do aging parents in the home country need constant
oversight?Ifso,cansomeonelivinglocallystepinonbehalfof
the assignee? Is the employer willing to allow more flexibility
in home leave without jeopardizing the morale of other
employees who might view such lenience as favoritism?
• If the spouse has been working in the host location, will the
spouse again need assistance with obtaining a work permit
in the new host location (assuming local regulations allow
it)?Andifthespouseisnotpermittedtoworkinthenewhost
location, does the policy provide some type of assistance?
THE POLICY PERSPECTIVE
Over time, many organizations implement separate policies
for common assignment types that require their own set
of guidelines. Examples include short-term assignments,
commuters, and others. (See Chart 1, “Policy Types.”)
If the expatriate agrees to accept another assignment and,
perhaps others in the future, should a different policy be
implemented for recurring deployment? For example:
• If the assignment is one of a series of postings, any attempt
to tie the package back to the home country may be
meaningless. When determining cost-of-living differences
for the purpose of any allowances, is the original home
country still relevant? Or, should the pay package be
based on some type of international salary structure or
headquarter-based pay?
Americas Asia Pac EMEA Japan Worldwide
67.5% 58.2% 71.1% 61.2% 66.1% No, company has one global assignment policy
10.0% 17.3% 11.0% 14.4% 11.9% Yes, company has policies based on location (e.g., regional)
10.2% 10.2% 8.3% 19.1% 11.6% Yes, company has policies based on job level (e.g., early career)
7.8% 16.3% 10.6% 6.9% 9.2% Yes, company has policies based on the purpose (e.g., skills gap)
5.9% 6.1% 5.0% 13.3% 7.2% Yes, company has policies based on type (e.g., virtual)
10.7% 6.1% 7.3% 10.1% 9.3% Yes, company has policies based on other criteria
Chart 1. Policy Types
Does your company have more than one international assignment policy or tiered policies?
Source:Mercer’s2011WorldwideSurveyofInternationalAssignmentPoliciesandPractices.Pleasenotethatthetotaldoesnotaddupto100%,as
respondentsmayhavemorethanonereasonforhavingdifferentpolicies.

4. 4
• Should the cost-of-living index and allowance reflect the
purchasing habits of a new arrival or an expatriate already
familiar with the host location (especially if the assignee has
been living and working in the region for a number of years)?
• If the individual is already interested in accepting another
assignment, is a premium/incentive really necessary to
motivate the employee?
• Ifthehostlocationpresentsdifficultordangerousconditions,
is there any reason the pay package would not follow the
existing hardship policy?
• If pre-assignment medical exams are not required for
a typical assignment, should the expatriate and family
members undergo medical exams in this situation? This
requirement might be necessary if previous and/or future
locations do not offer adequate and reliable medical care or
sanitary conditions.
If school-age children are not returning to the familiarity of the
home educational system, would the company provide extra
resources/allowances as it would for an initial assignment?
Before making policy decisions, management needs to consider
whether the policy requires any adjustment for a back-to-back
situation. Depending on the unique situations, change may not
be necessary. But in all decisions, consistency and equity are key
components.
STEP BACK AND REVIEW
Before asking an expatriate to undergo another international
assignment, take a step back and consider all perspectives: the
host operation, company strategy and goals, the employee’s
personal situation, and the international assignment policy.
Review the rationale for the posting to be certain that the offer
and expense of an assignment makes sense. Also ensure the
willingness of the expatriate and family to go on assignment
again, as well as the appropriateness of the policy to provide a
fair and reasonable package. If all the right pieces are in place,
then go ahead and support the expatriate and family members to
result in – hopefully – another successful assignment.
Phil Stanley, a Principal and APAC Global Mobility COE Leader for Mercer, is
based in Singapore. Prior to joining Mercer, Phil was a Vice President of ORC
Worldwide and Managing Director for the Asia Pacific region. He specializes
in employee remuneration programs and has more than 20 years’
experience in the design and development of local-national and expatriate
employee reward systems. Phil also chairs Mercer’s Asia International
Mobility Roundtable, a multi-industry network of HR professionals
responsible for international assignments and employee mobility in Asia
Pacific. Previously, he also worked in the International Compensation and
Development organization of Northrop Corporation, an aerospace and
defense company with main activities in Riyadh, Jidda, and Al Khobar/
Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
• Should the cost-of-living index and allowance reflect the
purchasing habits of a new arrival or an expatriate already
STEP BACK AND REVIEW