Abstract
Drawing on the moral disengagement perspective, this study investigates how and when supervisor ostracism disrupts employees’ moral self-regulation process. Across two studies—a three-wave, multisource field survey and a vignette-based experiment—we demonstrate that supervisor ostracism is psychologically painful and morally threatening, prompting employees to disengage morally and subsequently steering them toward delaying work tasks. Notably, this effect is particularly pronounced among employees who receive higher levels of peer respect. In such contexts, supervisory exclusion violates their moral expectations and sense of social dignity more acutely, intensifying disengagement. Findings from both studies confirm that supervisor ostracism triggers moral disengagement, which, in turn, thwarts employees’ ability to meet work deadlines. The results extend the moral disengagement perspective to the domain of supervisory exclusion and offer practical guidance for fostering ethical, respectful, and inclusive workplaces.