Development of cultural agility competencies through global mobility

PurposeThis paper aims to understand how these competencies gained will help human resource (HR) leaders become more strategic about when and how to use global mobility for talent development.Design/methodology/approachIn this paper, the author defines the construct of cultural agility and describes the theoretical mechanisms through which employees can gain cultural agility through culturally novel situations such as global mobility. Cultural agility enables individuals to work comfortably and effectively with people from different cultures and in situations of cultural novelty. People with cultural agility have task-management competencies (cultural minimization, adaptation and integration), self-management competencies (tolerance of ambiguity, resilience, curiosity) and relationship-management competencies (humility, relationship building and perspective taking).FindingsThis study aims at focusing on the development of cultural agility, this paper focuses on four cascading features of a culturally novel experience that can help individuals gain this competence: (1) the level of cultural novelty in the experience, (2) the readiness of an individual for that level of cultural novelty, (3) the individual's level of awareness of the cultural norms and values inherent in the culturally novel experience and (4) the level of social support offered to that individual to learn how to understand and respond in that experience.Originality/valueEach feature is discussed, concluding with the implications for future research and practitioners in global mobility and talent development.

COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and COVID-19-induced income disruption among migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Neither COVID-19 vaccine acceptance nor income changes among migrant workers during the pandemic has been assessed in Saudi Arabia. Aims: To assess the correlates of willingness to take the COVID-19 vaccine and a decrease in income during the pandemic among migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. Methods: An electronic questionnaire was administered to 2403 migrant workers from the Middle East and South Asia employed in agriculture, auto repair, construction, food service (restaurants), municipality, and poultry farms in Al-Qassim Province, Saudi Arabia. The interviews were conducted in the native languages of the workers in 2021. Chi-square was used to assess the associations, and a multiple logistic regression was used to generate the odds ratio. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 27. Results: South Asian workers were 2.30 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.60-3.32] times more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccine than those from the Middle East (reference group). Restaurant, agriculture and poultry workers were respectively 2.36 (95% CI: 1.41-3.95), 2.13 (95% CI: 1.29-3.51) and 14.56 (95% CI: 5.64-37.59) times more likely to accept the vaccine than construction workers (reference group). Older (≥ 56 years, reference group ≤ 25 years) workers were 2.23 (95% CI: 0.99-5.03) times, auto repair 6.75 (95% CI: 4.33-10.53) times, and restaurant workers 4.04 (95% CI: 2.61-6.25) times more likely to experience a reduction in income than construction workers. Conclusions: Workers from South Asia were more likely to accept the COVID-19 vaccine and less likely to experience an income reduction than those from the Middle East.

A Questionnaire Survey of the Mental Health of Japanese Expatriates in China During the COVID-19 Epidemic in 2021

This study examined the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Japanese expatriates living in China. The survey period was from March 30 to July 31, 2021;responses were received via an online survey. An online survey gathered responses from 236 participants about the impact of COVID-19 on their work and life. While 80% of the participants re-sponded that COVID-19 had impacted their work and life, 60% said that it had a physical or mental impact. Kruskal–Wallis test and Mann–Whitney U test were conducted to compare the effects of COVID-19 on job performance, including personal attributes. The impact of COVID-19 was associated with gender (p =.007), age (p =.010), occupation (p =.005), job title (p =.009), and living arrangements with or without a partner (p =.005). The impact was also correlated with age (p =.030), job position (p =.014), number of times the respondent had lived in Japan (p =.003), and number of years in Japan (p =.015). The most significant effect on mental and physical health was correlated with job position (p =.016). Thus, Japanese expatriates living in China were substantially affected by the COVID-19 epidemic;although, 60% of them said their region was easy to live in. Further, despite the Chinese government's strict isolation orders, they found the thorough testing and use of the coronavirus tracking app reassuring. This suggests the importance of providing not only mental care for expatriates during the COVID-19 epidemic but also prompt decision-making based on an accurate understanding of the local situation. © Fuji Technology Press Ltd.

Loneliness and trust issues reshape mental stress of expatriates during early COVID-19: a structural equation modelling approach.

OBJECTIVES: To explore relationship among perceived stress regarding loneliness, interpersonal trust and institutional trust of expatriates during the early COVID-19 period (from 30th March to 30th May 2020). METHODS: Data from  21,439 expatriates were extracted from COVIDiSTRESS global survey. The outcome variable was perceived stress. The explanatory variables were age, perceived loneliness, trust (interpersonal and institutional). Pairwise correlation, and structural equation modelling were used to determine relationship among outcome and explanatory variables. RESULTS: The majority of the expatriates were female (73.85%), married (60.20%), had college degree (47.76%), and employed (48.72%). Over 63% of the total expatriates reported that the COVID-19 pandemic changed their lives. The average age of the respondents was 40.4 years (± 13.7), and the average score of perceived stress, loneliness, interpersonal and institutional trust were 25.5, 7.4, 14.2 and 40.4, respectively. We found a moderate correlation of perceived stress with age, perceived loneliness, interpersonal trust and institutional trust (p < 0.001). They were also found moderately related to each other. Structural equation modelling evaluated that a lack of trust can cause loneliness among expatriates, which later lead to perceived stress. Interpersonal trust was more likely to be associated with stress than institutional trust, whereas perceived loneliness mediated between both trusts and perceived stress. CONCLUSION: Perceived stress can be reduced through trusting others and alleviating the loneliness. Making strong linkage among migrants as well as between migrants and local community is important to ensure proper mental wellbeing of expatriates.

Popping the "bubble” metaphor: separation and integration of expatriate communities

PurposeThis paper aims to discuss multiple uses of the concept of "bubble” as a metaphor to refer to different experiences of foreign working communities and suggests a more flexible and comprehensive approach.Design/methodology/approachBased on ethnographic fieldwork conducted at different locations, the authors propose changing the use of the bubble metaphor from an analogy of living in isolation to a way of conceptualising the changing contexts and characteristics that impact the porosity and permeability of communities.FindingsThe paper suggests that when using the metaphor as a concept, the following considerations need to be taken into account: (1) the conventional thinking that "expat-bubbles” are isolated places, (2) any simplistic notion that different internationally mobile workers will be less or more immersed in the local community and (3) the use of the bubble metaphor without a careful delineation and reference to its permeability and porosity.Originality/valueThe paper helps to visualise a different dimension of the traditional taken-for-granted representation of the bubble. The bubble emerges as a rich analogical concept not to explain binomial representations of integration-separation. Rather than a simple "open” or "closed”, bubbles became more or less porous and permeable depending on the experiences of foreign working communities.

Intra‐company transfers: The government/corporate interface in the United Kingdom

This paper explores the role of intra‐company transfers in the United Kingdom government's labour immigration policy over the last quarter century. It demonstrates their role in determining the number of non‐European Economic Area foreigners working in the country and examines the way policy, both generally and specifically, has developed. It presents new statistical data and uses that evidence to examine the interplay between the government and multinational corporations in the determination of a significant element of foreign labour immigration. Its findings demonstrate that intra‐company transfers have consistently played a major role in the management of UK labour immigration with a small number of occupations and countries of origin characterizing the system at various times. It concludes that the system has operated through a symbiotic relationship between government and major companies to the mutual benefit of both. However, ‘Brexit' and the COVID‐19 pandemic are leading to reassessment of political and corporate objectives.

Impact of flexible work arrangements on employees' perceived productivity, organisational commitment and perceived work quality: a United Arab Emirates case-study

Purpose>This study aims to examine the impact of flexible work arrangements (FWAs) on employees' perceived productivity, quality of work and organisational commitment (OC) with a special focus on the United Arab Emirates. It also analyses the mediating effect of employee happiness on the relationship between FWA and employees' perceived productivity, OC and perceived work quality.Design/methodology/approach>A quantitative, non-experimental correlational study was used for this research project. The study yielded numerical data, which were analysed using a deductive approach. The analysis aimed at exploring the relationships between the constructs, which were viewed as variables;these relationships were considered correlations, mediation and moderation. The sample comprises employees currently working at different public and private sector organisations, representing all major service industries in the UAE. Nine questions were used to assess the flexibility at work and six out of the nine questions were used to measure the level of FWAs using the Likert scale.Findings>FWA has a significant and positive association with the employees' perceived productivity, quality of work and OC. It was confirmed that happiness plays a mediating role in the relationship between FWA and employee outcomes. The facility allows employees to manage their personal and professional lives with ease using their preferred work method. This ability promotes employee satisfaction. In conclusion, managers and employees around the world should view FWAs as a positive tool to enhance employee productivity and OC, particularly in an emergency like the Covid-19 pandemic.Research limitations/implications>The participants' honesty was a limitation, which could raise questions on the validity of this study. This limitation arises when the self-report method is used for data collection. Use of multiple instruments could be another limitation.Practical implications>Organisational leaders can use FWAs to improve employee outcomes. When an organisation grants flexible work options to employees, it implies that the organisation trusts its employees to complete the task. This factor motivates all employees to work with dedication, which is particularly true if the employees are creative people and wish to work on their preferred time and place.Originality/value>This study is significant because the findings will allow managers to assess the benefits of using FWAs to improve employee productivity, particularly in the service sector. It combines the aspects of perceived productivity, OC and perceived work quality, as well as employee happiness to assess the role of FWAs in organisations. The study also investigates the influence of FWAs in improving these employee outcomes. Based on the literature review, this study on FWAs is the first of its kind in the UAE, the country using a truly multinational workforce coming from more than 100 countries and cultures.

WhatsApp? Opportunities and Challenges in the Use of a Messaging App as a Qualitative Research Tool

This article evaluates the use of the popular Mobile Messaging App (MMA) WhatsApp as a way to conduct qualitative research with geographically dispersed samples. Through the use of a case study of Latino expat-wives around the globe, we show how traditional methods of qualitative interviewing were adapted and evolved through the use of this application. Findings suggest that WhatsApp is a valuable tool for conducting qualitative research with specific advantages over other MMAs and VoIPs due to its familiarity amongst the target group and its flexible blending of video, audio, and written forms of communication. Particularly its use on smartphones led to interactions that went beyond regular face-to-face interviews, thus allowing us access normally only gained in ethnography studies. While this can be a gain in terms of building rapport and increase the depth of data collection, it also brings new challenges in terms of ensuring data quality, interpreting non-verbal cues and ensuring high ethical standards.

Emerging Market versus Western Expatriates in Japan during the Covid-19 Pandemic

In this paper, the term "EMex" is coined to refer to emerging market expatriates who had to adjust to working and living in Japan during the Covid-19 pandemic. The Social Identity Theory is applied together with the Grounded Theory to develop a more nuanced picture of how EMex coped with the adjustment process. We found that EMex were confronted with various challenges, some of which were somewhat similar, while others were quite different compared to those experienced by the Western expatriates. All the interviewees in this study spent most of their assignment duration in Japan at their home office. Occasionally, when EMex were allowed to go to their office, they were assigned to special projects with international teams, and so they did not have any contact with non-English speaking local (Japanese) managers. Like Western expatriates, they also missed in-person meetings with their workma-tes at the office;in spite of their IT literacy, they also faced challenges conducting online meetings from their home office. EMex were not given housing allowance, and this added to the difficulty in adjusting to living in Japan compared to Western expatriates. Moreover, their motivations and perspectives of the future differed from those of Western managers, who had a more secure future with their company. Also EMex faced out-group categorization issues by host-country nationals (HCNs) even if some of them planned to extend their stay in Japan after their assignment ended.

Qiaoxiang 2.0: The People's Republic of China and Diaspora Governance at the Local Level

The article examines recent transformations in diaspora governance at the local level, particularly the new, more integrated approach towards emigrated Chinese developed in places with longstanding and strong emigration movements. These places, known as "hometowns of Overseas Chinese" or qiaoxiang, have been actively reaching out to their expatriates for decades, but the initiatives and strategies for reaching out have changed recently due to central government policies, increased return migration, and the widespread use of information and communications technologies. Based on the case study of Qingtian County in the eastern province of Zhejiang, the paper examines different ways in which local government is reaching out to its members abroad, focusing on activities in the area of legal affairs and public administration, investments, digital transformation, public diplomacy, local urban restructuring, and response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The findings reveal innovation and experimentation at the local level rather than the passive implementation of central policies, and point to the need for further unpacking of the role of the state in diaspora engagement.

Pandemic and Reverse Migration in India

As the most significant contributor to the worlds migrant population, India witnessed a massive reverse migration during the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented return of international and internal migrants to their domicile challenged the Indian economy. Integration of returnees was a colossal task for the government. Against this backdrop, this study analysed the extent of reverse migration, the socioeconomic challenges faced by migrants during the repatriation, the government response to reverse migration and the economic integration of returnees. By reviewing relevant literature, this study exposed the inability of the Indian economic sectors to absorb the reverse migrants and the limited power of migration to bring about a structural transformation in the Indian economy.

EXPLORING PERCEIVED ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT AND RESILIENCE AS ANTECEDENTS OF EXPATRIATES' WORK AND NON-WORK SPHERES AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Expatriates face more challenges when they are exposed to hostile environments in a foreign country. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most expatriates are stranded abroad without adequate support mechanisms. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the role of perceived organisational support (POS) and resilience in predicting expatriates' perception of non-work constraints and work adjustment, and in turn, their withdrawal intention. Using the convenience sampling, questionnaire data was collected through social networking platforms from 205 expatriates across various industries in Malaysia. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that POS is influential in expatriates' resilience, but not in their perceived non-work constraints and work adjustment. Spillover effects occur when perceived non-work constraints influence withdrawal intention. However, perceived non-work constraints are not significantly related to work adjustment. Further, work adjustment has a negative relationship with withdrawal intention. The results indicate that organisations should customise their human resource policies to improve expatriates' resilience through webinars and counselling services during the COVID-19 crisis, which are likely to impact their work outcomes. The contribution of this study is its application of the conservation of resources theory to enrich the sparse literature on expatriation in a hostile environment.

EXPLORING PERCEIVED ORGANISATIONAL SUPPORT AND RESILIENCE AS ANTECEDENTS OF EXPATRIATES’ WORK AND NON-WORK SPHERES AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Expatriates face more challenges when they are exposed to hostile environments in a foreign country. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most expatriates are stranded abroad without adequate support mechanisms. The aim of this paper is to empirically investigate the role of perceived organisational support (POS) and resilience in predicting expatriates’ perception of non-work constraints and work adjustment, and in turn, their withdrawal intention. Using the convenience sampling, questionnaire data was collected through social networking platforms from 205 expatriates across various industries in Malaysia. Partial least squares-structural equation modelling was employed to test the hypotheses. The results revealed that POS is influential in expatriates’ resilience, but not in their perceived non-work constraints and work adjustment. Spillover effects occur when perceived non-work constraints influence withdrawal intention. However, perceived non-work constraints are not significantly related to work adjustment. Further, work adjustment has a negative relationship with withdrawal intention. The results indicate that organisations should customise their human resource policies to improve expatriates’ resilience through webinars and counselling services during the COVID-19 crisis, which are likely to impact their work outcomes. The contribution of this study is its application of the conservation of resources theory to enrich the sparse literature on expatriation in a hostile environment. © 2022, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Covid 19 on Workers Compensation Evidence from GCC Countries

The year 2020 has turned the world upside down with the outbreak of the disease COVID 19. It forced the companies to shift their work focus from office to work from home. Every sector of the economy got affected by the pandemic and a financial crisis was faced by almost every firm. To deal with the financial crisis, many firms have altered their compensation packages. The world of The Middle East is nowhere left behind. The firms of GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries known for their attractive pay packages were forced to make modifications, adjustments, and variations to their compensation. The current paper analyzes various amendments made by firms in the Gulf Countries like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Oman, and Bahrain to their compensation management system to cope with the challenges of the pandemic. It also highlights the remittances provided by the governments of these countries to tackle the situation. Analysis was done based on secondary data which includes the Gulf Health Council Report, International Labor Organization reports, Mercer Consultant Report, publication of Arab Reform Initiative, OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) publication on MENA countries, and World Bank report (2018). The findings highlighted the turbulence experienced by employees working in gulf, as majority of GCC countries lacked in providing pay protection and job protection. It also describes to what extent the remittances provided by the government in these countries were helpful to the expatriates.

Intra‐company transfers: The government/corporate interface in the United Kingdom

This paper explores the role of intra‐company transfers in the United Kingdom government's labour immigration policy over the last quarter century. It demonstrates their role in determining the number of non‐European Economic Area foreigners working in the country and examines the way policy, both generally and specifically, has developed. It presents new statistical data and uses that evidence to examine the interplay between the government and multinational corporations in the determination of a significant element of foreign labour immigration. Its findings demonstrate that intra‐company transfers have consistently played a major role in the management of UK labour immigration with a small number of occupations and countries of origin characterizing the system at various times. It concludes that the system has operated through a symbiotic relationship between government and major companies to the mutual benefit of both. However, ‘Brexit’ and the COVID‐19 pandemic are leading to reassessment of political and corporate objectives. [ FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Global Networks is the property of Wiley-Blackwell and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full . (Copyright applies to all s.)

COVID-19 related stressors and mental health outcomes of expatriates in international construction.

The construction industry is labor-intensive, and employees' mental health has a significant impact on occupational health and job performance. In particular, expatriates in international projects under the normalization of the epidemic are under greater pressure than domestic project employees. This paper aims to explore the association of stressors and mental health in international constructions during COVID-19. Furthermore, test the mediation effect of psychological resilience and moderating effort of international experience in this relationship. A survey of 3,091 expatriates in international construction projects was conducted. A moderating mediation model was employed to test the effect of psychological resilience and international experience. Then, statistical analysis with a bootstrap sample was used to test the mediation effect of the model, and a simple slope was used to test the moderating effect. Moderated by experience, the slope of the effect of stressors on psychological resilience changed from -1.851 to -1.323. And the slope of the effect of psychological resilience on mental health outcomes reduced by about 0.1. This suggests that experience is one of the buffering factors for individual psychological resilience of expatriates to regulate stress. Theoretically, this study verifies the mediation effect of psychological resilience between COVID-19 related stressors and mental health outcomes and importance of an expatriate's experience in an international assignment. Practically, this study provides guidelines for international construction enterprises and managers to make an assistant plan for expatriates during this pandemic time and pay more attention to their psychological status. The research also suggests that the best choice for challenging assignments is choosing a more experienced employee.

Expatriate childhood as the first domino: does early international exposure lead to a later international career?

Purpose>This paper looks to study how adult third culture kids (ATCKs) perceive that their childhood international experience is linked to their career interests and choices in later adult life.Design/methodology/approach>This qualitative study is based on 34 semi-structured interviews analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The authors adopted social cognitive career theory as a theoretical framework for the work.Findings>The findings indicate that regardless of the ATCKs field of expertise, their international childhood links to various international exposures and work experiences already in their early career. ATCK background can also be interpreted as an essential facet that promotes significant interest towards international roles, work tasks and careers because they are familiar with a globally mobile lifestyle. A global childhood was represented as a phenomenon that fosters stress tolerance, and ATCKs' unique international capabilities were perceived as an advantage for employment. The authors also found that they tended to set high goals for themselves in terms of education and career, in order to pursue high-end international positions.Practical implications>ATCKs' value interpretations of their strengths, skills and knowledge highly relate to working in an international setup. When applying for jobs, ATCKs could find it beneficial to highlight their early international experiences and explain why this is valuable experience for organizations that are seeking highly educated, globally competent, and flexible employees. Also, information about ATCKs could be included in international business course curricula, in order to foster an increased recognition of the value and benefits of hiring individuals with a TCK background.Originality/value>This paper is the first qualitative study which empirically examines ATCKs' longer term career interests and career decisions among individuals with adult work experience. This study contributes to the knowledge about how early life international experiences are interpreted in the context of work-life decisions from a social cognitive perspective.

A family-oriented view on well-being amongst low-status expatriates in an international workplace

Purpose>The pandemic emphasised the importance for society of the “hidden” workforce – cleaners, delivery drivers, security guards or hospital porters. This paper explores the well-being of low-status expatriates in the international workplace exemplified by the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This is one of the first studies examining the well-being of people at the bottom of the pyramid, living in difficult circumstances, and undertaking work that is hard and sometimes dangerous.Design/methodology/approach>The authors adopt an exploratory approach. Using semi-structured interview data from 21 low-status expatriates, the authors examine their experiences in the UAE in relation to their well-being, allowing the authors to suggest the need to develop our understanding of the concept of well-being and the concept's application.Findings>Low-status expatriates live restrictive lives, away from their family and friends for extended periods, and subject to rigid terms and conditions of employment. Difficult circumstances, long working hours, late or arbitrarily reduced salary payment and a lack of voice affect their personal well-being and sacrificed to consideration for their family well-being. Applying the concept of well-being in such cases requires the authors to develop the notion beyond the individual to encompass the wider family.Research limitations/implications>This exploratory analysis opens new avenues for well-being studies and highlights the need for contextualised research. Future research might benefit from quantitative methods being used alongside qualitative methods and collecting multiple perspective data, including the views of managers and policy makers and data from the “left-behind” families of these low-status expatriates.Practical implications>There is plenty of scope for managers of low-status expatriates to improve the latter's well-being. Given the lack of interest in doing so, the authors suggest that policy makers may need to modify extant legalisation to ensure a greater focus on low-status expatriates.Originality/value>The authors believe this to be the first study to examine the impact of family orientation on the well-being of low-status expatriates, encouraging the authors to challenge and suggest developments to current understandings of well-being.

From Africanizing oncology to decolonizing global health: reflections on the biomedical turn in African health histories

The questions and preoccupations animating this book were not so much about decolonizing global health as they were about how to write with sensitivity, honesty and integrity about the history of biomedical research and care in Eastern Africa. The theoretical architecture of the book was informed by discussions of experiments travelling 1 and the promises and shortcomings of the antiretroviral technofix for HIV. 2 I also engaged with scholars writing about the material realities of biomedicine in Africa, including debris, 3 traces, 4 improvisation, 5 capacity, 6 scrambling for Africa, 7 and Africa as a living laboratory. 8 ‘Decolonization’ was not on my radar. In the book, I write that we have ‘so much to learn from how Ugandan physician intellectuals, fieldworkers savvy in forging friendships, resilient patients, and invested caretakers keep things going: be they buildings, bodies, experiments, kitchens, therapeutics, blood banks, or optimism’ (p. 24).

Tales from the Irish diaspora during COVID-19: Prompting a future research agenda for global mobility

In 1959, the sociologist C. Wright Mills wrote that meteoric macro-structural societal changes would leave multitudes insecure in their societal roles. Since the first quarter of 2020, the COVID-19 global pandemic (WHO, 2020) has touched every corner of the world, leaving death, grief, unemployment, changing work practices and uncertain futures. [...]we discuss our findings in relation to our research question, and we propose a future research agenda, drawing on our empirical and literature reviews. Calls have been made to scrutinise the career-related experiences of globally mobile populations more closely across different units of analysis (Collings et al., 2021;Crowley-Henry, et al., 2019;Gunasekara, et al., 2021), focusing on contextualised careers research (Mayrhofer, Smale, Briscoe, Dickmann and Parry, 2020), over time and circumstance (Gunz and Mayrhofer, 2018) in order to better understand divergent, convergent and/ or crossvergent career trajectories. [...]the topic of global mobility during COVID-19 is ripe for scholarly research and analysis. [...]mothers were found to reduce job-related working hours by 20-50% or four to five times more than fathers of children (Collins, Landivar, Ruppanner and Scarborough, 2021). [...]it appears that women and their work are disproportionately affected by the pandemic.