Have you ever felt left out of the office gossip? Do your colleagues purposely keep you away from office lunches? Are you not in your boss’s close discussion quarters? Be careful, as these may be the workplace ostracism effects.

But don’t worry since it is not your fault. You are not an introvert or socially awkward individual like you generally consider yourself. Instead, you are just a part of millions of office employees who feel the same way. Today’s blog on workplace ostracism and its effects is especially for those who go through such lonely cycles in the office. 

What is Workplace Ostracism?

Workplace ostracism is a form of deviant office behavior that is an everyday affair in most offices. While many might question – Is ostracism bullying? It is not so. This is one of the most subtle forms of exclusion that is practiced in the workplace and often leads to severe consequences. 

Ostracism takes place when certain individuals are targeted and excluded from office activity. Here, it is intentional and often carried out systematically in order to isolate those different from the like-minded group. 

It is unfortunate that such acts take place even in today’s organized workplaces, and many of them go unnoticed. This is why in many firms, the Human Resource Management teams launch surveys that they use as workplace ostracism questionnaires. These surveys test the opinions of employees on multiple levels and aim to gauge the exact degree of employee engagement. 

You can turn to SurveyPoint and build one such survey conveniently. The platform offers many ready-to-use templates that perfectly meet your research objectives. These can also be customized and made according to your unique needs. 

Examples Of Ostracism in The Workplace

Suppose that you are a new recruit in a big corporate firm. Your boss introduces you to a team of professionals working on a project. Given your immense experience in that field, you’re immediately given an entry to that team. 

Once you start working and make efforts to become a part of the team, you realize that others in the team are good friends among themselves and are not much interested in mingling with you. 

You try your best to get everyone together in the team but fail each time. Being a new employee, you cannot complain to your superiors. Your isolation starts to deepen with time, and you feel your mental health getting affected as a result. 

The above is one of the most common examples of workplace ostracism and the effects caused by it. Several other examples can be-

• Your colleagues are not replying to your emails or calls, even if they are urgent. 
• Your arguments and suggestions in the meetings are being ignored. 
• Office members are purposely not meeting you or making eye contact. 
• You are receiving constant silent treatment that is baseless. 

Workplace ostracism meaning is not confined to the mere act of being left on your own; it becomes a serious issue in the long run as it affects the psychological well-being of employees. Even in society, expulsion has been traditionally used as a punishment or a tool for harassment. 

ALSO READ: How Performance Evaluation Can Create Human-Centric Work Culture?

List of Workplace Ostracism Effects

You must understand the diverse effects of ostracism at the workplace to clearly identify whenever it happens. Below is a comprehensive list of the effects that you must be aware of:

1. Exclusion from work activities causes a steep decline in the happiness index of employees. This happiness factor is directly linked to employee satisfaction. 

2. Being on their own, workers are made to feel that their initiatives are not being respected. This leads to a decrease in their motivation levels, thus making employees uninterested in work. 

3. When employees are not well-connected or purposely separated from driving groups of the office, their strengths do not become an asset for the employer. This further causes the wastage of potentially precious skilled resources. 

4. Workplace ostracism also causes stunted growth of employees’ skills at work. As certain workers are kept aside from meetings or discussions, they are unable to learn about efficient techniques for completing tasks. 

5. Not recognizing the work done by capable employees is also a form of ostracism that leads to frustration and loss of motivation for that employee. 

6. Workplace ostracism is one of the major reasons for the decline in productivity of employees. It happens as a result of a fall in both their mental and physical health. 

One of the most negative workplace ostracism effects is the making of a toxic work culture in the office space. 

How To Combat The Workplace Ostracism Effects? 

Whether you’re an employee or an employer, you must be aware of the various ways by which you can shield your workplace from this phenomenon. 

• Be Open About It

If you are confident about the tasks allotted to you, then you can call out those exercising this on you directly. There is nothing better than dealing with a workplace issue head one. 

• Dear Diary

One of the most obvious workplace ostracism effects is that people carry a lot of emotional baggage and pent-up feelings while there is no one to hear them out. 

In such a case, a diary is all you need. Make daily entries about what you face at your workplace and write whatever you feel about people. It is one of the best ways to unburden yourself. 

• Stop Being All About Office

It has been seen that individuals give up everything for office work. That is indeed the wrong manner of living life, and one must open to other enjoyments as well. Spending time with friends and family or having general entertainment immensely heals office stress. 

Employers must keep their biases aside while conducting professional work at the workplace. Moreover, the management must look into if recognition is being equally distributed among the employees. Nevertheless, a regular feedback mechanism is the key to understanding how employees feel about their work environment.