Self-initiated expatriation: cross-cultural adjustment and motivation: the case of expatriate employees in the European Parliament

Globalization, which is accompanied with advances in communication, trade, transport of technologies as well as liberalization of immigration policies in many industrialized nations, has had a profound impact on the ow of international labour and the way people pursue their careers. 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, which provides for the free movement of labour, capitals goods and services). Drawing on research on employee expatriation the study focuses on the case of self-initiated expatriation (SIE) European Institutions and in particularly within the European Parliament which constitutes a unique international working place for workers coming from 27 different countries. 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. We conclude with recommendations concerning 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.