Role of workplace ostracism and self-esteem on workplace deviance

Abstract

Being ostracized and resulting in interpersonal or organizational deviance is a pinching topic in research as well as in the practical world. Purpose. The present study analyses the relationship between workplace ostracism and two types of workplace deviance, i.e., interpersonal deviance (workplace incivility, workplace bullying, violence, workplace harassment, social undermining, organizational mobbing) and organizational deviance (work behavior deviated from certain norms), and examines the unexplored moderating role of self-esteem between these relationships. Study design. The respondents of the study were various managerial level employees from the food and textile sectors of Pakistan. Data from 380 employees were collected through a closed-ended, self-administered five-point Likert scale using employee intercept convenience-based sampling technique due to unavailability of the sampling frame. The partial least squares structural equation modelling (SEM) approach was utilized through SmartPLS software for quantitative results. Findings. Findings of the study revealed that ostracism is a significant factor in interpersonal and organizational deviance, but it seemed that organizational deviance is more strongly affected by ostracism. The subsequent results also justify that self-esteem is a valuable factor for these circumstances of deviance and ostracism. These findings direct the practitioners to nurture a positive work environment to mitigate the negative impact of ostracism. Value of results. Furthermore, off the job, social interactions and activities may bring employees closer to each other, reducing the chances of ostracism and raising self-esteem in employees.