The Adjustment Process of Female Repatriate Managers in Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) Companies

Abstract

Globalization in recent years has made the understanding of international human resource problems more important for managers in companies. Despite the growth of female managers with international assignments, there are very few studies about the repatriation challenges faced by female managers. The study on which the present article is based, attempts to explore the emotions and feelings that female repatriate managers in Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) companies encountered during their repatriation process. To the best of our knowledge this is the first study focusing on this subject. Our findings indicate the overall repatriation process for female expatriate managers in ANZ companies to be rather unsatisfying. This study attempts to posit that enhancing female employees’ commitment towards their parent firms is a critical first step and to show the way for ANZ firms to begin this important process.