Exploring stressors of Hong Kong expatriate construction professionals in mainland China: focus group study

Abstract

Following the recent economic boom in Mainland China (ML), the Chinese construction industry has undergone continuous expansion. As a result, many construction companies in Hong Kong (HK) have expanded their business into ML. Necessary strategic changes in the direction of company business have led to an increasing number of HK expatriate construction professionals working in ML (HKE-CP-M). Due to the dynamic nature of the construction industry, it has long been recognized that HK construction professionals (HK-CPs) are a highly stressed group. Conducting work in an unfamiliar environment can cause HKE-CP-Ms stress. Hence, this study aims to explore and identify the various types of expatriate stressors that cause HKE-CP-Ms stress. To achieve this aim, six standardized focus groups were held: four expatriate groups comprised of HKE-CP-Ms working in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Macau, respectively; a repatriated HK-CP group; and a HK-CP group with no expatriate work experience. The expatriate stressors addressed by the focus groups fell into four main categories: interpersonal stressors, task stressors, organization stressors, and physical stressors. Based on the stressors identified by the expatriate groups, and a comparison of these with the stressors identified by the HK group, a stressors model was developed for HKE-CP-Ms. This model was designed to act as the first step in developing a stress management model for HKE-CP-Ms.