Mobbing: psychological harassment at work

Everything you need to know about mobbing at work.

The "mobbing" o psychological harassment at work is a situation that occurs at work, in which an individual or several individuals exercise psychological violence systematically and repeatedly (at least once a week) on another individual or individuals, over a prolonged period of time (at least 6 months).

This leads to the destruction of the victim's communication networks and reputation, disruption of the victim's work and demotivation at work.

Mobbing: psychological harassment at work

The actors of mobbing can be co-workers, superiors or subordinates, and this behavior can affect workers in any type of organization, including small and medium-sized companies.

The characteristics of mobbing

The methodology used by the actors responsible for mobbing in the company can be varied. For example, the spreading of rumors to promote the marginalization of the victim (even outside of work) and to make life within the organization more difficult. (even outside the workplace) and to make life within the organization more difficult; or bullying and humiliation in front of other employees. Whatever the behavior, the result is psychological and emotional damage to the victim.

The victims are often the most creative, ethical and competent people in the work environment. These individuals suffer mobbing because the harasser may consider them a threat to his or her own position within the company. Supervisors can also be victims of mobbing. In these cases, subordinates act together to undermine them. Women, younger workers and those with longer service lives are at a higher risk of mobbing. Mobbing increases in sectors such as services, health and education.

The psychological impact on the victims of mobbing

Mobbing can have a devastating effect on the morale and performance of victims, and causes intense distress. The following are the consequences of mobbing for those who suffer from it:

• Deterioration of self-esteem and self-confidence, both personally and at work.
• Feelings of guilt
• Insomnia
• Hypervigilance
• Fatigue
• Personality changes
• Difficulty concentrating Irritability
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Recurrent memories and dreams of the traumatic events
• Sensation of reliving the traumatic experience, hallucinations, flashbacks...
• Intense discomfort when starting a new job
• Reduced interest in daily, social or leisure activities
• Feeling of detachment from others and restriction of emotions and affective life
• Pessimism
• Feelings of failure and frustration

Physical impact on victims of workplace bullying

Mobbing does not involve collective physical harassment of the worker who is the victim. Instead, it focuses on disturbing his or her inner life. But the emotional toll is so great that it can have physical consequences, as it can lead to stress, and thus physical symptoms.and thus its physical symptoms. For example, headaches, Gastrointestinal problems, hypertension, etc.

What to do in case of mobbing?

In case of mobbing it is essential to take action as soon as possibleThe psychological damage may increase as time goes by. Since mobbing is a phenomenon that takes place within the company, it is important to report it if the harasser continues to insist on causing harm. In case of mobbing, it is necessary not only to have legal support, but also psychological support.

First and foremost, it is necessary to communicate to the department of prevention of labor risks or the superior so that he/she is aware of the case. If you are being harassed, this should be your first move.

Due to the complexity of these facts, you can request support from trade union organizations, the Health and Safety Committee of the company, and you can report the situation to the Labor Inspectorate as a preliminary step to the prosecution of the case.

Once these avenues have been exhausted, and if the mobbing continues to exist, then it will be necessary to denounce the mobbing, then it will be necessary to denounce. It is important to be clear that it is complicated to gather evidence for various reasons (there is no physical evidence, there is no written evidence or colleagues do not commit for fear of retaliation), but the complaint of harassment is proven through any of the means admitted by law, whether confession, documents, witnesses, experts, and so on. Therefore, it will be necessary to gather documents, medical reports and look for witnesses.

Psychological support in cases of mobbing

Due to the psychological and emotional damage suffered by the victim, it is often necessary to see a psychologist. it is often necessary to see a psychologist to restore the victim's well-being.. Not just any professional is accredited to carry out this problem, since it is necessary to go to a professional specialized in psychological and occupational health problems (not a doctor). In other words, symptoms should not be treated alone (such as anxiety or depression), but the phenomenon as a whole should be understood.

It is common in this type of case to misdiagnose and end up using incorrect treatment strategies (e.g., only treating stress or anxiety with drugs). This often happens when the primary care physician is consulted instead of an expert psychologist. Unfortunately, this is more common than people may think.