The phenomenon of mobbing is well-known among people who once encountered it or are now experiencing its pressure. This is psychological bullying of an objectionable person in the workplace by several colleagues or a collective leader. Is there protection for mobbing? To cope with the enemy, you need to know him by sight.

Mobbing - what is it?

Working in a team brings satisfaction and a feeling of being in demand, or is associated with negative emotions when thinking about her good mood disappears somewhere instantly. Respected employees whose opinions are listened to by everyone can commit outrageous, shocking acts towards less fortunate colleagues. In psychology, this phenomenon has its own term. Mobbing is psychological pressure from several colleagues or the entire team in order to get an unwanted colleague fired from work.

Mobbing - psychology

People who have actually suffered moral pressure in the workplace will not have to explain what mobbing at work is. Memories of this period of life make them shudder. Colleagues first take a closer look at a newcomer at work and are interested in the facts of his biography. After assessing all his merits and achievements in life, his future fate is decided without him.

This happens in teams where the boss does not stop squabbles and scandals, and the leader among his subordinates is an employee who considers himself the most beautiful, charming, promising, and talented. In fact, this may not reflect reality, but the way a person treats himself is the same attitude he receives from others. If an “outcast” belittles his dignity and hates himself, this programs the people around him to actions that humiliate him even more. This is an immutable law of psychology. Psychological terror is expressed as follows:

  1. Silent boycott in the presence of a target and heated discussion shortcomings and facts of personal life in his absence.
  2. Ridicule and explicit jokes.
  3. Making fun of external flaws, peculiarities of speech, gait, and manner of dressing.
  4. Artificial simulation of situations where an undesirable employee is put in an awkward position, and this happens in front of his superiors.
  5. Damage to things, documents, or a computer in the workplace, which inevitably attracts the manager’s anger.
  6. Offensive words addressed to people close and loved by the “victim.”
  7. Spreading rumors and gossip behind your back.
  8. Constant complaints to superiors that the newcomer cannot cope with the job.

In fact, there are a lot of ways to humiliate and ridicule a person, so the most dangerous thing when accepting new job- this is a bad relationship with the leader of the group. He incites everyone else to be bullied and humiliated. Members of the team try not to stand out from the crowd so that the wrath of the upstart “narcissist” does not fall on them. The “herd” feeling makes them remain silent and nod approvingly in response to any decision of the leader.


Mobbing and bullying - differences

There is often confusion about terms of American origin. Mobbing in translation means “crowd”, bullying means “offender, bully”. Although in some interpretations, for example, taken from Wikipedia, bullying is psychological terror the whole team or part of it. But then it turns out that there is no semantic difference between the 2 terms. Therefore, most people lean towards option 1:

  1. Mobbing- this is the persecution of the “victim”, in which all members of the team or several colleagues take part.
  2. Bullying- This aggressive behavior towards an objectionable person on the part of one employee with the tacit approval of colleagues.

In a group of people engaged in collective work, one can observe the phenomenon of bossing. This is for a subordinate, the initiator of which is the leader. More often this happens against the backdrop of obvious success in work achieved by the newcomer. Worried that he might be caught, the boss is looking for ways to get rid of a talented employee. When a director suffers from an inferiority complex, this is expressed in rejection of criticism in his direction. If someone dares to speak impartially about his person, he immediately begins to experience all the “delights” of bossing.

Mobbing - types

A strong blow is dealt to the psyche of the person against whom mobbing is carried out. The more colleagues are aggressive against him, the more he feels defenseless and alone. Convincing others that they urgently need to get rid of the “victim” is something that an authoritative employee can do. This is horizontal mobbing.

When the leader does not have to make an effort and convince his colleagues that the “outcast” needs to be punished, humiliation and criticism come from above - directly from the authorities. The best member of the team can only reap the “laurels” and continue to escalate the tense situation in the group. This phenomenon is called vertical mobbing.

Reasons for mobbing

In most cases, an unwanted employee himself provokes aggression from employees. This happens involuntarily or on purpose on his part (depending on the choice of methods of “maneuvers”, how you can show your best side). The reasons for mobbing at work are as follows:

  1. A clear contrast and standing out from the crowd (unusual actions, major achievements, competition with one’s own superiority). A prerequisite for psychological pressure is elementary envy of a successful colleague.
  2. Ignoring meetings, corporate parties.
  3. Compliance with the character traits of the “victim” (tearfulness, touchiness, whining, desire to curl up into a ball, hide in a corner, avoid everyone’s attention).

Mobbing - signs

The term mobbing was first mentioned by biologist Konrad Lorenz. He observed the habits of herbivores and saw that, instead of fleeing from a predator, they attacked him in a group. Psychologist Hanz Leyman conducted similar studies at the end of the 20th century among people working in teams. The essence of mobbing is the hostile, immoral actions of a group of people towards one employee. There are 45 variations of this behavior. The main ones are:

  • insulation;
  • constant criticism;
  • false rumors;
  • ridicule;
  • actions on the sly (pour glue onto important document, breaking a chair, allegedly accidentally spilling coffee on clothes, etc.).

Phases of development of mobbing in a team

If a newcomer does something objectionable against the “leader,” mobbing gradually gains strength. At first, these are cautious attempts (it is unknown how else the “outcast” will respond). If there is no resistance or it is too weak, the aggression of the members of the “herd” gains momentum. The sequence of phases of development of mobbing in a team looks something like this:

  1. Laughs and gossip behind your back.
  2. Cautious notes.
  3. Angry, aggressive criticism (the more employees are involved in this “show,” the more productive results mobbing produces).
  4. Physical harassment (beating up when returning home in the evening, tripping someone up, burning them with a hot drink, etc.).

How to protect yourself from mobbing at work?

A thorough analysis of the current situation and mental playback of possible scenarios will help you avoid stupid mistakes. You should evaluate how your boss feels about mobbing at work. If he is characterized by patience, goodwill, and respect for people, then it is better to immediately turn to him with a request to sort out the situation.

Mobbing in a team is nipped in the bud. If this does not help, then you should try to ignore the negativity addressed to you and not notice the attacks of the offenders. They expect at least some kind of reaction. If she is not there, the “hunters” get bored and look for another “prey”. Personnel mobbing is a changeable phenomenon.

Mobbing at work - should I leave or stay?

The last sad scenario: leaving a job you hate. The problem of mobbing in a team makes you lose moral and physical strength. Nervous exhaustion can reach the point where the victim is frightened by every rustle and fears for his life. Therefore, it is better to change jobs than to try to change your attitude towards yourself, where it is useless.

But at the same time, you need to take into account previous mistakes and think through the course of action in advance. If the “victim” continues to struggle with unfair treatment, but “things are still there,” mobbing can result in prolonged depression and suicide. The problem of how to resist mobbing, in this case, is no longer solved in this world.


Mobbing at work - how to fight?

It’s another matter when mobbing at work occurs with the tacit approval of the manager. Here the “victim” is left alone with himself. The sure-fire course of action is to put the leader in an awkward position, using his own weapon. The main thing is the ability to regulate relationships in a team. The leader becomes the one who has more advantages in this regard.

How to be smart when mobbing?

Unlike open, obvious terror, latent mobbing is carried out gradually. More often this is social isolation and ignoring the achievements of the “victim”. They survive it slowly, but with enviable tenacity. This happens when a manager and an employee close to him insult and criticize an outcast without the goal of publicly discrediting him. If the methods mentioned above do not help, you can be smart and take a video on your phone or record the conversation on a voice recorder. This is very powerful weapon against offenders.

Books about mobbing

Psychological terror can healthy person turn into a disabled person or cause his premature death - these are real facts that are reported from time to time by the media. Awareness on this issue, knowledge of the necessary psychological moves, and the ability to abstract from the situation will help stop mobbing in the organization. Instructive books:

  1. Aja Mayron “Why me? The story of the white crow."
  2. Morrine Duffy, Len Sperry "Bullying in the Workplace and How to Combat It."
  3. Krista Koloday “Psycho-terror in the workplace and methods for overcoming it.”

Today we will understand what mobbing is, what are its reasons and how to protect yourself from it. Catch information, be happy and successful!

Mobbing- this newfangled word today refers to psychological violence to which one employee is subjected from the entire team, part of it, or from the boss.

This phenomenon, in principle, is not new, but it began to be studied not so long ago: at the end of the last century.

It's not enough to know what is mobbing, you need to have means of defense against it, so as not to slowly go crazy, being in the role of a victim, and not to give the predators in the group the slightest chance to eat you.

What is mobbing and how to define it?

The word mobbing itself comes from the English mob - crowd.

This foreign word denotes the usual bullying of one employee by the entire team or a separate group with the goal of ultimately achieving his dismissal.

It is necessary to distinguish between mobbing and ordinary squabbles that are present in every team.

For example, if I subtracted you because yesterday you forgot to send important letter, and after that you also had to listen to a reprimand from the secretary, who was reprimanded by the management for nothing, for nothing, although she twice reminded you of such important correspondence, then mobbing does not apply to you, you are simply paying for your own headlessness.

But if every morning starts with the phrase: “Oh, hello, fat cow, we were hoping that today you would get hit by a bus and not finally go to work,” especially broken cup, mixed up papers on the table and other troubles, then it’s time to worry: your colleagues are mobbing you.

Reasons and types of mobbing


Of course, such a disgusting phenomenon as mobbing has very simple and understandable reasons, the most common of which are:

    Just imagine, you are so young and active when you join a team whose youngest employee is about 50.

    Do you think you will be welcomed with open arms?

    Whatever the case!

    Get ready to resist mobbing, because elderly sperm whales will envy you godlessly, envying everything from your work successes to good health and youth.

    Mobbing based on envy is quite possible among employees of the same age group because dullness and losers always hate.

    Tendency towards sadism.

    Those who have a penchant for sadism and an atrophied sense of humanity become maniacs.

    Often, both the leader of the pack and members of the group who bully their colleague do it only because they enjoy the process itself.

    Unsatisfied ambitions.

    A trio of friends dream of a leadership position.

    They can't seem to climb up career ladder, so they choose a different way to satisfy their own ambitions: they try to completely subjugate one of their weaker colleagues.

    Tough competition in the workplace.

    Nothing personal, I’m just clearing the way for myself to the desired position or salary.

    Identity of the mobbing victim.

    Most often, their role is played by weaklings, whiners, black sheep, wimps, strange loners, gloomy individualists, etc.

“Only in a team does nothingness gain strength.”
Vladimir Ilyich Goloborodko

There are two types of mobbing:

  1. Vertical - superiors bully a subordinate or several subordinates.
  2. Horizontal – the sadists and the victim are ordinary employees.

Mobbing tools used by sadists in a group


The breadth of use of tools in mobbing depends on the imagination and character traits of the leader of the pack.

Tupacs usually don't tense up, but use banal insults.

Much more dangerous are intelligent and unencumbered psychological terrorists who can drive their victims to dismissal. nervous breakdown and even suicide using a variety of tools.

Most often, victims of mobbing suffer from:

    In many teams there are black sheep with whom no one communicates, does not have lunch, does not share news and gossip during coffee breaks, does not invite to corporate parties, etc.

    They are like invisible people, isolated from everyone.

    Nitpicking.

    This is the most popular weapon bosses.

    Once upon a time, my friend Nastya worked in a beauty salon and the bosses did not like one of the girls-administrators imposed by the owner.

    The director found fault with the unfortunate woman for any reason, and after 2 months she quit with tears in her eyes.

    Ridicule.

    Especially when they are angry and hit where it hurts the most, for example, the ones a person has.

    Snitching.

    Your boss will definitely know about any mistake you make, about being late for work, about using a work copier for personal needs, and other things.

    Misinformation.

    This weapon is very effective against beginners.

    For example, they asked an experienced employee to take over the patronage of a newcomer, and he, sensing a rival, began to misinform him.

    He, of course, makes a mistake while working and the boss, deciding that he hired an armless idiot, fires the newcomer.

  1. Damage to personal property or work, for which you are financially responsible.
  2. A threat to health and even life.

    This tool is chosen by real maniacs.

    Laxative, mild poisons that cause various diseases, tripping, beatings - who knows what the imagination of a madman is enough for.

How to protect yourself from mobbing?


Most effective method To avoid bullying - quit.

If the game is not worth the candle (the salary is small, there are no career prospects), then it is worth looking for an organization with a more adequate team.

Believe me, there are plenty of them.

If you cannot quit your job, then choose protective measures, depending on the situation:

  1. Inform the boss, unless, of course, the threat comes from ordinary employees and not from himself.
  2. Don’t care about attacks, if they are completely harmless, perhaps the two-legged monkeys will see that they cannot hurt you and will give up their ethereal attempts.
  3. Find a patron who can rein in the gang that is mocking you.
  4. Gather a team of like-minded people and strike back.
  5. Change.

    She will turn from a whiner and a wimp into a strong one.

    Mobbing victims are extremely rarely those who can fight back.

  6. Seek advice from a psychologist.
  7. Report to the police.

    This option is possible if the threat is directed at your health or life, and you have evidence of this.

where some more tips are given,

how to avoid bullying in the workplace.

Include:

And yet, I really hope that you never personally find out what is mobbing.

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Mobbing at work- this is the rejection of one of the members of the work collective by its other members, expressed in the form psychological violence above it (sometimes in combination with the physical). Simply put, this is bullying, office hazing, psychological terror of the individual as a member of the team.

As a phenomenon, mobbing has always existed, but it became an object of research for psychologists only at the end of the last century, more precisely in 80s, when the very concept of “mobbing” appeared. It was introduced into use by a Swedish psychologist H. Layman, when he was faced with the need to somehow name a phenomenon that he often observed in work teams at enterprises and organizations in Sweden.

“Mobbing” from the English “mob” - crowd. H. Leiman defined mobbing as a regularly repeated unethical and openly hostile attitude of several people (crowd) or one person towards another individual in a work collective.

They try to bully an employee who has become a victim of mobbing so that he breaks down psychologically and ultimately quits.

For this they use such cruel means and methods:

  • ridicule,
  • nitpicking,
  • accusations,
  • insults,
  • disinformation,
  • insulation,
  • boycott,
  • slander,
  • denunciation,
  • damage and theft of personal belongings,
  • harm to health (for example, laxatives in tea or buttons on a chair),
  • causing significant bodily harm and other physical violence.

As you can see, mobbing is dangerous not only for the psychological, but also for the mental and physical health person, phenomenon.

Consequences of mobbing

Mobbing is already official, on legislative level prohibited in Sweden. Swedish economists have calculated that this phenomenon costs not only the organizations in which it occurs, but also the entire country. The economy of any country and organization where mobbing is not prohibited suffers significant losses!

But monetary losses are nothing compared to how mobing affects a person!

People who have been treated unfairly, harassed and humiliated at work, in 76% cases suffer from severe stress and its latest:

  • 71% suffers from insomnia,
  • 49% from nightmares
  • 60% from paranoia,
  • 55% for headaches,
  • 41% from feeling isolated,
  • from doubt, shame and guilt - 38% .

The saddest indicator is 10% suicides occurs due to mobbing (according to psychiatrists’ observations of suicidal patients).

These data come from country studies Western Europe. As for the rest of Eurasian countries, including Russia and the CIS countries, studies of this kind have not yet been conducted, but sociologists and psychologists suggest that about 20% the entire working population.

The consequences of mobbing can be, without exaggeration, terrifying. Particularly cruel actions aimed at the victim fall under the category of criminal offenses, that is, they become a crime. Sometimes the victim himself becomes the criminal. This happens when an offended and insulted member of the team begins to cruelly take revenge on everyone.

Types and reasons of mobbing

Mobbing, although spontaneous, is still controlled phenomenon. A competent and wise leader will never allow “office hazing” in his organization; he will find a way to prevent this negative phenomenon and eliminate the problem in the bud if it does arise.

Unfortunately, due to ignorance of what mobbing is and how severe its consequences can be, this phenomenon is observed not only in work collectives. Mobbing is not uncommon in schools, universities, the army, the family - in any community, association, group of people.

Most often they try to humiliate, suppress and “survive” from the established work collective newcomers, but it happens that a person who has been in this team for a long time also finds himself out of favor, experienced specialist and even leader.

Sometimes it is not a group of people, but one person who becomes embittered against a member of a team; often such a person is a leader, although leaders also often become “scapegoats.”

Mobbing at work can be different, so it is usually divided into two kinds:

  • vertical– terror comes from the boss (bossing) or from the subordinate/subordinates,
  • horizontal– terrorized by colleagues of equal status.

May be subject to mobbing any a member of the team, regardless of what level of the career ladder he is at, what field he works in and what kind of person he is. But mobbing is never without reason.

The “black sheep” that needs to be “pecked” by the whole flock as quickly as possible is most often a person, different from everyone else either for the worse or for the worse better side. From here reasons for mobbing:

  • envy (most often they envy talent, intelligence, experience, beauty, youth),
  • fear “he’s better than me, so they’ll fire me”, “he’ll screw me over”,
  • insufficient professionalism,
  • desire to humiliate
  • desire to subjugate
  • high level of competition in the team and others.

The victim’s lack of professionalism and inadequacy for the position held are perhaps the most understandable and objective reasons for the employee’s rejection by the team, but still not a reason to humiliate and mock him in every possible way.

Identity of the mobbing victim

Stands apart the most common reason mobbingpersonality victims.

Any shortcoming or advantage can become a target for aggressors if the majority of people in the team do not have this quality.

To provoke aggressive team for mobbing, sometimes a little is enough:

  • boast, wonder,
  • demonstrate self-doubt, weakness,
  • complain, be indignant,
  • to gossip,
  • become a “favorite”, “best”, “role model”,
  • receive a special award, prize, certificate or other gratitude for your work,
  • to be lazy when everyone is working or to work when everyone is lazy,
  • to be punctual when it is “customary” to be late or to be late when it is customary to be punctual,
  • ignore corporate parties and so on, in general, stand out from the crowd, be “too different from everyone else.”

Although more often, but still not always, victims become weak, soft, trouble-free, kind people who do not know how to stand up for themselves, gloomy people who love solitude, as well as inexperienced, young, new employees.

Less often, but still often, a person becomes a victim of mobbing strong personality, innovator, reformer, activist, workaholic, creative, a person whose level of culture, intelligence, and professionalism is higher than the bulk of the team. Often this is the leader.

If an active and purposeful boss is entrusted with a “swamp” team, where everyone has been sitting in their places for years and only creates the appearance of activity, he immediately turns into an “enemy of the people.” In this case, you need to either go down to general level, or bring the team up to your own.

Apparently, sacrificing oneself, trying to improve a team that does not want to develop, that is comfortable in an established “swamp,” may be noble, but it is often ineffective and harmful to health.

Mobbing can deliberately used by superiors when it is necessary to reduce the number of personnel. Those employees who “survive” are the ones who have no reason to be fired, but need to be fired. This practice is often observed in times of financial crises (they are fired in order to save money) or simply when there are no objective reasons for dismissing an “undesirable” person.

New employees you need to be especially careful, as some employers have begun to use “little tricks”, or rather, to cruelly deceive newcomers. A person is hired for a probationary period (from a month to six months) on a partial salary and is psychologically terrorized in every possible way (usually they are unreasonably accused of incompetence). After probationary period the employee is certainly informed: “Sorry, you didn’t suit us!” and they fire (sometimes even “forgetting” to pay the person for their work). Another employee is immediately hired for the same job under the same conditions, and so on in a circle.

How to deal with mobbing

Mobbing is first and foremost leadership problem, his responsibility and failure in the organization of work. But an employee at whom the team or boss has directed their anger should ask the question, “Why did I become the victim? Do I need to change or do I need to change the team? First of all you need analyze your behavior and situation.

Depending on the situation, the frequency of attacks and the danger to health and life, you should choose different ways to protect against mobbing. Among them:

  1. Change for the better, if the reason for attacks from colleagues is objective shortcomings.

For example, if the reason is insufficient qualifications, improve them, and, accordingly, professionalism.

Errors that need to be corrected if they are observed:

  • bad habits (frequent smoking breaks, snacks at work time, loud laughter, talking on the phone about personal things, being late, and so on),
  • lack of self-confidence, weakness of spirit (sadists and aggressors are less likely to attack strong individuals who can fight back),
  • gossip, denunciations, deception,
  • laziness, shifting work to others,
  • tactlessness, intrusiveness, rudeness,
  • arrogance,
  • irresponsibility, negligence,
  • sloppiness.
  1. Don't respond to attacks. Without receiving a charge of pleasure from the fact that the victim feels bad, the aggressors will retreat. Even if the attacks are not empty insults, but, in fact, criticism (which can even be beneficial), you should not pretend that it hurts you emotionally; even better, learn to calmly turn a deaf ear to it.
  2. Identify and discredit the instigator of the mobbing. Without a leader, the “gang” will disintegrate.
  3. Inform your superiors about mobbing and its consequences, ask to take action.
  4. Find support among other colleagues, people or a person capable of protecting, creating opposition.
  5. To call the police in the event of a crime by aggressors of the law.
  6. File a lawsuit if serious moral and/or physical harm or material damage was caused.
  7. Quit. Leaving work in a situation where the aggressors are just waiting for this seems like a defeat, but it is better to leave the “battlefield” than to “perish,” especially since work is a place where people work and do not fight. Work should be a joy!

People who suffer from mobbing to such an extent that their physical and mental health are undermined, especially if there is a threat to their lives, without a doubt, need to quit!

There is no place for mobbing in a healthy team! Management, which cares about its employees, about maintaining team spirit and a favorable psychological atmosphere in the team, does not know this problem. In the event that the threat of mobbing does arise, the manager dismisses either a “victim” (if the team began to persecute her not just to torment her, but for objectively negative reasons), or the instigator of mobbing.

Have you ever become a victim of mobbing at work?

Causes and consequences of bullying at work - advice to the victim of mobbing on how to fight and resist

Every group and society has its own “scapegoat”. Usually it becomes a person who is simply not like others. And a team does not always need a special reason for bullying - most often, mobbing (and this is what bullying, terror in a team is called) occurs spontaneously and without good reason.

Where do the legs of mobbing come from, and is it possible to protect against it?

Reasons for mobbing – where does bullying at work begin and why exactly did you become a victim of mobbing?

The concept itself appeared among us recently, although the history of the phenomenon dates back hundreds of centuries. To put it in a nutshell, Mobbing is bullying by a group of one person . As a rule, at work.

What are the reasons for the phenomenon?

  • Not like everyone else.
    As soon as a “white crow” appears in the team, such a person is “without trial or investigation” recognized as a stranger and, with a cry of “here,” they begin to persecute. This happens automatically, unconsciously. What if this “black sheep” is a “sent Cossack”? Just in case, let's terrorize him. To know. This situation usually arises in a team that is a “stagnant swamp” - that is, a group of people with an already established climate, communication style, etc. In new teams, where all employees start from scratch, mobbing is a rare phenomenon.
  • Internal tension in the team.
    If the psychological climate in the team is difficult (ill-organized work, dictatorial boss, gossip instead of lunch, etc.), then sooner or later the “dam” will break, and the discontent of the employees will spill out on the first person who comes to hand. That is, to the weakest. Or someone who, at the moment of an outburst of collective emotions, accidentally provokes employees into aggression.
  • Idleness.
    There are also such groups, sad as it may be. Employees who are not overloaded with work suffer from idleness, focused not on completing any task, but on killing time. And any workaholic in such a team runs the risk of getting into trouble. Like, “What do you need more than everyone else? Can’t you do anything else but cower in front of your boss, Judas?” This situation arises, as a rule, in those teams where it is impossible to climb the career ladder if you are not one of the boss’s favorites. And even if a person really fulfills his duties responsibly (and does not show off in front of his superiors), they begin to harass him even before the boss notices him.
  • Bullying from above.
    If the boss doesn't like the employee, then most of the team tunes in to the wave of the leadership, supporting the pressure of the poor guy. More the situation is more complicated, when an undesirable employee is terrorized because of her close relationship with her boss. Read also:
  • Envy.
    For example, to the rapidly developing career of an employee, to his personal qualities, financial well-being, fortunately in family life, appearance, etc.
  • Self-affirmation.
    Not only in children's teams, but also, alas, in adult teams, many prefer to assert themselves (psychologically) at the expense of weaker employees.
  • Victim complex.
    There are people with certain psychological problems who are simply not able to “take a hit.” The reasons for “self-humiliation” are low self-esteem, demonstration of one’s helplessness and weakness, cowardice, etc. Such an employee himself “provokes” his colleagues to mobbing.

In addition to the main reasons for mobbing, there are others (organizational). If the internal atmosphere of the company is conducive to the emergence of collective terror (boss incompetence, lack of feedback with superiors or subordination, connivance regarding intrigues, etc.) - sooner or later someone will fall under the mobbing rink.

Types of mobbing - consequences of bullying in the workplace

There are many types of mobbing, we will highlight the main, most “popular” ones:

  • Horizontal mobbing.
    This type of terror involves the oppression of one employee by his colleagues.
  • Vertical mobbing (bossing).
    Psychological terror on the part of the leader.
  • Latent mobbing.
    A hidden form of pressure on an employee when various actions(isolation, boycott, ignoring, impediments, etc.) they indicate to him that he is an unwanted person in the team.
  • Vertical latent mobbing.
    In this case, the boss demonstratively does not notice the employee, ignores all his initiatives, gives him the most difficult or hopeless work, blocks career advancement, etc.
  • Open mobbing.
    An extreme degree of terror, when not only ridicule is used, but also insults, humiliation, outright bullying and even damage to property.

What are the consequences of mobbing for the victim of terror?

  • Rapid development of psychological instability (vulnerability, uncertainty, helplessness).
  • The appearance of phobias.
  • Loss of self-esteem.
  • Stress, depression, exacerbation of chronic diseases.
  • Loss of concentration and decreased performance.
  • Unmotivated aggression.

How to deal with mobbing - expert advice on what to do and how to resist bullying at work

It is possible and necessary to fight terrorism at work! How?

  • If you are “lucky enough” to become a victim of mobbing, First, understand the situation. Conduct an analysis and find out why this is happening. Of course, you can quit, but if you don’t understand the reasons for the bullying, you risk changing jobs again and again.
  • Do they want to push you out of the team? Are they waiting for you to give up and quit? Do not give up. Prove that you are the exception to the rule, an employee who cannot be replaced. Ignore all attacks and barbs, behave confidently and politely, do your job without stooping to retaliatory barbs or insults.
  • Avoid professional mistakes and be alert– carefully analyze each situation in order to notice the “planted pig” in time.
  • Don't let the situation take its course. It’s one thing to ignore ridicule, another thing to remain silent when they openly wipe their feet on you. Your weakness and “tolerance” will not pity the terrorists, but will turn them even more against you. You shouldn't be hysterical either. Best position- in Russian, with honor, dignity and as politely as possible.
  • Bring the main instigator of the bullying (“puppeteer”) into conversation. Sometimes a heart-to-heart conversation quickly returns the situation to normal.

Dialogue is always smarter and more productive than any other way to resolve a conflict

  • Carry a voice recorder or video camera with you. If the situation gets out of control, at least you will have evidence (for example, to present it in court or to your superiors).
  • Don’t be naive and don’t believe the phrase “the victim of mobbing is usually not to blame.” Both sides are always to blame, a priori. Yes, the situation was provoked not by you, but by the team (or boss), but why? There is no point in panicking, wringing your hands and engaging in self-criticism, but analyzing the reasons for this attitude towards you will be very useful. It may well turn out that mobbing is in fact simply a collective rejection of your arrogance, arrogance, careerism, etc. In any case, the infantile position of the “ostrich” will not solve the problem of mobbing. Learn to talk less and hear and see more - a wise and observant person will never become a victim of mobbing.
  • If you are an intelligent person, your powers of observation are fine, you don’t suffer from arrogance and arrogance, but they terrorize you for your individuality, then learn to defend it . That is, simply ignore other people’s rejection of your position (appearance, style, etc.). Sooner or later everyone will get tired of picking on you and calm down. True, this only works if your individuality does not interfere with your work.
  • If the bullying is just beginning, fight back firmly. If you immediately demonstrate that this number will not work with you, then most likely the terrorists will retreat.
  • Mobbing is akin to psychological vampirism. And vampires, terrorizing the victim, certainly thirst for “blood” - a response. And if neither aggression, nor hysteria, nor even irritation comes from you, then interest in you will quickly cool down. The main thing is not to break down. Be patient.

Dismissal is the path of the person who waves the white flag. That is, complete defeat. But if you feel that terror at work is gradually turning you into a nervous person with dark circles under his eyes, who at night dreams of a Kalashnikov in his hands, then perhaps rest will really benefit you . At least in order to treat stress, reconsider your behavior, understand the situation and, having learned the lessons, find a more cordial team.