Sam Mackay: Sex, Drugs & Terror: Exploring the "Secret Lives" of Expatriates Confined to Kabul's Fortified Compounds

Fortified compounds are oft used by organisations to reduce security risks to their expatriate employees in hostile environments. Despite growth in this practice, there has been little research to understand how these environments affect the individuals who work and live within them. This qualitative study interviewed 36 expatriates who worked and lived in fortified compounds in Kabul, Afghanistan, between 2014 and 2021.This research adds to the extremely limited research on working and living in fortified compounds, highlighting the human resource management implications involved. These implications included the experience of extreme job demands, flawed job resources, and the adoption of binge coping behaviours. This research has implications regarding coping for the individuals who work and live in fortified compounds, and regarding support for the organisations that place employees there. For decision makers, it raises broader questions regarding the appropriateness and sustainability of placing employees in such environments.