Impact of Workplace Ostracism on Turnover Intention: An Empirical Study from Pakistan

The current research aims to examine how workplace ostracism influences employee turnover-oriented intention and investigates the mediating role of job burnout in the workplace ostracism - turnover relationship. Drawing on conservation of resource theory, we hypothesize that higher levels of workplace ostracism develop employee turnover through job burnout. Precisely, we predict that workplace ostracism is positively associated with turnover intention, both directly and indirectly via job burnout. To test our theoretical model, we collected field data from 311 banking employees in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling is used to test the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee turnover intention. The empirical findings reveal that workplace ostracism is positively associated with turnover intention. Furthermore, the relationship between workplace ostracism and turnover intention is mediated by job burnout. By using job burnout as a mediator, the present study sheds light on “why” workplace ostracism is related to employee turnover intention. In doing so, the present research provides a comprehensive understanding of the negative effects of ostracism on the workplace. This has subsequently provided practitioners with new insight into how to reduce employee turnover in organizations. We conclude by discussing the future directions and practical implications of our study.