Understanding Mobbing: Causes, Effects, and Prevention
Heinz Leymann, who died in 1999, was a pioneer in the study of mobbing. Mobbing refers to the process of tormenting, harassing, or terrorizing others psychologically at work. This issue was not reported or investigated systematically until the early 1980s. National legislation on working conditions in Sweden, Finland, and Norway guarantees the right of workers to remain healthy, both physically and mentally, at work.
Mobbing, harassment, and bullying can lead to significant stigma and deprivation of civil rights, potentially resulting in exclusion from the labor market. While bullying in schools is often characterized by physically aggressive acts, physical violence is rare in adult workplaces. Adult mobbing behavior is more sophisticated and cynical, often manifesting as social isolation of the victim. The term for social aggression between children and adolescents in school is bullying, while the term mobbing is reserved for adult behavior.
Swedish research in the early 1980s occurred without knowledge of Brodsky’s work. The enactment of a new law on working conditions in Sweden in 1976, along with a national research fund, created significant opportunities to explore new areas of research concerning the psychology of work.
The psycho-social aspect of mobbing in the workplace leads to a hostile environment devoid of ethics, typically administered by one or a few individuals against a single victim. This situation results in prolonged loneliness and helplessness, characterized by frequent harassing actions (at least once a week) over an extended period (at least six months). Such abuse can lead to significant psychological torture, psychosomatic issues, and social consequences.
The distinction between conflict and mobbing lies not in the actions themselves but in the frequency and duration of those actions. The scientific definition of mobbing refers to a social interaction process where an individual is attacked by one or more individuals at least weekly for several months, leading to a defenseless position with a high potential for exclusion. Mobbing should be understood as an extensive and dangerous form of social stress.
Mobbing is defined as an extreme social syndrome triggered by severe social stressors, producing a cascade of negative effects. Stress is always related to the response to a stimulus, defined as a stressor. Mobbing is thus an extreme social stressor that produces stress reactions, which can lead to other social stressors.
In light of the effects on the victim, these activities can be classified into five groups:
- Inability to communicate properly.
- Difficulty maintaining social contacts.
- Challenges in keeping personal reputation.
- Struggles to maintain work situation.
- Impact on physical health.
The time course prototype:
- Critical incidents: Harassment often begins with a conflict, leading to subsequent phases of mobbing. The initial phase may be very brief and not yet classified as mobbing. The next phase reveals stigmatizing actions by colleagues or supervisors.
- Harassment and stigmatization: Mobbing activities may include numerous behaviors that, in normal interactions, are not indicative of aggression or rejection. However, when these behaviors occur daily over a long period, they can be contextualized to stigmatize the victim.
- Authority involvement: When management becomes involved, the problem escalates. Managers often adopt the views formed during previous phases, aiming to eliminate the victim rather than address the issue.
- Exclusion: The working conditions do not resolve the problem, leading the victim to leave work long before retirement and seek medical or psychological help. These conditions can result in profound psychological consequences that may lead to permanent injury.
Effects on the victim: SEPT (post-traumatic stress syndrome) is a common consequence of mobbing. Exclusion from employment can lead to a situation where the individual is terrified of finding other work, effectively excluding them from the labor market. The most comprehensive research on mobbing has been conducted in Sweden.
The organization of work as a factor: The organization of production methods is often extremely improvised, leaving staff feeling impotent or carelessly indifferent.
Poor conflict management as a second cause: Conflicts worsen when management becomes part of the social situation. If a supervisor fails to clarify issues and instead participates in group dynamics, the situation deteriorates. Management involvement is deficient when they either engage in group dynamics or deny the existence of a conflict, both of which are dangerous behaviors.
Personality of the victim: Mobbing in its early stages is more a symptom than a conflict about the organization of work. If a dispute escalates into harassment, the responsibility primarily lies with management, whether due to poor conflict management or a lack of organizational policies.
ACTION: There are effective steps to take in these situations. When selecting a measure, it is essential to understand the stage of harassment. Various measures can prevent development, halt progression, or rehabilitate the beleaguered.
- Precautions: Establish a preventive policy to ensure conflicts do not escalate into dangerous situations. Clear rules must be in place to prevent inevitable conflicts from escalating.
- Early intervention management: A good manager should recognize the early signs of ongoing mobbing. Management must delegate authority to those in positions to take initiatives in specific cases. Failure at these levels can leave supervisors feeling unsafe in their roles.
- Vocational rehabilitation: During harassment, management has an obligation to protect individuals at risk, prevent stigmatization, and help restore their reputation and skills. Suggesting sick leave and offering reinstatement options is crucial.
- Legislation: There are three rules: (1) Employers must conduct regular internal control of working conditions to take early action. (2) Direct interventions are required when mobbing occurs. (3) Define the employer’s responsibility in vocational rehabilitation if an employee has been absent for low frequencies for one year or more.
Mobbing is a repeated and sustained work situation leading to psychological aggression that threatens the integrity and dignity of the worker, posing significant occupational hazards with serious physical, psychological, and social consequences.
Mobbing is:
- A situation that occurs repeatedly (more than once a week).
- That is prolonged (longer than six months).
- Where there is an attempt to discredit a person or business.
- Includes manipulation of people.
- May involve envy or jealousy.
- Poor working conditions may be used as a pretext for personal attacks.
- Isolates the worker.
- Creates rumors and lies about their private life.
- Involves hiding information.
- Discriminates to prevent professional advancement.
- Humiliates the person.
- Creates feelings of inadequacy or ineffectiveness.
Mobbing is not:
- An isolated situation.
- Occurring at a specific time.
- When the objective is to improve work performance.
- Excessive authoritarianism by a superior.
- Trade disputes.
- Poor working conditions.
- Individual or isolated work activity.
- Healthy gossip, which is not necessarily negative.
- Poor organization or lack of communication.
- Not improved by poor communication professionally.
- Not better professionally due to lack of merit.
- Friction, tensions, or conflicts.
- Inefficiency in performing work.
Actions against reputation or dignity:
- Making offensive comments against the person.
- Ridiculing or laughing at them publicly.
- Mocking possible disabilities.
- Making a person appear foolish.
- Criticizing their private life permanently.
Actions against their work:
- Isolating them from peers.
- Not assigning tasks.
- Assigning unenforceable or excessive tasks.
- Assigning monotonous and degrading tasks.
Actions affecting communication or information:
- The person is unaware of the work to be performed or how to do it.
- They are denied the opportunity to speak and are ignored when present.
- They are criticized or threatened on both labor and personal issues.
- They face cries and insults.
Measures of inequality among workers:
- Clear differences in discriminatory treatment received by the victim compared to other workers.
Symptoms for the worker:
- Anxiety, apathy, helplessness, frustration, decreased attention, addictions, trouble concentrating, sleep disturbances, and impaired physical health.
Symptoms for the company:
- Disturbances in interpersonal relationships, decreased workload, reduced quality of work, increased absenteeism, increased turnover, deterioration of the internal labor climate, and increased accidents.
Consequences for the worker:
- Depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, substance use disorder, psychosomatic disorders (e.g., feeding, digestive, endocrine problems), musculoskeletal disorders, family disintegration, and deterioration of social life.
Consequences for the company:
- Deterioration of the working environment, disruption of work organization, direct and indirect costs (e.g., reduced product quality, loss of company prestige, deterioration of image, reduced customer base, missed work, need for improved security measures, lower efficiency, and productivity).
Types of mobbing:
- Ascending (from subordinate to boss).
- Descending (from boss to subordinate).
- Among peers (peer-to-peer).
Prevention:
- Selection of objective and appropriate staff.
- Facilitating contact and employee participation in decisions.
- Promoting a work environment of respect and tolerance.
- Clear statements from the company regarding actions in cases of harassment and punishment.
- Ensuring the right to complain and maintain anonymity.
- Developing leadership skills.
- Designing appropriate communication systems within the enterprise.
- Providing manuals and programs for new employees.
- Defining job descriptions and professional roles.
- Establishing clear systems for public advocacy.
- Career planning.
- Providing clear and concise information to workers.
- Training in mobbing awareness.