“Ostracism in the Workplace: When Silence
Hurts”
Sandra L. Robinson
Sara Banki
Jane O’Reilly
Jennifer Berdahl
Workplace Mistreatment
Threats
Aggression
Verbal Abuse
Harassment
Humiliation
Sabotage
Insults
Yelling
Political backstabbing
Intimidation
Undermining
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Workplace mistreatment is
common and costly…
~30%: The percentage of employees who report
experiencing workplace mistreatment in prior 6
months.
~1.2 million: Annual costs associated with turnover due
to bullying for an organization of 1000 employees
(Rayner & Keashly, 2004).
~150k: Estimated cost of internal investigation of
harassment in the UK (Earnshaw & Cooper, 2001)
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Emphasis on obvious
mistreatment..
Organizational members, managers, legislators, and
researchers mostly focus upon harmful behaviors
that are:
• Active
• Overt
• Direct
• Persistent
What coworkers and managers do to one another,
be it to cause harm, resolve conflict, get even,
control others
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So what about what organizational
members don’t do to one another?
What about ignoring or avoiding others?
Giving someone the silent treatment?
Leaving someone out?
Passive and covert, ‘ostracism’ may be more
common and effect way to hurt another, control
behavior, get even:
Seen as ‘more professional’
Matches our cultural perceptions that its harmless
Less likely to face consequences
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Our Research
So what about ostracism in the
workplace?
• Attitudes about it
• Its frequency
• Its unique and relative impact
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The Nature of Ostracism
When an individual or group fails to take actions
that socially engages another, when such actions
would be appropriate (Robinson, O’Reilly & Wang, 2011).
Examples: Failing to hear, acknowledge, include,
select, accept, join or invite another.
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What it looks like at work….
• Others at work shut you out of the conversation.
• Others leave the area when you enter.
• You involuntarily sit alone in a crowded lunch
room at work.
• Others at work do not invite you or ask you if you
want anything when they go out for a coffee break.
• Others at work treated you as if you aren’t there.
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Study 1: Perceptions of Ostracism
at Work
Design
• On-line survey
• 95 employees across wide range of industries
(80% professional or managerial)
• Asked to rank a set of “mistreatment
behaviors” at work:
• Ostracism behaviours
• Bullying behaviours
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Study 1 Results
Perceptions of Mistreatment at Work
5.5
5
4.5
4
3.5
3
Acceptable
Harmless
Ostracism
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Bullying
Unprohibited
Is Ostracism really harmless?
Should it be unprohibited?
Belongingness Theory (Baumeister & Leary, 1995):
• Fundamental need to have lasting, meaningful
relationships.
• Quality not quantity: relationships marked by stability,
affective concern, continuity.
• Belongingness needs met by perceptions that some
others care about one’s wellbeing and have positive
feelings of liking or loving towards one.
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Thwarted belonging hurts
• Stress, anxiety, depression (Leary & Kowalski,
1995)
• Lower self-esteem (Leary, 1999)
Thwarted belonging creates withdrawal
• Decreases our sense of duty and obligation
(Harkins & Petty, 1982;Schoendrade et al 1986).
• Seek to distance self from pain, avoid future pain,
seek fulfillment of belonging needs elsewhere
(Baumeister & Leary, 1995)
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H1: Ostracism will be negatively related to sense of
belonging.
H2: Ostracism will be negatively related to positive
emotions, self-esteem, and commitment to the
organization, as a result of reduced sense of
belonging.
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Could ostracism be even more
harmful than harassment?
Bullying
Ostracism
Negative attention and energy
from others
Conveys that one is not even
worthy enough for others’
attention and effort
Reinforces a social exchange
between the self and others
Removes interactional dynamic
and potential for exchange.
One has a role to play, even if
negative, so they serve a
purpose and ‘belong’
No role to play in the social
context
Creates fear of rejection and
“social death”
Realized social rejection
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H3: Ostracism, compared to bullying, will have a
stronger negative impact on sense of belonging, and
therefore a stronger negative impact on positive
emotions, self-esteem, and commitment.
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Study 2: Impact of Ostracism
and Harassment
Design:
• Survey of 1015 employees
• Self-reports of ostracism &
bullying in last 6 months
• Measures of sense of belonging,
positive emotions, self-esteem
and commitment
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Study 2 Results: Ostracism More
Common than Harassment
Employees who experienced one or more incidents in
the last 6 months
71%
57%
Ostracism
Bullying
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Study 2 Results: Negative
Impact of Ostracism
.32**
Ostracism
-.48**
Sense of .47**
Belonging
Self
Esteem
Positive
Emotions
.52**
Commitment
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Study 2 Results: Ostracism More
Harmful than Bullying
Sense of
Belonging
.06
-.44**
-.22**
Ostracism
-.18**
Self
Esteem
Positive
Emotions
-.12**
-.14**
.01
-.01
Commitment
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Bullying
Summary – Study 2
•Ostracism is more commonly experienced
than bullying
•Ostracism hurts: sense of belonging, selfesteem, positive emotions, commitment
•Ostracism has a unique and great impact
than bullying
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More than bad feelings…
• What about the impact of ostracism on
important outcomes such as depression,
physical health, intentions to quit, and
actual turnover?
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Study 3: Impact of Ostracism
on Health and Turnover
Design:
• Survey of 1048 university staff
• Self-reports of ostracism bullying and belonging
• Outcome measures of mental health (depression),
physical health (self-reported complaints), and
turnover intentions
• Actual turnover 4 years later
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Study 3 Results: Ostracism more
Common than Bullying
Employees who experienced one or more incidents in
the last 6 months
91%
47%
Ostracism
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Bullying
Study 3 Results: Ostracism More
Harmful than Bullying
Sense of
Belonging
.08*
-.55**
-.22**
Ostracism
-.27**
Depression
Physical
Health
-.18**
-.14**
.08
-.04
Intentions to
Quit
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Bullying
Study 3 Results: Predicting
Turnover Four Years Later
Ostracism
.32**
Turnover
Bullying
.04
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Summary – Study 3
Replicates Study 2 with new measures and
sample
Ostracism uniquely predicts mental health,
physical health, intentions to quit, and
actual turnover
Impact of ostracism can be seen years later
in the workplace
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Conclusions
Being ignored, left out, excluded is a relatively
common experience for employees
We tend to view ostracism as relatively harmless, but
it actually has a significant and lasting negative impact
on employee’s well-being, work related attitudes, and
actual turnover
Not only is ostracism harmful, it may actually be more
harmful than bullying or other more obvious, overt
forms of mistreatment
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What Can We Do?
Managers and organizations need to take ostracism as serious as
bullying
In policy, define what it is- and clarify its unacceptability
Provide training and mechanisms for more effective
communication and conflict resolution strategies
Deal with incidents early and strongly to avoid contagion
Foster a positive climate: hire, model, and reward
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Thank you!