Abstract:
The Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry in the Philippines has emerged as a
powerhouse in the global market. For an industry that is reliant on international clientele, the
Philippines as an internet hub in Southeast Asia, could be a major factor in facilitating
effective communication to ensure success. Derived from the said idea, this study was
conducted to explore the relationship between digital literacy and intercultural sensitivity
among Filipino BPO employees, considering the importance of effective client
communication in a globalized workplace and the transformative impact of digital tools and
platforms on communication practices. With a research question, “What is the correlation
between the digital literacy scores and intercultural sensitivity scores of BPO Filipino
employees?," the study aims to determine whether higher levels of digital literacy correspond
to greater intercultural sensitivity in client communication. A Descriptive Correlational
Research Design was employed to analyze data collected from 100 Filipino BPO employees
using standardized instruments, such as Digital Literacy Scale (Bayrakci, 2021) and
Intercultural Sensitivity Scale (Chen and Starosta, 2000). Data were analyzed through
Pearson correlation analysis for correlation and regression analysis for predictive
relationship. The findings indicate that Filipino BPO employees do not just have aboveaverage
levels of digital literacy and intercultural sensitivity scales, the two variables also
have a positive correlation, which means higher digital literacy levels were associated with
increased intercultural sensitivity. Further analysis also showed that 24.5% of intercultural
sensitivity levels can be attributed to digital literacy, suggesting that proficiency in digital
tools contributes to effective cross-cultural communication.
