When the Little Things Aren't So Little: Exploring the Role of Self-Compassion Following Experiences of Workplace Ostracism

The present studies examined whether self-compassion could mitigate the consequences of workplace ostracism. Drawing on need-threat theories, I argued that ostracism would be associated with (a) a decreased sense of relatedness and belonging, and (b) increased engagement in social undermining behaviours. I further argued that relatedness and belonging would mediate the relationship between ostracism and social undermining. To test whether these relationships were contingent upon self-compassion levels, I distributed online surveys among undergraduate students (N = 99) and full-time employees (N = 230) using cross-sectional and time-lagged designs, respectively. While Study 1 showed that self-compassion buffered against the psychological and behavioural ramifications of ostracism, Study 2 did not replicate these findings. Both studies indicated that self-compassion positively influenced belonging and relatedness. Theoretically, this research replicates the established ostracism model, highlights the experience of ostracism in diverse contexts, and advances our understanding of self-compassion following workplace ostracism. Practically, it corroborates the benefits of self-compassion practice while identifying a personal resource that victims of ostracism can draw upon.