INTRODUCTION
Workplace harassment, psychological terror or intimidation in the place where work activities are carried out has been defined in recent years as Mobbing, which has been the subject of investigations in recent years, because it is essential to be able to identify the manifestations of this phenomenon, the causes that cause it and the consequences of a worker who is exposed to a situation of this nature.
Mobbing has become a great problem that affects thousands of workers, disturbing the overall performance of organizations, when a company becomes aware of the scope of this problem, it dedicates its resources and efforts to minimize or eradicate this labor, social phenomenon and human.
When there is mistreatment and harassment by certain elements of the organization towards a certain individual, the organizational climate is altered in a sensible way, which results in the reduction of the organization's production.
It is necessary to be able to differentiate workplace harassment from inappropriate behavior that are the result of a labor disagreement or isolated teasing because the disagreements can be considered as part of the work environment, as long as any activity or social interaction is not intended to hurt or offend deliberately to a collaborator. (Peralta, María C., 2006)
WHAT IS MOBBING?
It is a problem known as psychological harassment that has been investigated since the 80's, and during the entrance of the 21st century its appearance has increased and with it the multiple investigations in this regard.
Etymologically, the word mobbing comes from the English word “mob” which expresses: to harass, attack or besiege a group (“articles-100047_recurso_1.pdf”, s / f)
Leymman Heinz, renowned German psychologist explains “Psychoterror or mobbing in work life involves hostile and unethical communication that is systematically administered by one or a few individuals, mainly against a single individual, who, as a result, is thrown into a situation of prolonged loneliness and helplessness, based on frequent and persistent harassment actions (statistical definition: at least once a week) and over a prolonged period (statistical definition: at least six months). As a consequence of the high frequency and long duration of these hostile behaviors, such mistreatment translates into enormous psychological, psychosomatic and social torture "(" LeymannV & V1990 (2).pdf ", s / f).
"The object of Mobbing is the ascription of the victim's behavior to the interests of the figure or figures who exercise it, coincidentally or not, leading to the highest level of the organizational void of the harassed" ("LA ESPIRAL DEL MOBBING.pdf ”, s / f)
Many countries have started a crusade against this behavior, in 1993 Sweden was the forerunner in including the issue of workplace harassment in its legislation, where it describes that it is the employer's responsibility to take preventive measures for these behaviors.
In the case of France in 2002, the crime of moral harassment was introduced into the criminal code, where the guilty were punished with custodial sentences and financial fines, Belgium, Brazil, Argentina, Spain, Italy, among others, have put special interest in minimizing or even eliminating this behavior (“articles-100047_recurso_1.pdf”, s / f).
In Mexico, for legal purposes, in article 3 Bis of the LFT, “harassment is understood as the exercise of power in a relationship of actual subordination of the victim to the aggressor in the workplace, which is expressed in verbal or physical conduct or both; and Sexual harassment, a form of violence in which, although subordination does not exist, there is an abusive exercise of power that leads to a state of defenselessness and risk for the victim, regardless of whether it is carried out in one or more events " ("125_120615.pdf", s / f).
The task of defining mobbing has been the task of many authors, some identify it as psychoterror, while others use the term harassment, including psychological violence, however, it is completely necessary to know how to identify it, so there are different behaviors that can be classified As workplace harassment, some categories will be listed (as described by the Chilean government's labor department) that will make it easier for any group leader in an organization to identify the presence of this phenomenon. (“articles- 100047_recurso_1.pdf”, s / f).
- Attacks in working conditions. Substitute the usual functions that were performed by the worker, restrict or deny tools or information necessary to carry out their work adequately, continuously carry out criticism of the tasks entrusted. Attacks on personal dignity. Ridiculing the worker by exposing any physical, family or ethnic characteristics in front of other people, including the creation and dissemination of rumors that may affect said person Sending them to isolated offices where they do not have contact with the rest of the staff, including ignoring their presence Acts of verbal or psychological violence. Making insults or yelling
In Mexico, Deputy Ricardo Monreal Ávila in his initiative to reform article 3 Bis and 51 of the LFT indicates some ways of practicing mobbing in organizations:
- Attack on the individual through the application of corporate measures Assignment of jobs that the individual considers degrading and for which they have not been hired Sudden consecutive job changes Assignment of unnecessary and repetitive tasks Assignment of tasks below their abilities and knowledge Establishing goals and objectives that are impossible to meet Do not assign any activity or work Social isolation Restriction of the media or transfer to an isolated place Being ignored Attacks on the individual's private life Intimidation by means of telephone Criticism of private life Physical violence Sexual harassment Threat or Physical abuse Verbal assaults Shouting Insults (“Parliamentary Gazette”, s / f)
MOBBING IN ORGANIZATIONS
Every organization aims to achieve a certain behavior on the part of the collaborators, which are within the parameters that the organization itself deems appropriate, exercising power through certain methods of influence, however, derived from the interaction of the workers there will be friction or disagreements between them, which in a "normal" situation can be eliminated within the same company.
However, in some cases the socialization or integration of certain individuals will lead to attacks of a moral and psychological nature against a certain worker. ("LA ESPIRAL DEL MOBBING.pdf", s / f)
The interest in carrying out studies and launching programs against this phenomenon derives from the interest in keeping the productivity of the collaborators at a high level, which in turn boost the productivity of nations, an individual with a biopsychosocial decline is no longer a driver of the economy of the country where it operates, generating expenses and charges to the health system (Rosas, M., 2008)
EFFECTS GENERATED DUE TO MOBBING
When an individual is the victim of harassment, the consequences can be obvious, among the most frequent are:
- Loss of physical and psychological health status of the victimized person and of their direct family members Possible outbreaks of pathological disorders (depression, anxiety, obsessive disorders) caused or reactivated by this phenomenon Decreased efficiency of the worker when performing their work High load of emotions negatives such as impotence. On some very serious occasions a self-injurious ending may occur. Economic damage to the organization due to lack of efficiency. Loss of professional power in organizations ("LA ESPIRAL DEL MOBBING.pdf", s / f)
STAGES OF WORKPLACE HARASSMENT
For Leymann (1996), this harassment is divided into four stages from the organizational point of view (“LA ESPIRAL DEL MOBBING.pdf”, s / f):
- The appearance of a critical incident Systematic persecution Intervention by superiors Abandonment of work
THE APPEARANCE OF SOME CRITICAL INCIDENT (The psychological harassment begins)
Upon entering an organization, the individual expects integration to it and to the social groups that operate in it, at the moment that he begins to suffer some type of rejection, he presents disorientation, because he cannot find the causes of the aggression and pressure exerted However, he trusts that it is a temporary situation.
If the attacks continue, the individual begins to generate a sense of guilt, analyzing their activities and mistakes in order to blame themselves for the mobbing of which they are the object. It tends to develop sleep disorders, anxiety and even alterations to eating habits, it is at this time where the victim has fully identified his main aggressor.
He tries to solve the problem without success, the sense of loneliness is increasing, finding himself between constant aggression and the responsibility he has with the organization in which he collaborates.
The victim refuses to make the problem known to the rest of the people with the hope of still being able to solve it by himself, another aspect is the direct confrontation with the aggressor, showing his behavior, this moment will be definitive, if he achieves an adequate confrontation and intervention of the corresponding authorities will be able to get rid in an adequate way without damages difficult to repair.
THE SYSTEMATIC PERSECUTION (The conflict opens)
It is generated by the harasser, in this stage the severity and frequency of the harassment increases, the purpose of which is intimidation, generating in the harassed the feeling of being able to further aggravate the situation if they try some kind of defense.
THE INTERVENTION OF SUPERIORS
Faced with excessive pressure, the harassed can sometimes turn to superiors, either immediate bosses or a union representative to help him correct the problem, but without making it known to the public opinion, due to this situation the superiors are unable to intervene properly in solving the problem.
The individual begins to present symptoms of depression and feelings of guilt due to the constant siege and lack of means to eliminate it. If the individual intends to endure this situation for as long as necessary, the so-called "mobbing spiral" is provoked.
THE SEPARATION OF WORK (The flight)
The harassed tends to resort to addictive behaviors, at this stage of the process the individual is in the middle of the collapse, he will make sharp decisions that will lead in the best of cases in the resignation of the job he performs, in other cases the disease caused due to the Bullying can become increasingly serious.
The work environment is overwhelming for the harassed, the simple thought of living with the aggressor is terrifying, so they seek a hasty exit from the organization (if they stay there, their performance will be significantly diminished until they achieve the desired change)
MOBBING SPIRAL
This spiral is a cycle where negative feedback is made, that is, the pressure of harassment will aggravate the pathological symptoms presented in the individual, producing work inefficiency, this cycle will be carried out with increasing intensity, producing harassment for a greater day with day until taking the employee to an unsustainable point.
Derived from the strong harassment of which he is the object, and from the already diminished state of health, the individual will lose interest in the development of his activities.
The spiral of Mobbing: Taken from: (“LA ESPIRAL DEL MOBBING.pdf”, s / f)
STRATEGIES TO ELIMINATE THE MOBBING SPIRAL
The fact that each case of mobbing is different is indisputable and for this reason the strategies to combat it will also be variable, this will depend on the characteristics of the harasser, the characteristics of the victim and the organizational climate in which the activities take place. However, it is imperative that the victim is aware that he is facing a problem and needs help to face it.
When a problem of this nature is detected, prompt intervention is essential because the longer the response time, the more difficult it will be to stop said behavior, the more this phenomenon progresses, the more decisive actions to be taken.
All organizations must develop occupational risk prevention plans aimed at creating an environment free of mobbing, promoting the generation of leaders who can handle and solve the problem appropriately, achieve the insertion of effective communication tools to be used by the If needed, provide neutral support to the worker where he feels confident to declare the abuse to which he is the object, as well as being able to confront it.
In case of not being able to reach a satisfactory solution, the appropriate legal instances can help him, to make the most convenient decision for him and his career ("LA ESPIRAL DEL MOBBING.pdf", s / f)
TYPES OF WORKPLACE HARASSMENT
Harassment can have different lines of communication or interaction, everything will depend on the place that the harasser and the victim occupy in the organization chart of a company, there are three basic characteristics, descending, ascending and horizontal: ("articles-100047_recurso_1.pdf", s /F).
- This phenomenon is known as bossing generated by a hierarchical superior or boss towards the affected worker, the action of this type of people is outside the accepted context, generating intimidation to the subordinate used on many occasions to obtain the resignation of the workers for some specific reason.
The boss can exert verbal or direct aggression, but also in a passive way, which is much more difficult to notice, because many workers come to assimilate this type of behavior as part of their usual work, the main attitudes of a harassing boss are:
- Constant interruptions when the individual is speaking Attacks or criticizes activities carried out for no apparent reason It prevents the individual from communicating with other collaborators Does not have eye contact with the collaborator Criticizes the private life of the victim
Note: In Mexico, article 51 of the Federal Labor Law cites: “The following are causes of termination of the employment relationship, without responsibility for the worker: II) The employer, his family members or any of his representatives, within the service, incur in lack of probity or honesty, acts of violence, threats, insults, harassment and / or sexual harassment, bad treatment or other similar, against the worker, spouse, parents, children or siblings; ("125_120615.pdf", s / f) so that if you reside in the employment relationship you will be entitled to compensation in accordance with the law.
- In this modality, the collaborator suffers harassment from his subordinates, it is not very frequent in organizations, however it is usually promoted when someone is promoted and his previous colleagues do not recognize the new hierarchy within the company. When a worker is incorporated into a position with implied responsibility, and the methods for carrying out the work are not accepted by older workers, or when close workers think that the position could be filled by one of them. According to a study carried out at the University of Peru, it is stated that: "this phenomenon is derived from stress, lack of leadership capacity and lack of control of situations" ("Ascending Mobbing", n / d). This type of mobbing occurs in workers who have the same hierarchy within the company,It is generally derived from professional jealousy or envy, it represents despair or a sense of inferiority on the part of the harasser, however there are other factors that can generate this type of behavior.
Lack of work, inactivity, boredom, personal enmity, sex, race, nationality, the fact that a new member is not willing to comply with the social norms established by the group, are also factors that promote this type of harassment. According to Leymann, 44% of mobbing practiced within an organization is horizontal. (Left, s / f).
MOBBING STATISTICS IN MEXICO
In a study carried out by the faculty of social medicine of the UAM (Autonomous University of Mexico) it shows that 5% of people who suffer from mobbing (in any of its aspects and that there is a record of it) have resulted in suicide (Valdez, Luis A., Trujillo, Mara M., & Torres, Alma D., 2010), in the same way this body indicates that in Mexico there are no solid records of this type of phenomenon but that in 2009 a survey was conducted by the University of Guadalajara where it indicates that the behaviors that the respondents have received in their working life were as follows.
- High psychological violence 38.2% Medium psychological violence 47.9% Low psychological violence 13.9%
In a survey conducted by OCC Mundial in 2012 of 2,000 Mexican professionals, the result was that 51% of them had suffered some type of workplace bullying.
The forms of mistreatment that these professionals have suffered were divided as follows:
- Defamation (rumors and slander) 30% Isolation 18.6% Insults 18.5% Being ignored 16.9% Threats 11%
In the same survey, participants were asked if they were participants in labor abuse towards any collaborator, the results being:
- They have never done it 82.2%. They have practiced it on some occasion 16.9%. They do it regularly 8%.
According to the same OCC, it indicates that worldwide workplace harassment is 2.5 times more frequent in women. ("Parliamentary Gazette", s / f).
BIBLIOGRAPHIC REFERENCES
- Manifestations of sexual harassment. (s / f) Domínguez Fernández, JM, Padilla Segura, I., Domínguez Fernández, J., & Domínguez Padilla, M. (2013). Behavioral typologies in relation to burnout, mobbing, personality, self-concept and adaptation of behavior in health workers. Primary Care, 45 (4), 199–207. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0212656712004489?via%3DihubGaceta Parliamentarians. (s / f) Herrera, A., Pina, A., Herrera, MC, & Expósito, F. (2014). Myth or Reality? Influence of ideology on the social perception of sexual harassment. Yearbook of Legal Psychology, 24 (1), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apj.2014.07.002 Left, LFM (s / f). Typology of workplace harassment or mobbing.LA ESPIRAL DEL MOBBING.pdf. (s / f). Recovered from: http://istas.net/upload/LA%20ESPIRAL%20DEL%20MOBBING.pdfLeymannV & V1990 (2).pdf. (s / f). Retrieved from http://www.mobbingportal.com/LeymannV&V1990(2).pdf Ascending mobbing: rejection of the new boss. (s / f). Retrieved on April 15, 2017, from: https://mba.americaeconomia.com/articulos/reportajes/mobbing-ascender-el-rechazo-al-nuevo-jefePeralta, María C. (2006). Manifestations of workplace harassment, mobbing and symptoms associated with post-traumatic stress. Psychology from the Caribbean, (17) Rosas, M. (2008). Mobbing risk and safety factor, comparative study with burnout syndrome in health professionals of the general hospital of Pachuca, Hidalgo. Electronic scientific journal of psychology, 6.Valdez, Luis A., Trujillo, Mara M., & Torres, Alma D. (2010). Variables of the organizational climate that precede the appearance of the mobbing phenomenon in a Mexican organization.Administrative Research, 105.
