Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, hundreds of multinational corporations (MNCs) made the difficult decision to exit Russia and sell their businesses there. Expatriate and other employees of these companies were also severely impacted by the conflict through dislocation and even job loss. This qualitative research explores individual responses to the geopolitical conflict through in-depth interviews. We focus on Finnish expatriates and other Finnish employees of Finnish MNCs operating in Russia, given the historically high importance to Finland of trading relations with Russia and the unexpected surge of anti-Russian sentiment in Finland that has affected experts on Russia. Our research findings provide insights on how individual employees perceive a geopolitical conflict as a career shock because their previously highly appreciated Russian language skills and deep knowledge of Russian culture and business environment were no longer valued by the MNC nor in the job market in general. The research findings also reveal the coping strategies of individuals in extreme geopolitical conflict situations: reframing their previous experience, focusing on the learnings gained from their previous career, focusing on the future rather than regretting the past, and seeing their personal situation in a broader perspective. Furthermore, the geopolitical conflict triggered a shift to a new career identity of the individuals, indicating individual resilience and the ability to rise out of difficult situations. The findings of this study provide insights on managing global careers and human resources in high-risk, volatile conflict situations.
