Workplace ostracism reduces productivity and creativity, study finds
A new study indicates that 71% of workers experience ostracism at their jobs. This perception of being ignored or excluded significantly harms job performance and creativity.
Workplace ostracism, the feeling of being ignored or excluded by colleagues or supervisors, affects 71% of workers, according to new research. This exclusion is linked to reduced job performance and creativity.
A study published in Scientific Reports offers a reason for this impact: feeling shunned disrupts an employee's ability to monitor progress, control emotions, and engage in goal-setting behaviors. This interference affects both highly engaged and less engaged workers equally.
The research surveyed nearly 500 service sector workers in India. While confirming that ostracism hurts job performance, the data revealed that it undermines critical self-regulatory processes. These include goal setting, emotional control, and attention regulation, which are essential for performing under stress.
"Exclusion may disrupt employees' ability to monitor and regulate their behavior effectively, as psychological resources are diverted toward interpreting and coping with social rejection rather than task accomplishment," the authors stated. This can lead to lower job performance due to difficulty sustaining attention, motivation, and goal-directed behavior.
The findings suggest that simply promoting employee engagement may not be sufficient to counteract ostracism. The study's authors recommend that companies focus on eliminating exclusionary behaviors directly. They propose that engagement initiatives should be complemented by efforts to identify and reduce such behaviors, strengthen communication, and foster inclusive norms.