Previous research has highlighted the importance of subjective well-being and the expatriate's supportive personal environment for the success of an international assignment As studies focusing on work-life balance of expatriates are still very rare, and research dealing with this topic from a gender perspective seems to be almost non-existent, this study emphasizes the work-life balance situation of female expatriates on foreign assignments After having interviewed 10 female expatriates, results clearly support the existing state of the art in this field Thereby work intrusion into family life, for example, has proven to have stronger impact on an expatriate's life than vice versa Furthermore, several issues so far neglected in the literature have been revealed that influence women's work-life balance abroad The importance of leisure time, social networks, sports and personal confidence can be determined Additionally, as work-life balance has an individual meaning, support measures offered by compa

Work-life balance – a neglected issue among Austrian female expatriates

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to explore flexpatriates' perceptions of work life balance (WLB) issues and identify possible adjustments of WLB programs to better meet the needs of flexpatriates. This paper investigates flexpatriates' challenges at the interface of personal and work lives and their perception of standard WLB programs and then proposes organizational adjustments to better meet the needs of flexpatriates.Design/methodology/approach – This study employed a qualitative research approach and two kinds of empirical data were collected: first, through in‐depth semi‐structured interviews with 40 employees involved in flexpatriate assignments in multinational companies operating in Austria and, second, through a document analysis of the homepages of their employing organizations to gain information about WLB practices.Findings – Drawing upon the study findings, the authors present a typology of flexpatriates and propose a model that considers both WLB and work life imbalance as a desirable or ...

Recognising diversity in managing work life issues of flexpatriates

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze female expatriates' work‐life conflicts and enrichments which take place during the international assignmentDesign/methodology/approach – A total of 20 interviews were carried out with female expatriates The interview data were content analyzedFindings – The findings indicate that females have experiences of conflicts but also enrichment during international assignments Both aspects – the effect of the personal life on the working life and vice versa – are shown to be important for females Life and career stages appear to be integral to these experiences This study utilizes four metaphors – airport, seesaw, stage, and harbor – as main headings to represent female expatriates' experiences in balancing work and their personal livesOriginality/value – This study expands our understanding of the experiences of female expatriates from the work‐life balance perspective and contributes by analyzing both the work‐life conflicts as well as the enrichment whi

Lives of female expatriates: work‐life balance concerns

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the range of theoretical underpinning used to explain women's participation as expatriates with a view to identifying the most promising theoretical lenses for future research.Design/methodology/approach – Drawing upon theoretical explanations in the “women in management” and “women expatriates” literature, four main theoretical domains are identified that are used to understand and explain their continuing low representation as expatriates: women's choices, assignee characteristics, social and societal norms and institutional aspects. Key theories within each domain are evaluated to suggest a future theoretical research framework.Findings – The most promising theoretical explanation of women's low participation as expatriates is identified as being linked to gender stereotyping reinforced within an isomorphic institutional framework.Research limitations/implications – Research into women's inroads into management and into expatriation has generated consid...

Gender diversity in expatriation: evaluating theoretical perspectives

On the basis of a questionnaire survey of 67 Korean expatriate managers in India, this exploratory study investigates the factors that affect the Korean expatriates’ satisfaction with an international assignment in light of the opportunities and challenges associated with working and living in India. The study showed that the expatriates’ (1) elevated position/title abroad, (2) unrealistic expectations toward international relocation and (3) inability to manage work–life balance issues had a negative influence on their overall satisfaction with an international assignment to India. The results also revealed that the homogeneous Korean expatriates maintained their Confucian values in the diverse and challenging Indian environment – this has both a positive and negative impact on their overall satisfaction. The implications, both theoretical and practical, for international human resource management are provided.

Opportunities and challenges for expatriates in emerging markets: an exploratory study of Korean expatriates in India

Studies by ORC Worldwide have found that long hours, travel, and other work-related factors intrude into personal lives and create stress for a significant portion of HR professionals and expatriates around the world. But while HR professionals believe work-life balance policies have benefited their organization and themselves, expatriates believe quite the opposite. Given the cost of expatriate assignments and the potential for work-life imbalance to erode employee commitment, organizations can do more to communicate and support work-life practices outside their home country, and to better prepare the expatriate and family for life in their new location.

Siobhan Cummins

Papers

Work‐life balance: Expatriates reflect the international dimension