Workplace Ostracism: More Distressing than Harassment

The current study is a qualitative one which uses focus group discussions (FGD) and interviews to understand the existence and instances of workplace ostracism. Literature review including research papers and articles written by HR practitioners has been done. The idea was to understand the various factors that affect the occurrence of ostracism at the workplace. Workplace ostracism is a process of ostracizing or excluding someone at the workplace on any ground. The research paper presents a qualitative study which uses Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and interviews. The factors causing workplace ostracism are identified through research which are colleagues, self, organization culture, leader and work environment. A questionnaire has been made on the basis of the factors identified and is validated. This questionnaire can be used to identify the factors which contribute towards workplace ostracism. 29 statements have been identified which makes an attempt to identify the existence or nonexistence of workplace ostracism at the workplace. It is developed with the objective to help the organizations to conduct workplace ostracism studies across the employees.