Workplace ostracism and hospitality employees’ counterproductive work behaviors: The joint moderating effects of proactive personality and political skill

This study seeks to examine the effect of workplace ostracism on hospitality employees’ counterproductive work behaviors (CWBs). The study specifically focuses on the joint moderating roles of proactive personality and political skill. Using a time-lagged research design, we collected data from 239 supervisor–subordinate dyads in 21 Chinese hotels. As predicted, we found that workplace ostracism was positively related to hospitality employees’ CWBs, specifically organizational counterproductive behaviors (CWB-O) and interpersonal counterproductive behaviors (CWB-I). Moreover, the study supported a hypothesized three-way interaction involving proactive personality, political skill, and workplace ostracism on CWBs. The results showed that high proactive personality coupled with high political skill led to the weakest relationship between workplace ostracism and CWBs (i.e., CWB-O and CWB-I). Conversely, low proactive personality combined with low political skill, resulted in the strongest relationship between workplace ostracism and CWBs (i.e., CWB-O and CWB-I).

► This study seeks to examine the effect of workplace ostracism on hospitality employees’ CWBs in Chinese hotels.
► Workplace ostracism was positively related to hospitality employees’ CWBs.
► The moderating effect of proactive personality on the workplace ostracism–CWBs association depends on political skill.