Guest editorial: Global mobility in times of global calamity: COVID-19 reactions, responses, and ramifications for the future of work

Abstract

[...]we were looking at something we did not know how to manage. [...]McDonald's and Starbucks have closed all their stores, major automakers, such as BMW, Ford, Mercedes Benz or Volkswagen, ceased local production in Russia and stopped the export of both end products and spare parts into Russia, Netflix stopped its streaming services, Intel will no longer deliver products to Russia and Rio Tinto announced a full retreat from the Russian market. How can the safety of staff be guaranteed and what will the strategy be, should Russia indeed decide to retreat? Since its inceptions, the Journal of Global Mobility (JGM) has been an academic platform to present and discuss recent developments in global mobility literature, with its aim to “keep a finger on the pulse.” Emphasizing how resilience, social network and support from the organization, supervisor, and family can help mitigate adverse effects of stress on the psychological well-being of expatriates, the paper extends expatriation literature by accounting for implications of inter alia the COVID-19 pandemic.