How to deal with mobbing – violence at work?

Not only children play cat and mouse. Violence at work is the same relevant as bullying in schools.

There is rare talking about the psychological violence at work, known as mobbing. Try to mention someone that the culprit of your poor state is work. Most likely, you’ll get something like that it is impossible, you may is wrong thinking so or that all workplaces are the same, all the chiefs are the same. You will rarely receive the understanding and support. This is for two reasons. First, we have too little knowledge about psychological violence at work and its consequences. Second, the psychological violence is attributed to the personal sphere. There people are thinking like it is not my cup of tea, in other words – it’s your problem, deal with them yourself. How is it in reality? Does mobbing is the human’s problem, affected by it?

What causes it, and what promotes and how to recognize it? Finally, is it possible to avoid the attack of mobbing?

Mobbing – the ruinous psychological pressures, bullying of the employee. It is psychosocial and labor problem, still getting too little attention and research. Mobbing term is originated from the English word mob, meaning gang, mafia, rabble or offensive. So, mobbing is a thoughtful, purposeful, repetitive and systematic manager’s or colleagues unethical behavior in the workplace, in order to show the chosen victim as an inferior, irrelevant, incompetent.

The ultimate goal of such bullying – displace oppressed person from the team or organization. At first, the man notes to be mocked, devaluated, he may note that the results of his works, ideas and suggestions are publicly belittled or ignored. Also, there is a try to eliminate a person of joint and perspective activities to convince colleagues that this person is too little experienced, not smart or quarrelsome – differs from other team members. This is done through slander, gossips, and false facts.

It is extremely difficult to deal with a problem; because the situation is complicated by the fact that the perpetrator is hiding his actions publicly he covers it by alleged politeness, even friendliness. If someone questions, persecutor starts to defend himself, boldly calling the victim’s testimony lies and himself assuming the role of the victim.

Persecutors publicly demonstrated “holiness” is not his only weapon. With a lies, half-concealed truth and manipulative actions he assembles the support group. Sometimes, gathered group truly is convinced that humiliated fellow deserved contempt, ridicule, and so on. Then the scale of violence directed to a specific person, grows, becomes almost impossible to resist, and the effects of mobbing becomes unpredictable. However, most colleagues support persecutor out of fear and reluctance to have the same difficulties as a colleague, especially if the perpetrator and the line manager are the same person. It seems rather close their eyes and try not to get involved in disputes is the better way for them.

If a leader is violent, inconvenient subordinate can be loaded with additional or meaningless work. After work is done, the leader often blurt out that work was insignificant, very simple, that he did not expect that the employee will spend so much time doing this and so on.

As the leader has the power to limit the employee the opportunity to express his view, his publicly pronounced words may seem correct. In such way is formed a negative opinion about the oppressed worker’s competence or character.

Indeed, persecutor is unhappy person, his truth value he measures by the influence, assets, obligations and other power showing things. Since he feels insecure himself and very afraid of being marginalized, his suppressed hatred for allegedly posing a threat to co-workers, is hiding by true politeness.

Persecutor’s driving force is the envy, pride and false pride. Jealousy does not let objectively see the other person, and gives birth to a desire to remove other person. Jealousy is accompanies by distress arising from imagining another person’s happiness. Jealous one has plagued the desire to have other riches, traits, talents. He dreams that no one should have the same what he is missing. Honorary desire also arises from the inner inferiority and anxiety that others will think him being nothing.

How to deal with mobbing? First of all, it should be assessed whether unethical behavior outbreaks are psychological violence, and reject the assumption that it is only the inability to communicate properly. Mobbing should be considered only unethical behavior when it is repeated, lasting at least several months and is directed to a specific person or a few people. The most important feature of mobbing is different behavior with “guilty ones” and all others.

In accordance with the rules of civil behavior, it would seem that in order to put an end to the psychological violence, it is enough openly and honestly talk with the persecutors. However, this discussion will not bring positive results. Mobbing is not a two-person conflict. A maliciously colleague knows what to do and what he seeks.  So, open conversation sooner will make it possible to accurately hit the most painful places instead helping to stop the harassment.

It is also not an option to make any attempt to colleagues and managers to open up their eyes. Defending himself and constant talking about harassment, the employee compromises  himself – although not wanting he forms a dissatisfied, blaming, conflicted person’s impression.

The most effective would be to contact your or senior managers and ask for help to solve the problem. In order for your complaint to be valid, it is advisable to record the facts in writing, when and how you were humiliated or offended, collect e-mails that would help set the situation for a later misunderstanding occurred, could not perform the task assigned to you, and the like. But if the persecutor organizes meetings face to face and makes you a ruinous psychological effect, use a call recording facility. It will help to gather evidence in case you would have to defend your rights and dignity of the court.

Mobbing is difficult to overcome because the conditions primarily consist of corporate culture. In companies where is bright hierarchy, subordination, where the authority is not being built, but given together with leading position, psychological violence flourishes far more often.

However, the most effective strategy – to carry out mobbing prevention, in advance to prevent unethical psychological manipulation and discriminatory relations in a organizations by introducing appropriate programs and acceptable rules of behavior.

 

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