UNIT 3

Challenges
in IHRM
WORK FORCE DIVERSITY
 Differences among People in Age, gender,
race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation,
socio economic background,
capabilities/disabilities and in the thought
process.

 Management system which incorporates the

differences found in a multicultural
workforce in a manner which results in the
highest level of productivity for both the
organization and individual.
 Diversity is the mixture of people in the
business with their variety of backgrounds,
experiences, styles, cultures, skills and
competencies.
 Learning's:
 As an individuals, we all are diverse.
 As organizations and work groups, some are
more diverse than others.
 Important to understand as a mix of
customers, employees and stakeholders.
 People are both similar and different among
a variety of dimensions.
 Need to understand the impact of culture.
CHALLENGES OF EXPATRIATE
ASSIGNMENTS
A different culture
The biggest challenge for any expat is the
cultural difference. All cultures have their
own norms, values, belief, and practice
which are similar to none. If you move in to a
country with an extremely different culture,
it will be really tough for you to adjust. If
you are not open minded and ready to learn
about the new culture, you will find it really
difficult to mix with the local people and
also work with them.
Language barrier
Though English is regarded as the international
language, you will find that people in lots
countries do not speak this language. Forget
about African, Asian and Middle Eastern
Nations, some European and North American
nations also do not follow this language that
much.  If you move into any of these
countries where English is not widely spoken,
you will have a very hard time to
communicate and adjust with the local
people
 Safety and security
 There are lots things that can go wrong when you
are living a in a new country. Health problems and
accident, scams are only a few of the problems that
are common to expats. Since they are new to the
country and are not well aware of their
surroundings, they become an easy target for the
scammers. If you are not careful enough and do not
have any insurance, you are sure to face a number
of problems while living abroad.  Getting sick
abroad is also a big problem for the expats. Mere
travel insurance is not enough cover up all your
health care expenses when you will be relocating to
a new climate and working under stress all the
time. Hence it is a good idea to get a health
insurance abroad that covers most of your health
care issues.
 Loneliness and depression
 Moving into a new country takes the expats far
away from their relatives, friends. Some expats
also find it really difficult to make friends with
new people as well. As a result they often find
themselves alone in the weekends and they
gradually develop depression. This is why; the
expats are always advised to stay in touch with
their family, friends and colleagues back at
home. With Face book, Skype, VOIP and other
means, communication has become really
cheap as well as convenient and the expats
should fully take advantage of this. The expats
should also make an effort to mix with their
new colleagues.
 Local adjustments
In most of foreign assignments, people will
have to move in a country with a huge time
difference, different climate, schedule and
guidelines. Adjusting to these takes lots time
and if you force yourself, you will just feel
sick. Hence, the expats should gradually
adjust to these and if possible they should
arrive to the place of posting at least a week
ago so that they have enough time to get
used to the local environment.
CHALLENGES OF REPATRIATE
ASSIGNMENTS
I. Organizational Factors:
 Recent research indicates that the majority of
organizations have no formal repatriation
programme to help expatriates readjust on
return to the home country

 Onlya small proportion of the repatriation

programmes have consideration for the spouse

 Typicalreasons given by organizations for not

having a repatriation programme include:
 Lack of the requisite expertise
 ƒProgramme cost
 ƒLack of a perceived need by top management

 Some organizations provide a form of

repatriation assistance in the form of a
“mentor”

 The mentor is usually a superior to the

expatriate and provides assistance in the form
of information, by maintaining regular contact
with the expatriate, and by taking the
expatriates interests regarding promotion and
job placement on return etc. into account
 Research indicates that the likelihood of an
organization using mentors depends on the size of
the expatriate workforce, the organizational unit
responsible for handling expatriates and the
nationality of the organization.

II. Individual Factors

 Career anxiety

 No post-assignment guarantee of employment

 Loss of visibility and isolation
 Changes in the home workplace

 Work adjustment
 The employment relationship and career
expectation
 Re-entry position
 Devaluing of the international experience
 Coping with new role demands
 Role behavior
 Role clarity
 Role discretion(loyalty)
 Role conflict

 Loss of status and pay

 Autonomy
 Responsibility
 Lower pay in absolute terms
 Drop in housing conditions
III. Socio- Cultural Factors
 If an expatriate served in a foreign
assignment in a high-profile position where
he or she enjoyed considerable and sustained
interaction with the social, economic and
political elites of the host country, a feeling
of disappointment may emerge after return
to the home country.

 In addition to the expatriate’s social

readjustment problems, the social
readjustment problems of his or her
accompanying family members must also
be taken into consideration as well.
 Reestablishment of social networks in the
home country may be difficult if, for e.g.,
the expatriate and family are repatriated to
another locality in the home country. It may
be that friends have moved away while the
expatriate was on assignment and that other
friends may have joined the workforce and
have no time for social activities

 Children may encounter social readjustment

problems in school because they are not
update on latest trends, and may have
problems adjusting to their home country
educational system
ORGANIZATIONAL
RESTRUCTURING
DOWNSIZING
CHANGING ATTITUDE AND
FEELINGS TOWARDS JOB
1. Identify the causes behind your undesirable
attitude: You may find that some of the things that
are affecting your attitude in a negative way are
things that you can change.
2. Make necessary changes. Once you figure out what
is causing your counter-productive attitude,
determine what you can do to remedy those causes.
For example, if you find that your attitude suffers
because you feel tired most of the day, then a simple
way to counteract that would be to get more sleep at
night, or to learn how to take power naps during your
lunch and break times. If your work is not challenging
enough, then you may change attitude by taking on
some new tasks.
 3. Focus on a positive mindset. It is important
that you approach work with a realistic mental
image of what your relationship with your work
should be. Accept the fact that certain tasks
associated with your job may be less fulfilling than
others. Recognize that a lack of motivation does
not mean that you cannot complete your tasks.
Rather, it means that you would prefer not to. You
must acknowledge that an attitude change is your
own responsibility, and something that you must
proactively work towards. Avoid comparing yourself
to others who seem to enjoy the parts of their jobs
that you don't enjoy, as this will only make you feel
insufficient. Remember, it is likely that your
coworkers dislike parts of their jobs that you
actually enjoy.
4.Set realistic goals for yourself. Take your
strengths and weaknesses into account, and
focus on accomplishing your tasks in a way that
is tailored to your personal work style. Working
towards goals and seeing them come to fruition
is a natural and productive way to change your
attitude on the job for the better.

5. Ask to work with someone who inspires you.

If there is a person in your workplace who has a
good attitude, you could learn a lot by spending
some time working alongside that person.
6. Request to speak with a supervisor. Explain that
you have identified some ways in which you would
like to improve your productivity at work. Ask for
suggestions regarding how you may change your
attitude for the better. When you involve your
supervisor, you not only improve that relationship,
but you also assert yourself as someone who takes
your job and performance seriously, which can
reap positive job-related benefits and further
contribute to a positive attitude.
7. Reassign tasks that you feel undermine your
ability to have a positive attitude at work. If
possible, alter your responsibilities so that they are
more in line with your strengths and occupational
goals, and delegate the responsibilities you are less
compatible with to a willing coworker.