Self-initiated expatriation: A case study of a European Institution

While development of multinational organizations have led to an increase in the number of people who live and work abroad, the literature has mainly focused on organizational expatriates sent overseas by their employers. Considering that self-initiated expatriates fill the talent gap as companies face difficulties in finding highly skilled employees, the study focuses on the case of self-initiated expatriation (SIE) in European Institutions and in particularly within the European Parliament which constitutes a unique international working place for workers coming from 27 different countries. One of the basic achievements of the European Union has been to provide European citizens with opportunities to work outside their home labour market as one of the fundamental freedoms the common market provides for the free movement of labour, capitals goods and services. The aim of the paper is to examine the motivation factors that made this particular group to take the decision to expatriate, problems of cultural adjustment and the difficulties they experienced during their adaptation cycle. The study concludes with recommendations concerning the dynamics that underlie this type of mobility, the type of motivation factors that are important for this group of employees, what enforces their effectiveness, and which are the possible implications for HR professionals dealing with expatriation. In doing so, the paper contributes to provide insights on SIE concerning a region and an organization that has not been researched before.