Disruption of Employee Commitment via Workplace Ostracism in Non- Western World

Does Employees’ Emotional Intelligence Matter?

Abstract

The present study investigated the role of emotional intelligence in the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee commitment. Three hundred and eighty-four (384) employees of Nnamdi Azikiwe University participated in the study. They were selected from different departments in the university. The selected participants comprised 208 males and 176 females whose age ranged from 30 to 56 years, with a mean of 41.21 and a standard deviation of 6.30. The Organizational Commitment Scale (Allen and Meyer, 1990), Workplace Ostracism Scale (Ferris et al., 2013), and Schutte Self-Report Emotional Questionnaire (Schutte, 1998) were used for data collection. Correlational research design and hierarchical linear regression were adopted as the research design and statistical analysis of the data. The results showed that workplace ostracism positively and significantly correlated with employees’ commitment at r =.21, p< .01. Emotional intelligence positively and significantly correlated with employees’ commitment at r =.42, p< .01. Interestingly, emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between workplace ostracism and employee commitment at β = -.01, p < .05. Based on the findings, it was recommended that organizations implement emotional intelligence training programs, develop inclusive policies, train leaders to recognize address ostracism, and further research the dynamics between employees’ commitment across diverse contexts.