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 suffered by certain workers within the company.
Today we are going to know some interesting facts about this labor phenomenon, and its consequences.
Historical data of the term 'mobbing'
The word Mobbing comes from the English (mob), to besiege, harass, comes from ethology, (study of behavior of animals) especially in ornithology, a branch of zoology that studies the birds.
In all species there is the phenomenon of harassment, it is a phenomenon so widespread in the Animal Kingdom that it seems to fulfill some evolutionary function, and the prominent ethologist Konrad lorenz he receives the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1973, on his contribution to his studies on animal behavior, contribution to the sciences of behavior.
This term was coined by Konrad Lorenz, an Austrian zoologist who studied animal behavior since 1966. What he defined as animal mobbing and saw that the birds came together to defend themselves from their predators and drive 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 the birds specifically united to discard an animal of a larger or different size from the group until they harassed it and scared it away to the predators that intimidated them, he saw that the harassed animals died of fear and that is why he began the development of this concept, giving these behaviors similar to those of the Humans.
He realized that similar behaviors emerged in workplace bullying. 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, initiates research about this type of behavior with a group of nurses who suffered from harassment workplace harassment and end 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, to be able to know if he is facing a case of Mobbing or workplace harassment, 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 is It is necessary to demonstrate that social pressure has been exerted on the victim and that pressure is intended to emotionally destabilize the worker with the aim of undermining his work capacity and getting rid of him through dismissal or inciting him by pressure to I quit.
Personal problems should not be confused with mobbing, it is important to differentiate those behaviors of harassment, abuse and psychological harassment that occurs in the workplace.
Hierarchies (or types) of mobbing
- HORIZONTAL, when it is carried out between colleagues in the work environment. Workers have the same hierarchy, one that is active and exercises violence and another that is passive.
- VERTICAL DESCENDING, is what is known as bossing and is exercised by the same boss or superior.
- VERTICAL UP, when the boss is harassed by the personnel in charge of him.
The latter occurs less frequently, but does occur.
Signs of workplace harassment
- Designate the worst or most degrading jobs
- Designate unnecessary, monotonous, or repetitive jobs that do not have 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
- Job Changes without Prior Notice
- Isolated job transfer
- Ignoring the person or not speaking to them
Bullying can manifest itself in a number of ways, the usual dynamics of harassment is that the harasser uses different hostile behavior strategies while the victim acts by inhibiting himself in response to this harassment. Sometimes this harassment is shown in a subtle way, that sometimes it is difficult to realize or doubts what is happening.
They can present themselves actively, through shouting, insults, meddling, humiliation, false accusations or passively (by default), for example prohibiting the use of equipment hindering material or equipment job.
The spread of rumors, verbal attacks, attacks on private life ...
Consequences of mobbing on the victim's health
On a psychic level, the symptoms are usually very varied, one of the main symptoms is anxiety, a continuous and threatening feeling, a sensation arises failure, frustration, helplessness, low self-esteem, apathy, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep, worry, nervousness, problems digestives. People who suffer from workplace harassment will present a certain type of anxiety due to the feeling of not being able to carry out 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 felt by the employee to carry out tasks that will either never be well or will be recognized by his superiors as important.
The most common diagnoses for workplace harassment or mobbing are Post-Traumatic Stress and generalized anxiety. The effects of mobbing can be dire, leading to severe depression, paranoid disorders, and even complete suicide. Workplace harassment leaves a mark on the person who experiences it since they may have severe depression, are truly incredible the emotional, psychological and economic damages caused by living an experience of this magnitude.
Workplace harassment or Mobbing is a psychosocial risk that not only affects the person who is a victim, It also affects the company because the company suffers from low productivity and costs are high. That is why the importance of having a Human Resources area, which manages to 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 affects not only the victim but an entire organization due to loss of productivity, losses economic, loss of image of the company, if this comes to light, in addition to a bad work environment if harassment is constant.
Mobbing is one of the psychosocial risks. This term mobbing is a complex phenomenon that encompasses different aspects such as psychological, cultural, social, ethical and legal factors.
In Latin America, only Colombia and Brazil have laws that regulate it, Mexico, despite the efforts, has not yet been able to carry out a specific regulation for this phenomenon.
Talking about workplace harassment is essentially talking about violating human dignity in a particularly sensitive area, such as work.