Workplace Harassment (mobbing): Its History And How It Affects Workers
Just as we talk about bullying to refer to the harassment that some people suffer in the school environment, mobbing refers to the harassment that certain workers suffer in the company environment.
Today we are going to learn some interesting facts about this labor phenomenon and its consequences.
The word Mobbing comes from the English (mob), to harass, to harass, it comes from ethology, (study of animal behavior) especially from ornithology, a branch of zoology that studies birds.
The phenomenon of harassment exists in all species, it is a phenomenon so widespread in the Animal Kingdom that it apparently fulfills some evolutionary function, and the prominent ethologist Konrad Lorenz received the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1973, for his contribution of his studies on the animal behavior, contribution to behavioral sciences.
This term was coined by Konrad Lorenz, a zoologist of Austrian origin who had been studying animal behavior since 1966. What he defined as animal mobbing and saw that birds came together to defend themselves from their predators and scare away the enemy. These behaviors in the Animal Kingdom end either with the flight or with the death of the animal harassed by several.
The name Mobbing is given by the ethologist who realized how birds specifically joined together to discard a larger or different animal from the group until they harassed it and scared away the predators that intimidated them. He saw that the harassed animals died of fear and therefore That began the development of this concept, giving similarity to these behaviors with those of Humans.
He realized that similar behaviors arose in workplace harassment. The group tries to eliminate people who are different or who seem threatening. Cultural, social, religious differences, etc., could give rise to this harassment.
However, it is from the 80s that the psychologist Heinz Leymann applies this term, he begins research on this type of behavior with a group of nurses who suffered from harassment at work and ended up committing suicide.
Heinz Leymann, a psychologist of German origin in the 80s, was the first to develop the concept of mobbing in human relationships within the world of work. He defined mobbing as a period of time of hostile attempts and actions, expressed by one or more people. It is hostile and unethical communication. This situation places a person in a defenseless position. In order to know if they are facing a case of Mobbing or workplace harassment, it must occur at least once a week and for a certain period of time, at least six months.
From a forensic perspective, this definition within the Courts is known as moral harassment at work. To consider this, it is necessary to demonstrate that social pressure has been exerted on the victim and that pressure has the purpose of emotionally destabilizing the worker with the aim of undermining his work capacity and get rid of him through dismissal or by inciting him to resign through pressure.
Personal problems should not be confused with mobbing it is important to differentiate these behaviors from harassment, abuse and psychological harassment that occurs in the workplace.
Hierarchies (or types) of mobbing
The latter occurs less frequently, but it does occur.
Signs that there is workplace harassment
Designate the worst or most degrading jobs
Designate unnecessary, monotonous or repetitive jobs that do not perform the function of being necessary or that are useless
Designate tasks below your qualifications, skills or competencies.
Do not assign any type of work.
Overwork, unjustified pressure or setting deadlines that are impossible to meet
Bullying can manifest itself in various ways , the usual dynamic of harassment is that the harasser implements different hostile behavioral strategies while the victim acts inhibited in response to this harassment. Sometimes this harassment is shown in a subtle way, which is sometimes difficult to realize or calls into question what is happening.
They can be presented actively, through shouting, insults, interference, humiliation, false accusations, or passively (by omission), for example prohibiting the use of equipment, hindering work material or equipment.
In terms of behavior, it should also be highlighted the spread of rumors, verbal attacks, attacks on private life…
Consequences of mobbing on the victim’s health
On a psychological level, the symptoms are usually very varied, one of the main symptoms is anxiety, a continuous and threatening feeling, a feeling of failure, frustration, helplessness, low self-esteem, apathy, tiredness, difficulties falling asleep, worry, nervousness. , digestive problems. People who suffer from workplace harassment will present a certain type of anxiety due to the feeling of not being able to perform or complete some activity imposed within the company.
The easiest symptoms to identify when there is workplace bullying are poor performance and absenteeism due to the demotivation that the employee feels to carry out tasks that will either never be good or will be recognized by their superiors as important.
The most common diagnoses for workplace harassment or mobbing are Post-Traumatic Stress and generalized anxiety. The effects caused by mobbing can be terrible, they can trigger serious depression, paranoid disorders and even completed suicides. Workplace harassment leaves its mark on the person who experiences it since they can experience severe depression. The emotional, psychological and economic damage caused by living an experience of this magnitude is truly incredible.
Workplace harassment or Mobbing is a psychosocial risk that not only affects the person who is the victim, but also affects the company because the company suffers from low productivity and the costs are high. That is why it is important to have a Human Resources area that can detect in time when any irregularity or injustice arises within the Institution.
Mobbing is a form of aggression that generates a work environment that does not favor a good work environment. Workplace harassment not only affects the victim but an entire organization due to loss of productivity, economic losses, loss of the company’s image, if this comes to light, in addition to a bad work environment if the harassment is constant.
Mobbing is one of the psychosocial risks. This term mobbing is a complex phenomenon that covers different aspects such as psychological, cultural, social, ethical and legal factors.
In Latin America, only Colombia and Brazil have laws that regulate it. Despite Mexico’s efforts, it has not yet been possible to carry out specific regulation for this phenomenon.
Talking about workplace harassment is essentially talking about violating human dignity in a particularly sensitive area, such as work.
