Language exclusion and the consequences of perceived ostracism in the workplace.

TLDR

The study examined how workplace ostracism affects work‑related attitudes and behaviors. Participants read a vignette depicting interactions where they were either included in a group discussion or ostracized by coworkers in English or Spanish. Ostracized participants reported lower organizational commitment and citizenship behaviors, higher symbolic threat, and increased prejudice, especially when ostracized in Spanish.

Abstract

The current research examined the impact of workplace ostracism on work-related attitudes and behaviors. Participants read a vignette describing a series of workplace interactions between the participant and two coworkers. During the interactions, participants were included in a group discussion, ostracized by coworkers in English or ostracized in Spanish. Consistent with predictions, ostracized participants reported lower levels of organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behaviors than included participants. Ostracism by language resulted in lower work group commitment and higher levels of symbolic threat compared with included participants and those ostracized in English. Increased prejudice was also reported by participants exposed to language ostracism. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for general attitudinal processes and employee-related work attitudes and behaviors.