Expatriate employees’ perception of challenges in their work environment in the NGO sector in Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to find out how expatriate employees‟ perception of the challenges in their work environment in the NGO sector in Nairobi, Kenya. The study question was how do expatriate employees working in the NGOs sectors in Kenya respond to the challenges in their work environment? The study employed the use of the person-environment fit theory and the culture shock theory of adaptation to explain the strategies employed by expatriates to cope with challenges in their work environment. Therefore the research design that was used for the study was descriptive survey with a target population of the study population of 2394 NGOs based in Nairobi. The study sample was 120 expatriates although only 84 participated in the final study who were drawn from 60 NGOs. The study employed the use of questionnaires to collect the data and used SPSS to analyze and present the findings. It was found that expatriate employees working in the Kenyan NGOs respond to challenges in their work environment by finding a fit between the Kenyan culture and that of their countries. However, sometimes there is a big clash between the two cultures which makes it hard for the expatriates to adjust well. They have come up with strategies to interact with the locals which has improved their communication and ability to work on the assignments they were sent to do. In cases where conversing in the local languages has been a challenge, the expatriates have sought the help of locals as interpreters. Since these expatriates seem to have adjusted well in the Kenyan society, they can be a great source of strength for others who are coming into this and other countries for similar or other assignments. Further, they could be used by Kenyans who are expatriates to coach them in coping with challenges that might affect them in other countries. Further, because the study found that most of the expatriates are people who have a lot of experience on international assignments, they be used as a pillar for young expatriates for they can help them in adjusting to the challenges that might arise in their work environment.