Strategies for Successful Repatriation‪.‬

ABSTRACT U.S. multinational corporations (MNC) primarily send their best employees on international assignments to grow new markets, maintain existing operations (Windham, 1999), or develop high potential employees who can both contribute to company strategy and craft a global view of the corporation's business (Derr & Oddou, 1991). Over a twenty year period researchers have consistently reported MNC problems with retaining returning employees, especially the high costs of international assignments associated with low retention rates of repatriates. The purpose of this examination is to present strategies for addressing the repatriate attrition problem. The two objectives for this paper are (1) to compile and categorize strategies from corporate and employee perspectives, and (2) to summarize researchers' theories and relate them to actual practice. This approach allows MNC human resources and other executives to customize practices to fit corporate strategic objectives and alleviate low repatriate retention rates.