Workplace harassment (mobbing) is a reality that is increasingly studied and recognized. However, it can still be difficult to identify mobbing where it occurs especially considering that this form of harassment does not always have the same characteristics.
The different types of mobbing mean that, at times, this phenomenon is camouflaged or even interpreted as something that is normal. Ultimately, where this form of harassment occurs, there are interests in ensuring that what happens cannot be used before a judge, and this means that in each type of work environment these attacks are adapted to the circumstances.
However, distinguishing the different types of mobbing is not impossible In this article we will review them, but first we will see an example that will help to recognize the characteristics of this type of harassment.
Cristobal He was a highly valued worker for his company dedicated to tourism, as he responded effectively to any problem that might arise in dealing with clients. He was disciplined, responsible and even worked overtime; simply because he enjoyed his work. He was an employee that any businessman would want to have on his team, so he quickly rose within his organization until he became the airport’s area manager.
He had been in the company for three years and there were no complaints about him for his good professional work, but everything changed for him after the fourth year due to the restructuring that his company had undergone, in which the director had changed. Apparently, Cristóbal was not to his liking, probably because he barely knew him and he had not hired him
Changes in the company
After his arrival, the new director accused him of working little, of being sexist without any basis (due to a conflict with an employee who was trusted by the director and in which Cristóbal was right) and decided that he should carry out tasks that were not productive at all. Furthermore, the fifth year he decided to place a supervisor who was hierarchically above him. It must be said that the supervisor was not competent enough, since he did not know how to work in a company of that type.
It was Cristóbal himself who had to teach him how to do the work effectively The director’s strategy was to keep Cristóbal under control, something that was unnecessary since the customer satisfaction levels in his work area were the best in the company in the entire Spanish territory. The mission was clear: to discourage Cristóbal from submitting voluntary resignation and thus leave the company.
At different specific times, The director accused Cristóbal of creating a bad environment at work without having any proof of it Simply to agree with his trusted men. And, furthermore, he invented lies to discredit his good professional work.
The result was that Cristóbal decided to leave work due to the psychological damage he had been subjected to As a victim of mobbing, he tried to defend himself on several occasions until, as a result of the emotional exhaustion he had reached with this situation, he resigned from continuing with the company.
Mobbing: a reality present in the work environment
The previous example is a case of mobbing, also known as workplace harassment. A phenomenon that occurs in the workplace, and in which an individual or several individuals systematically and repeatedly exert psychological violence on another individual or individuals, for an extended period of time.
Stalkers They can be co-workers, superiors or subordinates and this behavior can affect workers of any type of company.
Furthermore, on many occasions the attempt is made to confuse the victim so that they believe that they are to blame for everything that happens, sometimes leading to question the sanity of those who suffer everything This phenomenon, known as Gaslighting, is very common in cases of partner abuse, but it also occurs in workplace harassment. One of its effects is that the victim is paralyzed and anchored in doubt, which makes it possible to continue with flagrant injustices.
The effects of bullying
Attacks suffered in the workplace can cause serious psychological problems in the victim or victims (for example, anxiety, depression, stress), work demotivation, disturbance in the performance of their work and, in most cases, a damage to its reputation. The longer this situation persists, The discomfort that is generated is worse
Mobbing can be classified in two ways: according to the hierarchical position or according to the objective What are these types of workplace harassment? They are summarized below:
1. Workplace harassment according to hierarchical position
Depending on the hierarchical position, mobbing can be:
1.1. Horizontal mobbing
This type of mobbing It 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 conform to certain rules, due to enmity, to attack the weakest, due to differences with the victim, or due to lack of work and boredom.
1.2. 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 types of vertical mobbing: upward and downward.
2. Workplace harassment according to the objective
Depending on the objectives that the harasser intends to achieve with mobbing, it can be classified as follows:
2.1. Strategic mobbing
This is a type of downward 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.
2.2. Direction or management mobbing
This type of mobbing It is carried out by the management of the organization generally for various reasons: to get rid of a less-than-submissive worker, to reach situations of labor slavery or to put an end to a worker who does not conform to the boss’s expectations (for example, because he is too qualified or to expose him) .
Furthermore, this type of workplace harassment can be carried out to maximize the company’s productivity through fear, using repeated threats of dismissal if work objectives are not met.
23. Perverse mobbing
Perverse workplace harassment refers to a type of mobbing that does not have a work objective, but rather the causes are found in the manipulative personality and harasser 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 while the person who harasses remains in the organization or is not re-educated.
This type of harasser usually carries out the mobbing in front of the victim, without witnesses. He is very seductive and quickly gains the trust of others. It is common for perverse mobbing to be horizontal or upward mobbing.
2.4. Disciplinary mobbing
This type of mobbing is used so that the harassed person understands that they must “fit into the mold.” , because if she doesn’t she 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 this way, creating a work environment in which no one dares to contradict their superior.
It is also used against those people who have a lot of sick leave, pregnant women, and all those who report fraud by the institution (for example, the accountant who witnesses bribes by the company).
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