New research unveils a startling and underexplored dimension of workplace dynamics: the profound influence of family ostracism on leadership effectiveness and frontline employee performance. Family ostracism, defined as the experience of being ignored, excluded, or unsupported within one’s familial relationships, extends its emotional toll far beyond the boundaries of home, permeating professional environments in ways that can substantially undermine organizational success.
The study, which appears in the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, systematically investigates how the emotional strain stemming from family exclusion manifests as work alienation among leaders and cascades into deteriorated customer service behaviors among their teams. Drawing upon empirical data from hotel managers and employees across international settings in Pakistan and Morocco, researchers elucidate the psychological pathways through which family ostracism disrupts workplace engagement and leadership efficacy.
At the core of the findings lies the concept of work alienation—a state in which leaders become emotionally detached and disengaged from their occupational roles and goals. This alienation, triggered by the draining emotional labor required to cope with family exclusion, translates into an observable shift toward laissez-faire leadership behaviors. Characterized by passivity, reduced guidance, and minimal intervention, this leadership style stands in stark contrast to the proactive and supportive approaches traditionally linked to high-performing teams.
The implications of these findings reverberate through the organizational ecosystem. Leaders grappling with family ostracism often appear mentally fatigued and emotionally exhausted, with depleted cognitive resources leading to less meaningful engagement in team interactions. They may withdraw from decision-making processes, display limited enthusiasm for employee contributions, and avoid collaborative discussion forums—behaviors that collectively erode team cohesion and morale.
This breakdown in leadership presence does not remain confined to the managerial sphere; it exerts a palpable negative impact on frontline employees’ customer stewardship—their motivation and capability to attend to customers’ needs effectively. As leaders become less emotionally available and less engaged, this disengagement percolates downward, dampening employees’ own dedication to service excellence. The research paints a vivid picture of how private emotional distress spirals outward, disrupting the critical human elements that underpin exemplary customer experiences.
Intriguingly, the study highlights the nuanced mechanisms through which leaders attempt to address family ostracism. Many invest increased emotional and temporal resources into repairing strained familial bonds, engaging more intensively in childcare, logistical planning, and emotional caretaking. While these efforts are aimed at ameliorating personal hardship, they inadvertently siphon off the psychological capital necessary for sustained professional focus and energy.
Professor Yasin Rofcanin, a leading author affiliated with the University of Bath’s Future of Work research centre, underscores the importance of recognizing personal relationship challenges as legitimate sources of workplace stress. He articulates that the interplay between family and work life is more intertwined than traditionally acknowledged, with emotional depletion at home directly compromising leaders’ abilities to foster team engagement and drive positive organizational outcomes.
Moreover, the research elucidates the protective role of political skill—the acumen to navigate social complexities and exert interpersonal influence—as a critical moderator. Leaders who display high political skill show resilience against the detrimental effects of family ostracism, maintaining relational engagement with their teams and preserving leadership effectiveness despite personal adversity. This finding opens promising avenues for leadership development programs that enhance social cognitive competencies as buffers against personal stress spillovers.
The international scope of the research, encompassing diverse cultural contexts in Pakistan and Morocco, adds robustness and cross-cultural validity to the conclusions. By focusing on hotel managers and frontline workers in four and five-star hospitality settings, the study situates itself within a high-stakes service industry context where leadership cracks can translate into immediate customer dissatisfaction and revenue loss. This context accentuates the urgency of addressing family ostracism as an organizational concern.
Co-authors from eminent institutions such as the University of Sharjah, the University of Aberdeen, Adiyaman University, and George Washington University contribute to a multidisciplinary approach. Their joint efforts further illuminate the intricate biopsychosocial dynamics linking family exclusion, cognitive-emotional depletion, leadership style adaptations, and frontline performance outcomes—a complex web that demands holistic organizational strategies.
Dr. Muhammad Usman of the University of Sharjah advocates for a paradigm shift in organizational policy and culture. He argues for leadership support frameworks that explicitly acknowledge family ostracism as a legitimate form of strain. By doing so, organizations can better design interventions, from mental health resources to leadership coaching, that reduce the risk of work alienation and its deleterious effects on customer service quality.
At a theoretical level, this research pioneers a critical integration of social exclusion theory with organizational behavior disciplines. It expands the canonical understanding of employee stress by weaving in the overlooked yet impactful variable of family ostracism, thereby enriching psychological models of work engagement and leadership efficacy with life-domain crossover perspectives.
Practically, the implications are far-reaching. Organizations that choose to ignore the spillover effects of personal life distress risk diminished leadership vitality, impaired decision-making quality, and weakened customer-centric performance—all of which pose threats to competitive advantage and sustainability. Conversely, proactive acknowledgement and support for employees’ familial challenges can catalyze resilient leadership and sustained service excellence.
In sum, the evidence compellingly calls for an expanded conceptualization of workplace well-being and leadership development. By integrating family dynamics into organizational stress models, stakeholders can forge more comprehensive strategies that safeguard mental bandwidth, enhance emotional resilience, and ultimately fortify both leadership effectiveness and customer stewardship.
Subject of Research: People
Article Title: When the family turns away: Leader family ostracism, work alienation, and the crossover to frontline employees’ customer stewardship behaviour
News Publication Date: 21-Jun-2025
Web References: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joop.70036
References:
- Rofcanin, Y., Usman, M., et al. (2025). When the family turns away: Leader family ostracism, work alienation, and the crossover to frontline employees’ customer stewardship behaviour. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology.
Keywords: Social research, Behavioral psychology
