Why is my coworker ignoring me? Understanding motives for ostracism in the workplace

Workplaces offer many opportunities to engage in ostracism, yet the motives underlying workplace ostracism remain poorly understood. We draw from K. D. Williams's (1997, 2001) taxonomy of ostracism motives and contemporary theorizing in social and organizational psychology to outline the employee characteristics that bring about ostracism and the needs or goals that ostracism serves. We delineate between purposeful workplace ostracism (which is intentionally punitive or defensive) and nonpurposeful ostracism (which is unintentional but may nevertheless create harm and disrupt functioning within work groups). We conclude by discussing key ways in which stronger synergies between social psychology and the organizational sciences could advance scholars' understanding of ostracism both inside and outside the workplace.