At the workplace, two employees simply dislike each other. They try to avoid one another, speaking only when absolutely necessary. Other colleagues observe their behavior and wonder whether this constitutes mobbing. A work psychologist would explain that in this case, it may not yet be mobbing. A supervisor favors one employee over others, is more accommodating toward them, and positions themselves as a protector of that employee. Even in this case, it may not yet constitute mobbing in relation to other employees. Mobbing (from English to mob = to verbally abuse, to rush at) is spoken of only when someone at the workplace is being systematically and persistently attacked. It is considered mobbing, or workplace bullying, only when such unpleasant behavior occurs at least once a week for a minimum of six months, originates from an individual or group, and is clearly unpleasant or discriminatory (Huberová, 1994).
The most common manifestations of mobbing include:
- ridiculing an employee in front of other employees or customers,
- preventing access to information,
- verbal insults or inappropriate jokes,
- excessive supervision of work,
- assigning tasks that are too difficult or impossible for the employee to complete,
- threats of dismissal,
- critical comparison with other employees in front of others,
- emotional abuse,
- deliberate provocation.
Two additional terms that express a semantic branch of mobbing can also be included in this list. The first term is bossing – bullying at the workplace by a supervisor. Such behavior must meet the same criteria as mobbing itself, except it is carried out only by a supervisor. The second concept, which is distinguished from mobbing in more recent studies, is sexual harassment. Sexual harassment falls within the concept of mobbing but is so specific that most authors today separate it from the term mobbing.
How does mobbing differ from bullying in general? First and foremost, it involves a specific environment – bullying at the workplace. At the same time, some authors state that mobbing is a more insidious form of bullying, more hidden and more sophisticated. Today it is said that around 4–8% of all employees suffer from some form of mobbing (Svobodová, 2008). It cannot be definitively claimed that some employees are more at risk of mobbing than others, yet those who differ from others in some way are more endangered. New employees entering already established workplace relationships are more at risk. Especially when the new employee is more educated, younger, more assertive, or conversely less assertive, or when they replace a popular predecessor. Employees who stand out in some way are also more likely to encounter mobbing – people with physical disabilities, foreigners, people with a different accent or speech impediment, or people who are conspicuously unattractive or conspicuously attractive. Another group more at risk than others is the isolated individual. This often occurs in all-male or all-female groups where a single member of the opposite sex appears. An exceptional position can also function in a negative sense – the only male nurse among female nurses may hold a privileged position, but he may also be the target of mobbing. Paradoxically, successful people become another at-risk group. Promoting a successful employee can provoke a desire in others to hurt them, to bring them back down to lower levels of the organizational hierarchy. Smearing and inappropriate criticism appear as reactions from envious colleagues.
Just as there is no typical victim of mobbing, there is no typical perpetrator of mobbing or bossing. Often the perpetrator does not perceive their behavior as mobbing and feels they were driven to such action by circumstances. Nevertheless, three types of mobbing perpetrators can be distinguished, similar to bullying in general. The most direct path in mobbing is taken by the masterminds. They invent ways to terrorize the victim, seeking new ways to make their life even more difficult. This worsening typically begins innocuously but gradually becomes harsher and more painful for the victim. Another type is theaccidental perpetrator. An accidental perpetrator typically appears in some conflict that escalates into a lasting dispute. If the accidental perpetrator continues to terrorize the other person over a long period, mobbing develops. Theaccomplices are the "innocent" actors of mobbing. Accomplices can be active – contributing to the mobbing of others with unpleasant remarks – or passive – ignoring the mobbing because it does not directly concern them, yet by their inaction allowing the terror to continue.
An interesting fact is that mobbing more frequently occurs within the same gender – women mob women, men mob men. At the same time, it appears that women use different mobbing methods than men. For women, the more typical methods are mockery, stirring up others behind the victim's back, unsettling the victim with constant vague insinuations, a barrage of criticism, and constantly interrupting the victim's speech. For men, the more typical methods are ignoring a colleague, constantly pointing out the victim's weaknesses, and threats.
Why do some employees resort to behavior that causes stress and tension for others? Speculation surrounds the goals that mobbers set for themselves. The most frequently cited cause is the fear of the mobbing employee themselves. Fear may stem from a sense of threat to one's job, a sense of threat to oneself, one's career advancement, or popularity within the team. This feeling is certainly also fueled by the general level of unemployment and the nature of the market economy.
Another cause may be a negative social climate at the workplace, often associated with poor corporate culture – promoting competition and envy over cooperation among employees. Finally, the cause may also be the personality of the mobber themselves – insecurity in social relationships and a subsequent need for compensation, problems in the mobber's personal relationships, or even a disturbed personality structure.
Stages of Mobbing
Mobbing goes through stages similar to bullying in general. Pavel Beňo (2002) identifies four basic stages through which the process passes:
- Initial acts of malice, conflicts, gossip, withholding of information, where it is not yet premeditated behavior,
- transition to systematic psychological bullying – activities are planned and carried out with the intention of harming the other person,
- concrete attacks and assaults, accusations, work overloading; the victim is labeled the "black sheep" before management, which leads to further injustices and simultaneously gives mobbing support from management.
In these three stages, the mobbed person's personality structure is damaged, and the criticized behavior may deepen further. Frequent consequences of mobbing include diminished self-esteem, feelings of inadequacy, various types of psychosomatic illnesses. Mobbing can drive an employee to leave their job, permanent disability, or even suicide.
How to Defend Against Mobbing?
Similarly to other areas of pathological behavior, one can speak of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. The most beneficial is primary prevention. If a corporate culture is fostered at the workplace and a positive social climate is supported, mobbing is unlikely to take root. Primary prevention also relies heavily on clear division of work tasks and hierarchical monitoring of work results. If tasks are poorly defined and indirectly delegated, workplace bullying is more likely to appear.
In the area of secondary prevention, the possible onset of mobbing must be stopped in time. The victim must identify and expose the conflict, not keep it hidden for whatever reason. The later the conflict is addressed, the greater the consequences may be. At the same time, it is advisable to surround oneself with colleagues who will take one's side and who can stand up for one if needed. In risky situations, do not meet with the mobber alone, and do not allow oneself to be provoked into an aggressive reaction to mobbing. If mobbing becomes unbearable, contact one of the organizations that deal with the protection of employee rights.
A sensitive manager who discovers emerging mobbing must focus on the following:
- name the conflict that has arisen within their department and speak openly about mobbing,
- work through the conflict and try to resolve it with the parties involved, while appropriately informing other employees about the situation,
- settle the conflict and monitor whether it reappears in a hidden form,
- support the social climate at the workplace and strive to foster teamwork.
Supervisory leadership of the team can also contribute to eliminating mobbing. In the area of primary prevention, a team under the supervision of a supervisor can uncover possible hidden threats to the team – conflictual relationships, isolating individuals from the team, or singling someone out. The supervisor's work and that of the group itself is more difficult when mobbing has already affected the group. The supervisor's options then include leading the group in a way that appropriately addresses the needs of mobbing victims and their self-awareness. At the same time, work must be done on "healing" the team as a whole – learning to build direct, undamaged relationships and creating a new social structure for the team. In some organizations, the supervisor is perceived negatively, as someone who watches and monitors work, as a threatening presence. It is the leader's task to convince employees of the positive impact of supervision on collective work. The supervisor can serve as a mediator and impartial observer of social interactions within the group, can describe the situation in the team, and influence it. I consider the most important point in defending against mobbing to be the cooperation of employees and appropriate leadership by the team leader. From the position of colleagues, it is essential not to overlook small signs of bullying and to deal with them before they truly escalate.
PhDr. Kateřina Stibalová
References:
Beno, P.: Mobbing je když… Moderní vyučování, roč. 8, čís. 3. 2002. Huberová, B.: Psychický teror na pracovišti. Neografie, Martin 1994. Svobodová, L.: Nenechte se šikanovat kolegou. Mobbing - skrytá hrozba. Grada, Praha 2008. Štikar, J., Rymeš, M., Riegel, K., Hoskovec, J.: Psychologie ve světě práce. Karolinum, Praha 2003.
Professional Journal Sociální služby – June/July 2011
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