Workplace ostracism among immigrant workers: The moderating effect of cultural identity salience and interpersonal harmony value.

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]