The JGM BitBlog: How can organisations meaningfully support expatriates when home becomes both office and primary site of daily life?
Judith Végh, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
Joyce Jenkins, Expert Humans, Singapore
Marie Therese Claes, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna, Austria
This question gained urgency as the COVID-19 pandemic redefined the boundaries of work, home, and mobility. For expatriate professionals living and working outside their home countries, the sudden shift to remote work presented not only logistical challenges but also deep psychosocial disruptions. The traditional frameworks of organisational support proved insufficient in addressing the nuanced needs of globally mobile employees navigating isolation, uncertainty, and the dual demands of professional and familial life.
This recent qualitative study offers valuable insights into this pressing issue. Drawing from 20 in-depth interviews with expatriates across eleven countries, the study applied a reflexive thematic analysis to examine how organisational, social, and personal support mechanisms influenced expatriates' adaptation to remote work during the crisis.
Four Key Dimensions of Successful Adaptation
The study identifies four essential factors that enabled expatriates to navigate this abrupt transformation:
- Awareness of Emotional Tension – A heightened sensitivity to the tension between belonging and isolation, as well as uncertainty about the future, was fundamental to adaptation.
- Perceived Organisational Support (POS) – Emotional reassurance, instrumental help, and material resources fostered a sense of security and value.
- Positive Psychological Orientation – Individual attributes such as optimism, adaptability, and resilience emerged as vital personal resources.
- Informal Social Interactions ("Java Connections") – Casual, often virtual, social contact helped maintain a sense of connection and community.
Importantly, the study extends the conceptualisation of POS by highlighting the pivotal role of family-level support. As the boundaries between home and work blurred, the well-being of expatriates became closely tied to the well-being of their families. The research proposes a conceptual model that integrates professional, social, and personal domains of support to facilitate an optimal transition to remote work.
Implications
This work makes both theoretical and practical contributions. It enriches expatriate support literature by proposing a broader, more inclusive framework of organisational care-one that accounts for employees as embedded within familial systems.
For practitioners, particularly those in global mobility and HRM, it offers actionable insights into designing multilevel support strategies that sustain well-being and performance in times of crisis and beyond.
As the future of work continues to evolve, this study serves as a timely reminder: effective remote work transitions require more than digital infrastructure-they demand human-centric, family-aware organisational support systems.
To read the full article, please see the Journal of Global Mobility publication:
Végh, J., Jenkins, J. and Claes, M.T. (2025), "Extending expatriate support theory: a multi-level perspective on organisational, social and family support in remote work transitions", Journal of Global Mobility, Vol. 13 No. 1, pp. 133-153. https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-04-2024-0038" target="_blank" rel="noopener">https://doi.org/10.1108/JGM-04-2024-0038
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Professor Jan Selmer, Ph.D.
Founding Editor-in-Chief
Journal of Global Mobility (JGM)
Department of Management, Aarhus University
E-mail:
selmer@mgmt.au.dkTwitter: @JanSelmer_JGM
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