Expatriates' work engagement is essential. But what leads to it?

What is it about?

Companies increasingly depend on their employees’ work engagement. The latter refers to employees’ positive attitudes toward their work and is characterized by high energy and a genuine willingness to go the extra mile. Three components comprise work engagement: absorption, dedication, and vigor. Despite calls for more empirical research on the role of work engagement during international assignments, little exploratory work has taken place so far. Assigned expatriates (AEs) work in an increasingly complex and dynamic environment; their work engagement can help them deal with the demands placed on them. Yet research on work engagement in Organizational Behavior, although extensive and mature, has neglected the context of expatriation. This is problematic! Based on e-interviews with 27 Nordic AEs in 16 host countries, we investigate which antecedents exactly influence AEs’ work engagement during their international assignment. We identified two clusters of antecedents – general and specific – as characterizing expatriate settings. Among the general antecedents were distance to headquarters, pride in being chosen to undertake an assignment and culture. Specific antecedents influencing only one of the components of work engagement included fewer distractions, adjustment, and location. We organized these insights into a framework that depicts the links between the various antecedents and the three components of work engagement. Key takeaways from the study 1. AE-Specific Influences: Factors like pride in being chosen, cultural differences, and distance from HQ influence expatriates’ work engagement. 2. Energy and Focus: AEs experience unique challenges in maintaining vigor, such as adjusting to a new language and social environment, but also benefit from fewer distractions in their host location, allowing for deeper focus. 3. Pride and Success: AEs often feel a heightened sense of dedication due to the pride they experience from succeeding in a foreign context. 4. Revisiting Known Antecedents: While elements such as responsibility, variety, and autonomy continue to drive work engagement, the influence of the direct manager was surprisingly less impactful for the AEs we interviewed. AEs are invaluable assets in global mobility. Understanding and fostering their work engagement can help multinational corporations better manage international assignments. This is essential considering the unique challenges and opportunities AEs face.

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