ABSTRACT
The U.S. labor force is diverse in terms of employees' racial/ethnic identities and countries of origin. The growing race/ethnicity- and nationality-based diversity in the workplace has had different outcomes. On the one hand, racial/ethnic minorities and immigrants contribute to wide-ranging and diverse workplaces. On the other hand, past and present prejudices sustain an environment that marginalizes minoritized workers. Perceived ostracism produces a negative interpersonal experience for which the consequences and ambiguous motives have been broadly and frequently studied. In this chapter, we provide an overview of perceived ostracism patterns among members of minority groups. First, we describe the demographic profile of the U.S. labor force. Second, we review equal employment laws and company policies that may impact how minority employees experience mistreatment. Third, we describe research on experiences of workplace ostracism, focusing on minority and immigrant workers. In specific, we examine buffers to the harmful effects of workplace ostracism, including cultural identity salience, social support, and individual differences in harmony enhancement. Furthermore, we offer suggestions to organizations to reduce the incidence of ostracism of racial/ethnic minority and foreign-born employees. We conclude by discussing ostracism and COVID-19 and directions for future research. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)