Inpatriate
What is an inpatriate?
An inpatriate is an employee from an organization’s foreign subsidiary who is transferred to the company headquarters in a different country.
Inpatriated employees tend to have specialized knowledge and skills that can benefit their company headquarters. They typically work for a specified length of time (e.g., a two-year contract).
An example of an inpatriate is an automotive engineer in the U.S. who is transferred to their company headquarters in Tokyo. They are sent on a one-year assignment to improve collaboration between the U.S. and Japanese engineering teams before the rollout of a new line of electric vehicles in the U.S. market.
Inpatriates’ impact
An inpatriate’s positive impact on organizations can be significant, ranging from improved innovation to organizational excellence. Here is an overview of the main benefits and some challenges of inpatriate assignments:
Impact on the employer
- Sharing best practices: In addition to sharing knowledge, an inpatriate can bring a fresh perspective on improving best practices for key processes and operational efficiency.
- Enhanced global integration: Inpatriates possess unique insights and in-depth knowledge from their local market, which can help organizations improve their expansion efforts.
- A globally competent workforce: Bridging the gap between global and local workforces is more feasible when repatriates share not only their existing expertise but also the knowledge they gain from working at overseas headquarters.
- Increased workforce agility: Inpatriates’ knowledge sharing can help global headquarters be more flexible and responsive in local markets, increasing their competitive advantage.
Impact on the employee
- Career advancement: Inpatriates have the opportunity to learn new skills and gain insights into key global objectives and strategies. This can significantly enhance internal mobility for future leadership opportunities.
- Global networking: Working at global headquarters offers the advantage of building stronger relationships with global teams, improving communication and collaboration when an inpatriate returns to their home country.
- Cultural awareness: Living and working in a different culture can expand an inpatriate’s intercultural competence and ability to work effectively in diverse teams. This can help them advance to global leadership roles.
- Personal development: The inpatriate experience can build character, problem-solving skills, and resilience, which positively impacts personal growth.
Learn to handle inpatriates professionally and effectively
Develop your skills in helping inpatriates transition into their new roles and environments, ensuring they thrive and contribute successfully to business outcomes.
AIHR’s Talent Management and Succession Planning Certificate Program teaches you to foster an environment that delivers a positive talent experience, create a strategic talent management framework, and identify, develop, and engage employees efficiently.
Challenges of being an inpatriate
- Cultural adaptation: Adjusting to a different culture can take time. An inpatriate may initially experience culture shock. If they cannot overcome this, they cannot fully integrate.
- Integration into a new work environment: Inpatriates may struggle to adapt to new ways of working. This can affect their ability to build relationships crucial for collaboration and knowledge sharing within global teams.
- Language barriers: An inpatriate who is not fluent in the language of the country they’ve moved to may struggle to effectively communicate. This can lead to misunderstandings and affect collaboration.
- Personal support: If not properly supported by the global HR team, the inpatriate may have difficulties with housing, healthcare, and government bureaucracy. This can increase the stress of living in a new country.
Inpatriate vs. expatriate
Below is an overview of the key differences between inpatriates and expatriates.
Definition
Employee from a foreign country subsidiary transferred to the HQ country.
Employee from HQ sent to foreign country subsidiary.
Purpose
Share local market knowledge with HQ and develop global skills.
Manage overseas operations and transfer HQ best practices.
Training focus
Global corporate culture, work dynamics, developing cross-cultural leadership skills.
Gaining insights into local culture, market, and business practices.
Strategic benefit
Enhanced collaboration between HQ and local market, improved innovation, workforce agility, competitive advantage.
Increased alignment with global strategies, objectives, and best practices.
Managing an inpatriate: HR best practices
To ensure inpatriates are fully prepared for their new working environment, here are some best practices HR teams can implement:
Pre-arrival preparation
Before their arrival, provide detailed information about the country, organizational culture, key responsibilities, and expectations. You should also assist with work permit applications and research tax relief for inpatriate workers, so they can avoid double taxation.
Arrival support
Offer relocation assistance, such as support with moving personal belongings, finding housing, securing healthcare and banking, enrollment in language classes, and facilitating family integration (e.g., spousal support and school enrollment).
Onboarding
Develop a targeted in-patriate employee onboarding program that focuses on familiarizing them with company culture, norms, and values. Pair them with a mentor or buddy to help them properly integrate and build strong relationships with their team members.
Continuous performance management strategies
Use performance management strategies to ensure managers are well-trained to support an inpatriate throughout their assignment. Set clear expectations, provide frequent feedback, schedule regular check-ins and performance reviews, and offer extra training (if needed).
Monitoring and measuring impact
Evaluate the organizational (or departmental) impact of the expatriate’s assignment on a quarterly and annual basis. Ongoing assessment will help them be more effective in their role and, as a result, allow them to contribute more efficiently to company objectives.
Repatriate planning
Create a plan for the inpatriate’s return to their country, ideally within the last three months of their contract. Prepare a detailed performance review, with key learnings and insights from their assignment. Liaise with local HR to make sure they get support upon their return.
HR tip
Regularly share ‘success stories’ and performance reviews with the inpatriate’s HR team and manager. Through ongoing communication, you can showcase the their contribution and demonstrate the positive impact and value of inpatriate assignments. This initiative can also support the inpatriate’s upward mobility.
FAQ
A software engineer from a local office in Bangalore is transferred to the California headquarters of a tech company. Their purpose is to share local insights into mobile banking to ensure a new app meets the needs of the Indian market.
An inpatriate is an employee at a foreign subsidiary who is transferred to work at their company’s headquarters in a different country. An expatriate is the opposite — they’re an employee from the company HQ who moves to work at its foreign subsidiary.
