Workplace Ostracism and Cyberloafing in Afghan Banks: The Moderating Role of Perceived Organizational Support

This study investigates the effect of workplace ostracism on cyberloafing and the moderating role of perceived organizational support in Afghanistan’s banking sector. Directed by the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, a quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted with 385 employees from two major banks. Validated scales were used to measure workplace ostracism, cyberloafing, and organizational support, and hierarchical regression was applied to test the hypothesized relationships. Results show that workplace ostracism is positively related to cyberloafing, indicating that employees who are excluded are more likely to engage in non-work internet use. Perceived organizational support, however, is negatively associated with cyberloafing and significantly weakens the positive relationship between ostracism and cyberloafing. These findings highlight organizational support as a protective factor that mitigates the adverse effects of ostracism on employee behavior. The study contributes to theory by integrating COR theory with the ostracism literature and identifying support as a key boundary condition. Practically, it emphasizes the importance of fostering supportive workplace environments to reduce cyberloafing and enhance productivity in high-stress contexts such as Afghanistan’s banking industry.