Workplace ostracism: A process model for coping and typologies for handling ostracism

Abstract

Workplace ostracism has become today's harsh reality. Research concerning ostracism has proliferated in the past two decades. But, not much attention is paid to the process of coping with workplace ostracism. As a result, several aspects of this interpersonal mistreatment remained overlooked. For instance, how employees form perceptions of ostracism, how they cope with it over time, and what factors explain variations in their perceptions, experiences, and coping strategies are not much explored. To address these gaps, we present a “Process Model” grounded on relational/stress theories, namely, sociometer and COR theory, to explicate employees' journey of coping with ostracism. Additionally, our model illustrates personal/organizational factors influencing stages of the coping process. Further, we present the first-ever two-by-two typologies of employees' coping strategies and organizational/HR strategies for tackling workplace ostracism demarcated along two dimensions. Finally, we discuss theoretical/practical implications and future research directions.