Does intercultural communication competence, cultural sensitivity, and temporal flexibility related to employee engagement? Moderation of negative emotions with COVID-19

The present study investigated the intercultural interactions among Indian IT professionals who collaborated remotely with international teams in response to the significant shift prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding these factors is crucial for fostering successful collaborations and sustaining high levels of employee engagement in an increasingly virtual workplace. Data were obtained from Indian IT sector employees who collaborated with international teams or clients during the pandemic and were working remotely from their homes while communicating with intercultural teams and clients. The study analyzed data from a sample of 305 employees using structural equation modeling. The results revealed significant positive associations between intercultural communication competence, cultural sensitivity, and temporal flexibility with employee engagement. The results suggest that negative emotions during the pandemic weakened the positive relationship between intercultural communicative competence and employee engagement. Navigating the difficulties of remote IT work during the pandemic necessitates prioritizing intercultural competencies and acknowledging the substantial association of negative emotions. Our findings offer practical recommendations for IT managers seeking to improve team dynamics and foster employee involvement in intercultural work settings with a rapidly changing work environment.