This phenomenon, like mobbing, is heard by people who once faced it or are now experiencing its pressure. This is the psychological harassment of an unwanted person in the workplace by several colleagues or a collective leader. Is there protection in the case of mobbing? To deal with the enemy, you need to know it in person.
Mobbing - what is it?
Working in a team brings satisfaction and a sense of demand or is associated with negative emotions, when thoughts of her good mood somewhere immediately disappears. Dear employees, to whose opinion everyone listens, can commit blatant, shocking deeds towards less fortunate colleagues. In psychology, this phenomenon is assigned its own term. Mobbing is a psychological pressure from several colleagues or the whole team with the goal of getting an uncooperative colleague fired from his job.
Mobbing - psychology
People who have really suffered a moral pressure in the workplace will not have to explain what mobbing is at work. Memories of this period of life lead them to a shudder. To the newcomer at work, colleagues first look closely, are interested in the facts of his biography. After evaluating all its merits and life achievements without it, its further fate is decided.
This happens in teams where squabbles and scandals are not stopped by the boss, and the employee among the subordinates becomes the leader, who considers himself to be the most beautiful, charming, promising, talented. In fact, this may not reflect reality, but how a person treats himself, this attitude is met by others. If the "outcast" belittles his dignity, hates himself - this programs the surrounding people to deeds that humiliate him even more. This is the invariable law of psychology. Psychological terror is expressed in the following:
- A silent boycott in the presence of a "whipping target" and a stormy discussion of shortcomings and personal facts in his absence.
- Mockery and unambiguous jokes.
- Mocking of external flaws, features of speech, gait, manners to dress.
- Artificial modeling of situations when an objectionable employee is put in an absurd position, and this occurs in front of the authorities.
- Damaging things, documents, computers in the workplace, which inevitably attracts the wrath of the manager.
- Insulting words about loved ones and loved ones "victim" of people.
- Dissolving rumors and gossip behind his back.
- Constant complaints to the authorities that the newcomer can not cope with the work.
In fact, there are a lot of ways to humiliate and ridicule a person, so the most dangerous thing in getting a new job is an unrelated relationship with a group leader. He incites everyone else to bullying and humiliation. Members of the team try not to stand out from the general mass, so that the anger of the "narcissus" -the upstart does not fall on them. "Herd" feeling makes them silent and nod approvingly in response to any decision of the leader.
Mobbing and Bulling
In terms of American origin, there is often confusion. Mobbing in translation means "crowd", bullying - "offender, bully". Although in some interpretations, for example, taken from Wikipedia, bullying is the psychological terror of the entire collective or its part. But then it turns out that there is no difference between the two terms. Therefore, most people tend to the 1st option:
- Mobbing is the persecution of the "victim", in which all members of the collective or several colleagues take part.
- Bulling is an aggressive behavior towards an unwanted person by one employee with the tacit approval of colleagues.
In the group of people engaged in collective work, you can observe the phenomenon - bossing. This is psychological pressure on the subordinate, initiated by the leader. More often it occurs against the background of the obvious successes in the work, achieved by the beginner. Experiencing that he can "sit down", the chief is looking for ways to get rid of a talented employee. When the director suffers from an inferiority complex, this is expressed in the rejection of criticism in his direction. If someone dared to speak impartially about his person, then he immediately begins to experience all the "charms" of bossing.
Mobbing - Species
The human psyche, against which mobbing is carried out, is dealt a severe blow. The more colleagues are aggressively against him, the stronger he feels his defenselessness and loneliness. Convincing the rest that the "victim" should be urgently disposed of is obtained from an authoritative employee. This is a horizontal mobbing.
When the leader does not have to make efforts and convince his colleagues that the "rogue" has to be punished - humiliation and criticism come from above - directly from the authorities. The best member of the team can only reap "laurels" and continue to escalate the tense situation in the group. This phenomenon has received the name - vertical mobbing.
Causes of Mobbing
An unsuitable employee in most cases provokes the aggression of employees. This happens involuntarily or purposely on his part (depending on the nature of the character and the choice of ways to "maneuver", how can you prove yourself from the best side). The reasons for mobbing at work are as follows:
- Clear contrast and separation from the general mass (unusual deeds, major achievements, competition with the superiority of one's own person). The prerequisite for psychological pressure is the elementary envy of a successful colleague.
- Ignoring meetings, corporate parties.
- Correspondence to the traits of the character of the "victim" (tearfulness, touchiness, whining, the desire to shrink into a ball, to hide in a corner, to avoid universal attention).
Mobbing - signs
For the first time the term - mobbing - was mentioned by the biologist Konrad Lorentz. He observed the habits of herbivores and saw that they, instead of fleeing from a predator, attacked him with a group. Psychologist Hantz Leiman in the late 20th century conducted similar studies among people working in the team. 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 sneak (pour glue on an important document, break a chair, supposedly accidentally shed coffee on clothes, etc.).
Mobing development phases in the team
If a newcomer commits something disagreeable against the "leader", the mobbing is gradually gaining strength. At first, these are cautious attempts (it is not known what else the "outcast" will answer). If there is no resistance or it is too weak, the aggression of the members of the "herd" is gaining momentum. The sequence of development phases of the mobbing in the team looks like this:
- Smiles and gossip behind his back.
- Cautious remarks.
- Angry, aggressive criticism (the more employees involved in this "show", the more productive results are given by mobbing).
- Physical harassment (beat up on returning home in the evening, provoke the fall of the step, burn with a hot drink, etc.).
How to protect yourself from mobbing at work?
Careful analysis of the current situation and mental reproduction of possible scenarios will help avoid stupid mistakes. It should be assessed how the chief refers to the manifestations of mobbing at work. If he has patience, goodwill, respect for people, it is better to immediately ask him to understand the situation.
Mobbing in the collective is stopped "in the bud". If this does not help, then we must try to ignore the negative in our address and not notice attacks of offenders. They expect at least some reaction. If it does not exist, the "hunters" become bored, and they seek another "sacrifice". Mobbing staff is a volatile phenomenon.
Mobbing at work - go away or stay?
The last sad scenario: to leave the hated place of work. The problem of mobbing in the team makes you lose your moral and physical strength. Nervous exhaustion can reach the extent that the victim is frightened by every rustle, insomnia torments her, there is fear for her life. Therefore, it is better to change jobs than to try to change attitudes towards oneself, where it is useless.
But at the same time it is necessary to take into account the previous mistakes and to think over the course of actions in advance. If the "victim" continues to struggle with an unjust attitude, but "it's still there," mobbing can result in prolonged depression and suicide. The problem, how to resist mobbing, in this case is no longer solved in this world.
Mobbing at work - how to fight?
Another thing is when mobbing at work occurs with the tacit approval of the head. Here the "victim" remains alone with herself. An unmistakable variant of action is to expose the leader in an absurd position, using his own weapon. The main thing is the ability to regulate relations in a team. The leader is the one who has more advantages in this respect.
How to be smart at mobbing?
Unlike open, explicit terror, latent mobbing is carried out gradually. More often it is social isolation and ignoring the achievements of the "victim". She survives slowly, but with enviable tenacity. It happens when insults and criticism of an outcast are made by a leader and an employee close to him, without the goal of publicly discrediting him. If the above mentioned ways of fighting do not help, you can be smart and make a video recording on the phone or record a conversation on the recorder. This is a very powerful weapon against the abusers.
Books about mobbing
Psychological terror can turn a healthy person into a disabled person or cause a premature death - these are real facts, which are reported from time to time by the media. Awareness in this issue, knowledge of the necessary psychological moves, the ability to abstract from the situation will help stop the mobbing in the organization. Instructive books:
- Aijah Myron "Why me? The history of the white crow. "
- Morrin Duffy, Len Sperry "Harassment in the workplace and methods to combat it."
- Krista Kolodey "Psychoterror in the workplace and methods for overcoming it".