International Staff Management at Higher Education Institutions in Czech Republic

This research empirically analyzes issues of the management of a highly skilled workforce – foreign scientific and academic staff in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) in the Czech Republic (CR). Based on the dimensions of Person-In-Environment theory, this study formulated a research framework to study the integration of international talents and factors impacting their adapting to the workplace and local communities. For international HR management, it is vital to consider the foreign talents’ barriers to entering into employment in the host country. Favourable living and working conditions are operationalized in this study as living standards for expatriates. Quantitative data from 221 respondents were statistically analyzed, and results show expats’ living standards in CR were highly influenced by their feeling “Like at Home”, followed by employer’s HR management and their mastery of the Czech language. Based on these findings, in order to increase the attractiveness of HEIs helping with brain gain from abroad, the solution is to remove unnecessary barriers and improve the conditions that will support foreign talent adaptation at the local workplace, Czech language acquisition, ensure sufficient income and equipment for research, and above all comprehensive and coordinated expatriate services. With these improvements, the HEIs can be attractive to sustain brain gain for international academic talents