In today's society where, due to economic necessity or personal satisfaction, men and women work in a variety of economic activities and where work begins at an early age, it is essential that in the place where almost a third of the time is spent life, activity and relationships with co-workers are as balanced as possible; trying to maintain a peaceful, respectful and pleasant treatment.
However, many of the times, this is not the case, since there are frictions between the workers themselves, regardless of sex, race, social or economic status, which causes a rude and hostile attitude on the part of the active subject, thus generating an inappropriate work environment, which detracts from work performance.
mobbing-when-work-hurtsMobbing is "part" of a "whole" that is violence and that began with the same history of man on earth. What should be worrying is that after 2,000 years this phenomenon not only persists but has increased and nothing is done to control or attack it.
Mobbing
Situation in which a person exercises extreme psychological violence, in a systematic and recurrent way and for a long time, on another person or persons in the workplace with the aim of destroying the communication networks of the victim or victims, destroying their reputation, disrupt the performance of their work and finally make that person or people leave the workplace. (Leymann, 1990)
goals
- Limit communication Limit social contact Smear the person in front of their colleagues Smear and discredit the person's professional and work capacity Compromising health.
Reasons
- By some entities or companies: As an abusive strategy. They use this method to get rid of annoying, conflictive employees, unionists, or those who, because they have job stability, believe that they cannot be blamed for anything. This bad tactic causes despair, the psychological alteration of the worker, it seeks to "get rid" of him without entailing an economic cost to the company. In this way, the worker is psychologically mistreated to destroy him and force him to resign. By a colleague to another colleague, to get rid of him for perhaps, envy or being annoying. By an employee to a boss, to get rid of him for being authoritarian, arbitrary. or simply for being demanding and punishing, for a boss to an employee, for envy, for being a possible competition in a more or less distant future.
Profiles
Of the Victim
Anyone is susceptible to end up suffering workplace harassment, so there is no clear psychological profile of the victim.
- People who have this problem are usually envied, either for their physical, intellectual, social, economic or psychological capacities People with good work and creative capacity, autonomous, people with initiative They usually have high ethical values, capacity for empathy and sensitivity of the pain of others People who refuse to participate in illicit actions.
Of Mobbing
- Bullies are insecure people who choose their victims because they think they are a threat to their professional career Does not know how to team up Does not know how to coexist in society properly Manipulative people No sense of guilt Tyrannical With a great problem of emotional control People Mediocre professionals Create strategies to gain followers Pursue a personal goal Has opposite attitudes: Is kind and cooperative with those who support him Is incisive and speculative with those who do not sympathize Addresses controversial issues about the company Constantly complains about something about someone He is a negative leader He is afraid of subordinates.
Types of bullying
1. Ignore
It consists of the constant attitude of nullifying a member of the team. In specific cases:
- When a team member is completely ignored by others When a person's ideas are discarded without analyzing them When someone is not allowed to express themselves When others avoid integrating a colleague into the work group When there is constant rejection.
2. Tease
Any joke that is made to a person (where this person does not find the fact funny) is considered Mobbing. The jokes:
- They can be behind the person's back or direct attacks They destroy the person's self-esteem They absorb the time of the work team By making fun, the triangle of harassment is created.
The person becomes the target of the aggressor's attacks, and bystanders feed the aggressor's need for recognition by exercising these “jokes” against the victim. It becomes a negative dynamic that can prevail for years.
3. Exercise physical violence
It can be presented due to differences of opinion or particular interests that cause major aggressions.
- The level of frustration and tension grows in the company Suicides may occur or the victim's instinct for aggression may be awakened The labor authority has no control over these situations There may be murders trying to remove someone from the path when they have discovered something irregularity within the company.
4. Disqualify
It occurs when a person is blamed for faults committed by others.
Some obstacles that are intended to disqualify are:
- Do not run errands or notices Give incorrect information Sow doubts about any aspect of the person Point out errors no matter how small.
5. Abuses of authority
They happen when someone takes advantage of their situation to act hostilely towards their subordinates. Curiously, the children who suffered Bullyng exercised authority abuses when reaching certain levels, for fear of losing their power; This is a behavior learned in childhood. Some examples of abuse of authority are:
- Yelling, mistreating, belittling, taking credit for a subordinate's work, asking for things that are outside of duties, demanding long hours without extra pay, creating fear.
6. Sabotage
When a person uses their knowledge about the company for profit, there is sabotage, internal or external.
External:
Personal profit is put above the interests of the company.
There is sale or misuse of the information.
Internal:
- The work groups are disintegrated to reduce the productivity of the company.
7. Sexual harassment
It is when a person insists on seducing another to protect their employment or career advancement. The harasser can condition work issues in exchange for receiving sexual favors; the insinuations make the victim uncomfortable, who has openly declared that he has no interest in the person.
- It occurs when there are open insinuations or proposals for a sexual exchange for professional improvements. Even when there are constant inappropriate looks, a lack of respect is created in the work environment. It is a crime that proceeds before the labor authorities.
8. Injustices
All employees have the right to certain working conditions that do not depend on someone's humor to grant them. Some injustices are:
- Having an excessive workload Low or no recognition Not having occasional important leaves Constantly being threatened with dismissal Not receiving the salary increase corresponding to what the law indicates Being forced to postpone the time of departure for no reason Having the recognition of work received by another person Being unfairly fired (Valle, 2011)
Types of Mobbing
- Depending on the hierarchical position:
Horizontal Mobbing
This type of Mobbing is characterized because the harasser and the victim are in the same hierarchical rank. That is, it usually occurs between co-workers, and the psychological repercussions for the victim can be devastating.
The causes of this type of workplace harassment can be many and varied, although the most common are: to force a worker to comply with certain rules, out of enmity, to attack the weakest, because of differences with the victim, or because of lack work and boredom.
Vertical Mobbing
Vertical workplace harassment receives this name because either the harasser is at a higher hierarchical level than the victim or is at a lower level than the victim.
Therefore, there are two kinds of vertical mobbing: ascending and descending.
- Ascending mobbing: It occurs when an employee of a higher hierarchical level is attacked by one or more of his subordinates. Descending mobbing or Bossing: Occurs when an employee of a lower hierarchical level receives psychological harassment by one or more employees who occupy positions higher in the hierarchy of the company. (García-Allen, 2010)
- According to the objective:
Depending on the objectives that the harasser intends to achieve with Mobbing, it can be classified as follows:
Strategic mobbing
This is a type of top-down or "institutional" harassment. It is characterized because mobbing is part of the company's strategy, and the objective is usually for the harassed to terminate their contract voluntarily. In this way, the company does not have to pay you the compensation that would correspond to you for unfair dismissal.
Direction or management mobbing
This type of Mobbing is carried out by the management of the organization, generally for several reasons: to dispense with a worker who is not very submissive, to reach situations of labor slavery or to end a worker who does not meet the expectations of the boss (for example, being too trained or to expose you).
In addition, this type of workplace harassment can be carried out to maximize the productivity of the company through fear, employing repeated threats of dismissal in case of not meeting work objectives.
Perverse mobbing
Perverse workplace harassment refers to a type of Mobbing that does not have a work objective, but the causes are found in the manipulative and harassing personality of the harasser. It is a very harmful type of Mobbing because the causes that produce harassment cannot be solved by implementing other work dynamics as long as the person who harasses continues in the organization or is not reeducated.
This type of stalker usually carries out Mobbing in front of the victim, without witnesses. He is very seductive and quickly gains the trust of others. It is usual for perverse mobbing to be horizontal or ascending mobbing.
Disciplinary mobbing
This type of Mobbing is used so that the harassed person understands that he must "enter the mold", because if he does not do so, he will be punished. But this type of harassment not only instills fear in the victims, but also warns other colleagues of what could happen to them if they act like this, creating a work environment in which no one dares to oppose the superior.
It is also used against those people who have many sick leave, pregnant women, and all those who report the fraud of the institution (for example, the accountant who witnesses bribes by the company). (Biñuel, 2001)
Phases
Phase 0: Seduction
Without this phase, harassment cannot occur. In this phase the stalker has not yet manifested his great violent potential. Normally, the seduction is aimed at the victim, but sometimes it is aimed at the victim's close environment and can be masked.
Phase 1: The conflict
Most experts define Mobbing from this phase. Poor conflict resolution is what leads to workplace bullying. Sometimes the time span separating "conflict" from "harassment" is so short that they get confused.
Phase 2: Bullying at work
It is that «negative behavior between colleagues or between hierarchical superiors or inferiors, because of which the affected person is subjected to harassment and systematic attack for a long time, directly or indirectly, by one or more people, with the aim and / or or effect of making him void ».
Phase 3: The environment
The response of the work environment will determine the rapid resolution of the harassment or its permanent implementation, with the consequent damage to the health of the harassed. Therefore, the environment is a basic element in the development or resolution of workplace bullying.
Phase 4: The performance of the company
Harassment can arise in any company, sometimes because the work organization is poorly planned and sometimes because it is an integral part of the business 'doing'. Whether it is a conscious or unconscious business strategy, we must not forget that it rests on the moral and physical suffering of the worker.
Phase 5: Marginalization
It consists of the exclusion of the harassed from the world of work, whether due to layoffs, early retirement, disability, loss of reason and sometimes even loss of life. Marginalization is promoted by "companions" eager to obtain benefits or perks at the expense of the rights usurped from the harassed and which they would be unable to obtain through ordinary channels.
Phase 6: Recovery
Due to the greater knowledge and dissemination of the destructive process of Mobbing, there are people in the company who refuse to attack and there are also people outside the company who help repair the damage received. If that is not the case, it is necessary to go to the courts with all the accumulated documentation and with good legal advice. (Eslava, 2016)
Degrees
First grade
The victim is able to cope with the attacks and to stay at his job. There are those who ignore teasing, humiliation and those who confront their attackers. Despite this, the victim cannot help feeling bewilderment, anxiety and irritability at what is happening to him.
Second grade
In this situation of harassment, it is difficult for the victim to avoid the attacks and humiliations to which they are subjected. Some symptoms that may be manifested by those who have been exposed in a prolonged and systematic way to such attacks are: high blood pressure, insomnia, gastrointestinal problems, attention and concentration difficulties, excessive weight gain or loss, depressive symptoms, substance abuse, avoid any situation related to conflict, or the appearance of phobias.
Third degree
When this degree is reached, the psychological damage suffered by the victim requires specialized treatment. Some of the indicative symptoms of a third degree bullying situation are: severe depression, panic attack, accidents, aggressive behavior, or suicide attempts. (Vélez, 2006)
Consequences
General
- Once a person is harassed, they often do the same with who they can. As Mobbing exists, it can be rapidly reproduced in the company. It is a domino effect: people can take the message that work works like that and behave in same way.
For the Victim:
- A complete alteration of their personal and emotional balance due to the injustice suffered, low self-esteem. That they have created nervous diseases: anxiety, depression, ulcers, dermatitis, imbalances in the nervous system, etc. Family problems, with the partner, with the Children May develop maladaptive behaviors ranging from isolation to aggressiveness A considerable decline in their ability to cope with problems Exclusion from the world of work Death
For the Organization
- Loss of the brightest workers Decrease in productivity and effectiveness due to the prevailing bad work climate Disappearance of efficiency due to the precedent when resolving the conflict poorly Personnel turnover, which decreases productivity, because:
- The learning curve is approximately six months. Teamwork consolidates after one year. Integrating new members represents going through a change.
- By empowering Mobbing, it will continue to cause problems. A Mobby can kill a company.
For the Mobby
- Get away with it, learn all about impunity, get stronger and stronger, create more powerful mafias, pursuing personal ends, usually corrupt.
How to detect and solve Mobbing
1. Identify the abuse
A colleague who frequently criticizes you, excludes you from important meetings, hides information from you, spreads gossip or rumors about you, or takes credit for your work may be mobbing you.
In general, the main purpose of these attitudes will be to move you or leave you 'out of the game' and obtain benefits for your person.
The first step to stop this type of behavior is to coldly analyze how this person's behavior is. Does he behave like this with other colleagues or only with you? Are you persistent in your behaviors or are they occasional? Does it really affect your work or is it just uncomfortable?
It is vitally important to evaluate the situation to identify if the person who bothers us has clear intentions to harm our work or is only a conflictive person who makes other colleagues uncomfortable, in this case ignoring and avoiding the person may be the best strategy. However, if your behavior is really affecting our performance, you need to act on it.
2. Confront
The more professional our attitude in the office, the better we can manage our working relationships. It is important to avoid getting emotional and putting a limit on the abuser while remaining in control.
Do not become an easy target, when a malicious person seeks to harm your work it is important that you openly express that you do not like their attitudes. For example, if a person makes aggressive comments in front of other people, it is appropriate to stop them with a "I think the tone of your comment is not appropriate."
Do not ignore the abuse or let it pass, act smart, control emotion and express firmness. Be strong and show that person that you don't like their attitude and that you are not going to allow it.
3. Report
The most appropriate when a mobbing situation is getting out of control or is reducing your performance is to communicate it with your immediate boss or human resources department.
It is important that you bring solid arguments and evidence that dealing with this person is affecting your work. Again avoid being dominated by emotion when expressing your discontent, remember that you are an adult person, capable of behaving in a professional manner.
The more rational and controlled your complaint is, the easier it will be to be heard by the company and demand a solution.
What to do if I am harassed by my boss?
When the person who bothers us is our superior, the first step is to seek dialogue and talk about the behaviors that bother us, it is necessary to be professional and speak clearly. If the situation does not improve, another alternative is to seek support with the Human Resources department, request a change of area, or definitely look for new job opportunities.
The battle against labor abuse is barely being addressed in our country, little by little initiatives from companies and government institutions are emerging to create spaces for reporting and imposing sanctions. (Austria, 2013)
conclusion
Mobbing is something that is currently experienced in small and large organizations, regardless of the business they belong to or where they are. It is a complex issue, which has always existed, but has not been attacked or studied properly, due to the lack of interest in it, so finding a solution is difficult.
More than attacking Mobbing, the main thing would be to prevent it, since it should not exist, since it causes various problems for organizations, as well as endless consequences for people who are victims of this type of violence.
Everyone has the right to enjoy a healthy and stable work environment, when this does not exist due to Mobbing, it is best to seek a new horizon where they can develop professionally in a healthy way.
References
- Austria, X. (May 06, 2013). Ways to deal with workplace harassment. Obtained from http://www.altonivel.com.mx/35673-3-maneras-de-enfrentar-el-acoso-laboral/ Biñuel, I. (2001). Mobbing: How to Survive Psychological Harassment at Work. Sal Terrae.Eslava, E. (November 09, 2016). Mobbing. García-Allen, J. (2010). Types of Mobbing. Obtained from https://psicologiaymente.net/organizaciones/tipos-de-mobbing-acoso-laboralLeymann, H. (1990). Congress on hygiene and safety at work. Valle, T. (2011). I don't feel like going to work. Trillas.Vélez, L. (March 08, 2006). Degrees of bullying. Obtained from
