Human Resources Division

Rita Fontinha, University of Reading, Reading, UK

Kate Hutchings, Griffith University, Nathan, Australia

Washika Haak-Saheem, University of Reading, Reading, UK

Michael J. Morley, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland

Chris Brewster, University of Reading, Reading, UK

Self-initiated expatriates (SIEs) are an increasingly important part of the global workforce. However, we still know relatively little about what shapes their employment relationships and, in particular, what influences their decision to stay with an organisation or in a host country. This is especially true for women SIEs, whose experiences are often shaped by both gender and occupational status, which is why looking at this pehnomenon from an intersectionality perspective matters.

Our study explores these issues by focusing on the role of psychological contracts and supervisory relationships in shaping retention.

Psychological contracts refer to employees' perceptions of mutual obligations between themselves and their employer. These contracts can be broadly understood as either relational, which are based on trust, long-term commitment and development, or transactional, centred on short-term, economic exchange.

Our findings show that these differences matter. Relational contracts are positively associated with women expatriates' intention to remain with their employer. In contrast, transactional contracts are negatively associated with both intention to stay with the organisation and intention to remain in the host region .

This suggests that the nature of the employment relationship plays a central role in shaping retention outcomes.

One of the clearest findings from our study is the importance of the relationship between expatriates and their supervisors.

A supportive supervisory relationship is associated with stronger psychological contracts-both relational and transactional-and with a greater likelihood of remaining with the employer and in the host region. In addition, relational contracts help explain how supervisory relationships translate into organisational retention .

For self-initiated expatriates, who often relocate without organisational sponsorship or structured support, supervisors appear to play a particularly significant role in shaping day-to-day work experiences and longer-term decisions.

While the overall patterns linking supervisory relationships, psychological contracts and retention are similar for women and men, our findings highlight an important structural issue: women SIEs are more likely to be concentrated in medium-status roles.

This matters because occupational status influences the type of psychological contract that develops. Medium-status women are less likely to hold relational contracts compared with their higher-status counterparts . However, we do not find significant differences in their intention to stay.

This points to the importance of context. In settings such as the UAE, institutional and labour market constraints may shape retention decisions alongside, or even beyond, individual perceptions of the employment relationship.

Taken together, these findings suggest that retention among self-initiated expatriate women is shaped by a combination of relational dynamics and structural conditions.

For organisations, this highlights the importance of investing in high-quality supervisory relationships and creating opportunities for meaningful, longer-term engagement with expatriate employees. At the same time, attention should be paid to how occupational status and broader institutional factors influence employees' experiences and expectations. Future research should examine other intersecting aspects of identity in relation to psychological contracts and self-initiated expatriates.

More broadly, the study underscores the value of examining global mobility through a more nuanced lens, considering not only who expatriates are, but also the contexts in which they work and the relationships that shape their careers.

To read the full article, please see the Journal of Global Mobility publication: