“Am I Different?” The Unseen Divide of Communication Overaccommodation and Its Effect on Employees’ Sense of Belonging and Job Satisfaction

This study investigates non-native English-speaking employees’ perceptions of communication accommodation (CA) from their native-speaking colleagues in culturally and linguistically diverse workplaces, the impact of these perceptions on their sense of belonging and job satisfaction, and the moderating role of lingua franca proficiency. Survey data from 169 non-native English-speaking employees indicate that CA is often perceived as overaccommodation, which negatively affects their sense of belonging and job satisfaction. Lingua franca proficiency moderates these relationships. Perception of specific CA behaviors varies, with speech mimicry and speaking in a louder voice identified as the most offensive behaviors. Moreover, CA behaviors demonstrate distinct patterns of association with job satisfaction, belongingness, and lingua franca proficiency. These findings highlight the importance of communication management in intercultural work environments, including accommodation needs assessment and CA training.