 In this topic, we are going to actually sum up all about the repatriation process and what should be the strategy of the organization to ensure an effective repatriation process of expatriates who are sent on international assignments. We have more or less discussed about these things in various different topics that we have covered on the re-entry of the repatriates that are sent on international assignments. But in this topic, we are going to talk about the summarized form of the proactive strategies which can be adopted by the organization to ensure the effectiveness. So let's take a look what these proactive strategies could be. Number one, the proactive strategy an organization can implement is managing expectation via pre-departure briefings on what can be expected during the assignment and upon return. So you need to manage the expectation of the people who are being sent. What should you expect? How can there be cultural changes? How can there be organizational changes? What would be the challenges of your assignment? And when you come back, what would be expected from you and what would be the organization willing to invest on you when you come back? All this kind of perception building is very much important. And if it is built in the expatriation and repatriation program, then the process can be managed very well. Another proactive strategy is development of multiple career planning sessions focusing on a career objective and performance indicators. What would be the performance indicators of the person who is going on the international assignment that must be chalked out and that must be communicated to the person. And this should be done by expert HR people or people who have been sent on who are expatriates or who have repatriated back from an international assignment. So this is something which should be communicated that what is expected and what are going to be the performance indicators on the international assignment. So the person who was going on international assignment should know. Then if it is possible, then return, repatriate agreements when feasible and the types of assignment available on return. This should also be something which should be communicated to the employee. And if it is possible, then it should be part of the contract. Then when you come back, what are you going to be offered? For example, when I was sent on a PhD abroad, it was a kind of written in the rules of the university. Then when I come back, I will be appointed as an assistant professor while I was going as a lecturer. So it was known to me that it is going to lead to some kind of career development. Then another aspect is something which we have already talked about in the previous topic and that is mentoring programs that continue to create the link between the person who is working in the host country and the home country. This practice may actually help to notify any kind of post assignment dissonance and reduce the turnover. So if there is a problem that is emerging on the international assignment, if the mentor is continuously in contact, then he can actually notify the organization that this is a problem which is coming up and the organization can actually deal with it. For example, if the person is expecting too much at return, so to bring their expectations to the right level, to reduce the post-repatriation dissonance, if they can go for orientation, then that is something which would be helpful. Then another aspect of the proactive strategies to manage an effective repatriation process is extended home visits to keep up the social, family and organizational changes. So a person who is sent on international assignment is given extended leaves to come back and visit home so that he can actually reconnect with the people, re-establish the social ties, he can connect with friends and family and with the organizational members as well. And this serves as something that a person does not totally disappear from the map of the people who are in the home country. Then another thing which can be developed is re-orientation programs to provide the expatreat with a briefing on changes in strategy, policies and organization. So any kind of changes which take place in the organization, some kind of re-orientation program would also help. A personalized re-orientation program by the multinational to the expatriate and his or her family to deal with the emotionally disturbing aspects of culture shock and all the readjustments that may be taking place when people move from one place to the other. So a personalized re-orientation program is something which may be able to help the person and his family readjust back to the home country. Then personalized financial and tax assistance, this is something which we have already talked about so that the person and it could also include giving that person some kind of short term loan so that he can buy a new house and buy a new car because obviously he is moving back to a new environment and he would need to establish all these assets for his family and for himself so maybe the organization can extend some kind of financial help for that purpose. It could also provide some kind of an adjustment period upon return that may or may not include a vacation or reduced workload. So if the organization is able to provide some time to the person to adjust back and it could include a kind of short leave, a vacation. When a person comes back, he's sent on a holiday so that he is able to adjust to the readjustment process or he is given a reduced workload so that all the changes, the reverse culture shock and the adjustment of the family, whatever is taking toll on his mind, it is something which can be taken care of by a reduced workload. And then finally, a very important aspect of creating an effective repatriation program is the visible and concrete expression of the repatriate's value to the firm. And this is something which can be done by celebrating his return, by conducting some kind of sessions in which he transfers the knowledge in which he talks about his experiences abroad, in which he shares what he has learned and all these types of things, they will actually seal and reinforce this new, more globally encompassing relationship between the M&E and the repatriate. So you need to actually give a clear expression of the value that you have, the multinational has for the person who is repatriating back, that yes, we value your international experience and that should be done in an explicit form, in the form of formal celebrations and things like that. So these are the various different proactive strategies that should be employed in the expatriation and repatriation program in order to build a pool of global managers who are able to develop a competitive advantage for your organization.