“Be Happy” While You Can: How Expatriates’ Accomplishments Affect Their Subjective Well-Being and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Drawing upon the “happy-productive worker” hypothesis and the Job Demands-Resources model, we examine whether expatriates’ well-being mediates the association between expatriates’ interaction adjustment and job satisfaction; and whether this indirect effect is moderated by expatriates’ perceived accomplishment of the organizational goals for the assignment. Based on responses from 148 assigned expatriates we confirmed the expected indirect influence of expatriates’ well-being and the moderated mediation of expatriates’ accomplishment of organizational goals. This study offers implications for scholars studying subjective well-being in the international work context and organizations aiming to increase their global competitiveness without jeopardizing workers’ well-being.