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Most of the workplace ostracism research focused on the consequences, while only a small stream has tried to understand the antecedents of ostracism. To achieve a culturally inclusive workforce, it is important to examine the antecedents of workplace ostracism experienced by immigrant employees. In this study, we examined acculturation demands, workplace ostracism, and employee outcomes among immigrant employees in the United States. In this time-lagged study, we found that acculturation demands were positively related to workplace ostracism among immigrant employees. Heritage cultural identity salience (HCIS) and harmony enhancement (HE) significantly buffered the relationship between acculturation demands and workplace ostracism, respectively. Finally, our data supported two first-stage moderated mediation models in which the indirect effects of acculturation demands on immigrant workers' work engagement and job strains (anger, anxiety, and depressive symptoms) via workplace ostracism were stronger when HCIS and HE was low rather than high. The results of this research study are timely as they provide useful insights into the interpersonal experiences of immigrant employees in the U.S. workforce. This study will help raise awareness of the challenges faced by immigrants in an American workforce. Practical implications, as well as theoretical contributions, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined employees' conflict with their supervisors in cross-cultural work settings. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 332 and 302 university employees in the United States and China, respectively. First, the qualitative data revealed that 54% versus 42% of supervisor conflicts were attributable to low job control in the United States and China, respectively. The quantitative data indicated that job autonomy was negatively related to supervisor conflict in the United States but not in China. Second, both quantitative and qualitative data showed that Chinese employees had more supervisor conflict than their U.S. counterparts. Third, both type of data suggested that supervisor conflict was more strongly related to job strains in China than in the United States. Finally, job autonomy played different roles in these two countries. It buffered supervisor conflict--job strain relations in the United States but exaggerated such relations in China. Therefore, our study provided a possible explanation to the inconsistent findings regarding the buffering effect of job autonomy on job stressors. Employees' cultural background may complicate the process. The qualitative data largely supported the quantitative findings and provided detailed information on employees' job stress experience in the cross-cultural context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]