Human Resource and Employment Relations Issues Impacting Expatriates

Running Head : IHRM
IHRM
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1IHRM
Topic – Human resource and employment relations issues impacting the
expatriates
The success of a business depends on the human resource of the organization. The human
resource is formed with the combination of those people who are responsible for the
management of an extended range of employees. In a multi-national company which has its
subsidiaries in foreign countries, the responsibilities related to human resource increases. The
offshore operations specific management becomes equally important(Maddock, 2019). The
HRM refers to those activities which are conducted by the organization in order to make the best
use of the human resources. The activities related to the human resource include the human
resource planning, staffing, performance management, training and development, compensation
and benefits and lastly the labor relations.
The international human resource management covers various aspects relate to the
employees and the contractors. The present essay will discuss about the relocation of a manager
from the Australian continent (Sydney) to France (Paris) for managing a subsidiary branch of an
Australian multinational organization. The easy will demonstrate the cultural issues the manager
might be facing as an expatriate in France. The second ort of the easy will talk about the
employment and political background to working in France in the present time highlighting the
“Yellow Vest “protests as well. The paper will lastly depict how these protests impact on the
employment, politics and economy of France. The primary focus of the paper will be on the
industrial relationship between the two countries and conclude by elaborating on the HR
management and employment relation issues which might impact the working life of this
manager.

2IHRM
An expatriate is a person who is living in a different country out of his/her country of
citizenship usually for the work purposes. The business relations with the foreign countries can
undoubtedly bring in revenues and strong international presence for a particular organization
Lough, 2019). However, the foreign settlement even for a limited period can result to be an
intimidating experience for the expatriate/business representative. As an expat, the manager of
the Australian multinational organization might face a lot of challenges especially the cultural
challenges(Rose & Melander, 2016). . An expat must learn the cultural nuances, the
mannerisms, customs and expectations too. He might face challenges related to language because
most of the people would be speaking in French. He might face difficulty in adopting the
mannerisms, French etiquettes, their way of showing courtesy, their business culture and many
others. Being an outsider he might again face the problem of hesitation in articulating his
difficulties to the foreign executives. The unconscious activities of the person might affect the
business relationships because the regular habits he used to practice in Australia might not be
accepted in France.
The new customs in the new country along with alien language might puzzle him/her
and out of depression, the business projects might not be fulfilled as expected. The new role
expected of the expatriate by the new boss in the new country might leave him/her unprepared.
As an expat, there might also be cultural clashes and the local employees might create an
environment of discrimination which might feel suffocating and distracting (Shapiro, 2019). The
cultural conflicts might reduce the possibility of making friends in a foreign country. Therefore,
the expat becomes lonely. The unfamiliar location, unfamiliar people are more likely to alienate
the expat from the rest of the workforce which might disrupt the business endeavor.