Organizational Virtuousness and Workplace Thriving: The Moderating Role of Workplace Ostracism Among Nurses

Background: Organizational virtuousness fosters a self-reinforcing spiral of workplace thriving, which encompasses the joint experience of vitality and learning at work. Workplace ostracism refers to the exclusion or ignoring of individuals or groups within the workplace and may negatively affect employees’ workplace experiences. Aim: We aimed to examine the relationship between organizational virtuousness and workplace thriving and to explore the moderating role of workplace ostracism among nurses. Methods: A descriptive correlational research design was employed. A simple random sample of 464 nurses working in inpatient departments and critical care units at Shibin El-Kowm Teaching Hospital and El Helal Insurance Hospital was recruited. Data were collected using three instruments: the Organizational Virtuousness Scale, the Thriving from Work Questionnaire, and the Workplace Ostracism Scale. Results: Nearly half of the nurses reported a high level of organizational virtuousness, while more than half reported a moderate level of workplace thriving. In contrast, nearly two-thirds reported a low level of workplace ostracism. Organizational virtuousness was significantly and positively correlated with workplace thriving and significantly and negatively correlated with workplace ostracism. Furthermore, workplace ostracism significantly moderated the relationship between organizational virtuousness and workplace thriving. Conclusions: Organizational virtuousness was positively associated with workplace thriving among nurses, whereas workplace ostracism was negatively associated with organizational virtuousness. Furthermore, the significant interaction between organizational virtuousness and workplace ostracism indicated that the strength of the association between organizational virtuousness and workplace thriving varied across levels of workplace ostracism. Implications for Nursing Practice: Nurse managers should foster supportive work environments by providing tangible and emotional support to strengthen organizational virtuousness and promote workplace thriving. Nursing leaders should also implement proactive strategies to identify and address workplace ostracism and create an inclusive environment in which nurses feel valued, respected, and supported.