Effect of workplace ostracism on emotional exhaustion and unethical behaviour among Chinese nurses: A time-lagged three-wave survey.

Abstract

This study examined the following: (a) the impact of nurses' workplace ostracism on unethical behaviour; (b) mediating role of emotional exhaustion between nurses' workplace ostracism and unethical behaviour; and (c) moderating effect of hostile attribution bias. While unethical behaviour is a workplace phenomenon that can negatively influence the sustainable development of settings, few nurse studies have explored it. This study identified an interpersonal antecedent of unethical behaviour: workplace ostracism. A time-lagged three-wave survey was conducted over 3months (November 2016-January 2017) to collect data. Nurses (N=530) from three hospitals in China completed three anonymous self-reported questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, linear regression, and moderated mediation tests were performed, and data analysed using SPSS 23.0 and Mplus7.4. Workplace ostracism positively influenced nurses' unethical behaviour and emotional exhaustion mediated the relationship between workplace ostracism and unethical behaviour. Nurses' hostile attribution bias moderated the effect of workplace ostracism on emotional exhaustion and unethical behaviour. Workplace ostracism was an important interpersonal factor predicting unethical behaviour. Nurse supervisors should establish a harmonious interpersonal environment and be aware of hostile attribution bias to prevent nurses' unethical behaviour. Workplace ostracism is a pervasive phenomenon in the nursing workplace that contributes to unethical behaviour. Nurse supervisors and staff should together establish harmonious working environments without workplace ostracism. Nurse supervisors should pay attention to nurses' emotions and conduct psychological counselling to minimize the negative effects of workplace ostracism. This study contributed to understanding how and why nurses engaged in unethical behaviour.