The moderating effect of perceived career importance on repatriate assignment enjoyment

Purpose This study examines whether and to what extent perceived career importance moderates the negative impact that longer internal assignments may have on a repatriate's level of work enjoyment. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 224 US-based repatriates at multinational firms. A three-model hierarchical regression approach was employed to analyze the main and interaction effects of assignment length and perceived career importance on enjoyment of international assignments, while controlling for demographic and organizational variables. Findings The first finding was that longer assignments resulted in lower levels of enjoyment. However, a second finding revealed that perceived career importance mitigated this negative effect. Repatriates who believed international assignments were central to their career development tended to exhibit positive assessments of the assignments, even when they were long-term. Together, these findings support the importance of aligning international assignments with career development. Originality/value The contribution to the repatriation literature lies in the integration of performance enjoyment theory and psychological contract theory, to explain how career expectations influence assignment enjoyment. Insights into the moderating effect of perceived career importance underscore the value of aligning international assignments with long-term career development paths.