Spillover effects between work and non‐work adjustment among public sector expatriates

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this pioneering study is to explore spillover effects between non‐work and work adjustment of public sector (PS) expatriates.

Design/methodology/approach

US Department of Defense (DoD) administrators assigned to US embassies world‐wide were targeted by a survey.

Findings

Results indicated that, in contrast with recent studies of private sector expatriates, there were no spillover effects. Neither general adjustment nor interaction adjustment had any positive association with work adjustment. Additionally, the extent of self‐efficacy of the DoD administrators was not associated with work adjustment, neither directly nor indirectly.

Originality/value

Research on PS expatriates is not very common, despite their increasing numbers. This is lamentable, since the much more advanced knowledge about private sector expatriates may be less applicable to their public sector counterparts. Even for private sector expatriates, research on spillover effects between non‐work and work domains is less than abundant and such studies are virtually non‐existent for PS expatriates. The findings are consistent with the view that the situation of PS expatriates may be different from that of private sector expatriates.

Citation

Selmer, J. and Fenner, C.R. (2009), "Spillover effects between work and non‐work adjustment among public sector expatriates", Personnel Review, Vol. 38 No. 4, pp. 366-379. https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480910956328