The COVID-19 pandemic drastically altered work environments, leading to a widespread shift towards remote work. This study examines the impact of this involuntary transition on organizational commitment (OC) among IT employees in Spain, a sector significantly affected by the change. Maintaining employee commitment is crucial for talent retention and organizational success, particularly in the competitive tech industry. The research aims to understand how professional isolation (PI) and work-family balance (WFB) affect OC, considering the mediating role of job satisfaction (JS). The study's importance lies in its focus on a specific context—involuntary remote work in the Spanish IT sector—a setting that has received less attention in previous research. By examining the interplay between PI, WFB, JS, and OC, this study seeks to provide valuable insights for talent management strategies that promote employee retention and organizational performance in the evolving landscape of post-pandemic work.

The study draws upon several theoretical frameworks: Organizational Support Theory (OST), Need-to-Belong Theory, and Self-Determination Theory (SDT). OST highlights the importance of organizational support in mitigating the negative effects of remote work. Need-to-belong theory emphasizes the human desire for social connection, explaining how PI can negatively affect well-being and commitment. SDT explores how basic psychological needs (relatedness, autonomy, competence) influence motivation and well-being. Existing literature shows independent relationships between PI, OC, WFB, and JS in teleworking contexts, but this research integrates these constructs into a single model to examine their interconnectedness, allowing for mediating and moderating effects. The literature review establishes hypotheses regarding the direct effects of PI and WFB on JS and OC, and the mediating role of JS in the relationships between PI/WFB and OC. The potential moderating roles of gender and time spent teleworking on the PI-OC relationship are also considered.

This study employs a quantitative approach using a cross-sectional survey design. The target population comprised IT employees in Spain working remotely. Data were collected via an online questionnaire distributed through snowball sampling, starting with a convenience sample of 30 teleworkers from technology companies listed in the Spanish Association of Technology Parks directory. The questionnaire, translated into Spanish, measured PI, JS, OC, and WFB using validated scales. The final sample included 294 teleworkers after excluding incomplete and outlier responses. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0.8.7 software. A two-stage approach was used to assess the measurement and structural models. The measurement model's reliability and validity were evaluated through checks on factorial loadings, Cronbach's alpha, Dijkstra-Henseler's rho, composite reliability, and average variance extracted (AVE). Discriminant validity was assessed using the Fornell-Larcker criterion and the heterotrait-monotrait ratio (HTMT). The structural model was evaluated using the coefficient of determination (R2), Q2 predict values (PLSpredict procedure), path coefficients, and variance inflation factors (VIFs). To address potential common method bias (CMB), a random latent variable was included in the model, and variance inflation factors (VIFs) were checked to ensure values were under 3.3. An a priori statistical power analysis ensured adequate sample size using G*Power software. To assess the presence of unobserved heterogeneity, FIMIX-PLS analysis was performed. Finally, an importance-performance map analysis (IPMA) complemented the PLS-SEM results.

The PLS-SEM analysis supported most of the hypotheses. Work-family balance (WFB) had a positive and significant direct effect on job satisfaction (JS) (β = 0.478, p < 0.001) and organizational commitment (OC) (β = 0.360, p < 0.001). Professional isolation (PI) had a negative and significant direct effect on JS (β = -0.413, p < 0.001) and OC (β = -0.070, p < 0.05). Job satisfaction (JS) significantly mediated the relationship between WFB and OC (β = 0.243, p < 0.001) and between PI and OC (β = -0.210, p < 0.001). However, neither gender nor the percentage of time spent teleworking had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between PI and OC. The R² values for JS and OC were >0.1, indicating good model fit. PLSpredict analysis revealed that the model also exhibited predictive relevance. The IPMA revealed that WFB had the highest importance score (0.603) on OC, whereas PI had the lowest (-0.280). FIMIX-PLS analysis indicated a one-segment solution, suggesting no critical level of unobserved heterogeneity.

The findings highlight the significant role of WFB and JS in shaping OC among involuntarily remote IT workers. While PI negatively impacts OC, its effect is less pronounced than the positive influence of WFB and the mediating effect of JS. This suggests that focusing on enhancing WFB and ensuring high JS can be more effective strategies for improving OC than solely addressing PI. The non-significant moderating effects of gender and time spent teleworking indicate that the relationships identified are consistent across different employee demographics and telework intensities. This study contradicts some previous findings that highlight PI as a crucial concern in remote work settings and suggests that the benefits of remote work, especially the enhanced WFB, might outweigh the negative aspects of PI, especially in the IT sector. The importance of JS as a mediator suggests a need for companies to understand and address factors influencing employee job satisfaction.

This study contributes to the understanding of talent management in the context of involuntary remote work. It demonstrates the importance of focusing on work-family balance and job satisfaction to foster organizational commitment among IT employees working remotely. The findings suggest that while professional isolation is a concern, it is less impactful than WFB and JS. Future research could investigate other moderating factors, employ longitudinal designs to establish causality, explore the issue in different sectors, and use NCA to identify the most relevant factors for organizational commitment. Further studies should also compare voluntary versus involuntary remote work experiences.

The study's cross-sectional design limits the ability to establish causality. The snowball sampling method may introduce bias. The focus on the Spanish IT sector limits generalizability. The study does not consider all potential factors influencing OC, such as job type, company type, work experience, educational level, and marital status. The specific post-pandemic context could have also influenced the results.