When I see your pain: effects of observing workplace ostracism on turnover intention and task performance

Abstract

Purpose The perseverative cognition framework suggests that observing ostracism has negative implications for observers due to affective rumination and that a proactive personality might make observers more vulnerable to this effect. Design/methodology/approach Data from 49 team leaders and 218 team members were obtained through a three-wave survey in China. Path analysis was used to examine the theoretical model. Findings The results indicate that observing ostracism increased turnover intention and reduced task performance and that these relationships were mediated by affective rumination. Furthermore, these effects were stronger for observers with high proactive personality. Research limitations/implications Workplace ostracism harms employees; however, its effects on observers remain underexplored. This paper extends research on the effects of ostracism by revealing that ostracism is not only harmful to the well-being of its victims but also adversely affects the work-related attitudes and behaviors of observers, especially those with proactive personality. Practical implications Organizations should be aware of the harmful effects of workplace ostracism on observers, and take actions to inhibit workplace ostracism as well as reduce the negatives impacts. Originality/value The results reveal the cognitive mechanism of affective rumination, in which observing workplace ostracism affects observers' behaviors and attitudes, highlighting the importance of observing effect of workplace ostracism.