The hidden performance costs of professional isolation? A latent change score model of professional isolation during the early stage of COVID‐19 pandemic

Abstract

Although past research has found that professional isolation can affect discernible work‐related outcomes (e.g. job performance and turnover) and important job attitudes, researchers have not examined its impact on those less discernible but still costly work behaviours. Drawing on self‐regulation theories, this study examined the effect of professional isolation on employees' cyberloafing and time theft through self‐control capacity impairment. With longitudinal data collected from 343 U.S. employees across five consecutive weeks at the early stage of the pandemic (i.e. from mid‐March to late April 2020), our results of latent change score modelling analyses found that professional isolation change was positively related with changes in cyberloafing and time theft via change in self‐control capacity impairment. The results increase our understanding of the hidden performance cost of professional isolation. This research also shifts the research focus from a static, between‐person perspective to dynamic, within‐person changes in professional isolation and related outcomes. The findings shed light on the self‐regulation perspective in understanding the harmful consequences of professional isolation. Implications for future research are discussed along with practical implications for organisations.

The Relationship Between Workplace Ostracism and Organizational Dehumanization: The Role of Need to Belong and its Outcomes

“…Specifically, workplace ostracism implies an omission of act (i.e., absence of attention) whereas other forms of mistreatment involve the commission of acts (i.e., negative attention) (Ferris et al, 2017). As such, workplace ostracism is distinct from other constructs such as professional isolation, which refers to employees' beliefs that they are disconnected from others at work due to practical constraints (e.g., remote working) (Peng et al, 2023).…”

Developing an intervention to manage professional isolation among emergency nurses working in Lesotho: an action research approach.

“…Furthermore, Mwape, et al 45 and Pimmer, et al 44 , suggested that participants with advanced knowledge and skills exhibited fewer feelings of professional isolation compared to their counter parts. Most importantly, the trajectory of professional isolation may be improved or changed less dramatically by encouraging employees to share knowledge, skills, experiences, and their professional challenges 46 .…”