Performance Consequences of Workplace Ostracism

Abstract

Toxic workplaces have detrimental effects on worker performance. Workplace ostracism is a painful experience and for some, a toxic social stressor. This chapter integrates theoretically grounded findings addressing the implications of workplace ostracism on performance-related outcomes, including effort, job performance, creativity/innovation, and job withdrawal behaviors. For example, some people experiencing high rates of ostracism not only have difficulty persisting at their work tasks and performing their assigned roles, but they also decrease their effort on work tasks. Other individuals cope with ostracism by increasing prosocial behaviors, which reveals the complexity of the ostracism-performance relationship. Similarly, those experiencing ostracism sometimes demonstrate greater creativity and at other times demonstrate decreased creativity. Various boundary conditions, including environmental factors (e.g., social support, culture) and personal factors (e.g., self-esteem), appear to influence when or how workplace ostracism relates to these performance-related outcomes. Furthermore, boundary conditions notwithstanding, people experiencing workplace ostracism have a greater tendency to withdraw from their organizations and report higher intention to leave than those who do not experience workplace ostracism. In the case of withdrawal, certain types of social support and personality often intensify the relationship between ostracism and withdrawal, rather than mitigate it. The chapter concludes with recommendations for future research.