How to get rid of bullying at work. Types of mobbing at school

Mobbing, bullying, bossing... These mysterious words mean just different options for bullying an employee they don’t like at work, organized by one or several people. Do you think this is not a threat to you? You are wrong. Any of us can become a potential victim, and the number of victims of office terror runs into the millions all over the world.

Conspiracy against the victim

Alla knows firsthand what it’s like when a team rejects you and doesn’t let you into their friendly ranks. She once worked in a company where the main contingent of workers were ladies much older than her. But instead of maternal care, the girl was faced with ignorance and open hostility from her colleagues. And although she liked the work and her bosses had no complaints against her, Alla had to quit a few months after the conspiracy against her began.

This is a typical example of mobbing ( mob- crowd), or persecution by a group of people of one person. As a rule, the goal of mobbing and other types of psychological pressure is to make the victim lose his nerve and shamefully flee from the “battlefield.”

The main difference between targeted bullying and ordinary conflicts and strained relationships with someone is its consistency and duration, from several weeks to several years. There are other signs that suggest that a war has been launched against you. For example, regular criticism, often too petty or lacking any specifics; ridicule and insults; threats and outright slander. They hide important information from you or do not provide it on time; are loaded with tasks that are not particularly relevant to your competence; they are not invited to joint team events... But if you are presented with justified complaints about the truly poor quality of your work, you cannot attribute them to bullying.

A person subjected to psychological terror may also develop health problems: sleep disorders, physical exhaustion, constant migraines, and various diseases. Self-esteem falls, self-doubt appears. When dealing with health problems, pursuers will also not fail to play another trump card: “Why keep an employee who is always on sick leave?”

Five reasons for mobbing

There are several most common reasons for mobbing and its variants.

1. Banal envy and the fear that you will cross someone's path - this is why successful professionals are quite often ostracized.
2. Sometimes the trigger becomes quarrel between people which, when reaching its peak, leads to harassment in the workplace.
3. Another option - the boss and his subordinate have already had a relationship, going beyond the official: for example, friendship or love. But then they were interrupted. However, both parties have to work together, and in some cases the boss will try to get rid of the person with whom he had something in common.
4. Most often, office wars are provoked by unhealthy atmosphere in the company— constant staff turnover, a strict system of fines and control, distrust of each other. In such a team there is tension hidden for the time being, which sooner or later will require release. And then anyone can become a scapegoat.
5. A large role in determining whether there is a witch hunt tendency in an organization is leader's personality. There are bosses who love to manipulate people and pit them against each other. Collective bullying of an employee occurs with their tacit approval, or even at their suggestion, when they want to get rid of an objectionable person through the wrong hands. Sometimes managers underestimate the seriousness of the current situation, tolerate such antics of their subordinates and do not take any measures against the instigators of bullying, leaving them with a feeling of impunity. But the boss, like no one else, is responsible for the positive psychological climate in the team and the resolution of industrial conflicts.

Daria Stasevich, psychologist

Some companies have adopted “hazing” of newcomers; this is a kind of tradition of joining the team. When you go through this stage, everything will most likely work out. You can look at the reasons for putting pressure on yourself from the other side. Perhaps similar situations have already occurred in your life. Then you need to figure out what in your behavior can provoke others to such an attitude. For example, you are used to playing the role of a victim and do not know how to stand up for yourself. Or you are too different from your colleagues - in behavior, appearance - and they do not understand or accept you. Among other reasons - you, out of ignorance or deliberately, ignore the established “rules of the game” and do not share the values ​​of the group; you came to the company through connections; They want to put “their” person in your place.

Bullying: one on one

When the boss of Maya, who worked as an assistant judge, was hospitalized for a whole year due to a serious illness, his employees were temporarily transferred to another site. There the woman had to deal with the inappropriate behavior of one of her colleagues. “She worked as an assistant to my new boss and for some reason immediately took a dislike to me, she did dirty tricks with terrible force. Either she would spread rumors behind my back that I supposedly got the job through bed. she gave it to me,” Maya shares.

This is another version of psychological terror - bullying (bully), or the persecution by one person of another, usually of equal status. It is believed that a characteristic feature of bullers is a constant thirst for “fresh blood”. Often after the victim, unable to withstand the bullying, quits, the attacker takes over for the next “lamb.”

How to improve relationships?

If you feel that a purposeful large-scale action is being carried out against you, you can choose several fighting strategies. The main thing is to realize what you are willing to fight for.

Try to rebuff the aggressors decisively. Another option is to ignore the attacks with the expectation that sooner or later they will leave you alone. A technique such as “external agreement” also helps: “Perhaps you are right, I’ll think about it.” Sometimes this has the effect of surprise: you were expected to have an outburst of anger or lame excuses, and now you have a chance to take control of the situation.

Ask your boss for help. By and large, mobbing or bullying can be stopped if the appropriate measures are taken. Otherwise, further struggle for your rights may turn into a battle with windmills.

You can also take certain steps to prevent possible negative attitudes towards yourself. When hiring, find out what the company's corporate culture and values ​​are, whether mutual assistance, respect for each other, etc. are accepted. Sources of such information are interviews with the HR manager and the future manager. If you are hired by a company whose products you have used, pay attention to how the stores of this organization treat customers. After all, this is often a reflection of the style of relationships within the company. During the probationary period you can also learn a lot of interesting things. For example, about whether there is pressure on any of the employees. If such a phenomenon exists, draw appropriate conclusions.

Karina Khutaeva, director of the international educational center

If you experience bullying at work, stay calm and don't stoop to the level of the bullies. Don't yell or intimidate back. Often, “attackers” deliberately provoke you, expecting retaliatory aggression, since this will give them a chance to respond to you with even stronger provocation. It is not recommended to cry or show your weakness; this is expected of you first of all. Continue to do quality work, because “well-wishers” hope to see you broken, and when you achieve success over and over again, they perceive it as failure. Be sure to show the results of your work to your superiors to protect yourself from malicious slander about your unprofessionalism. And do not allow yourself to be isolated from your loyal colleagues; maintain business and friendly ties with them.

Natalya Verigina, business coach

People with low self-esteem often become victims of bullying or mobbing, so it is important to work on increasing it. This will help by contacting a psychologist, participating and winning professional skills competitions. Those who keep themselves apart from the group are often persecuted. Learn to build relationships with people - this will make it easier to establish contact with colleagues and form an “army of allies.” They can be employees not only from their own, but also from related departments, and even more important - the immediate supervisor. Learn to defend your position, taking into account the interests of all parties and the “rituals” accepted in the company, so that controversial situations do not develop into a violent conflict. Do not create enemies for yourself with your own hands.

Bossing: boss - against

The confrontation between Nina and her boss has been going on for a long time, and no one will remember the root cause. The manager creates an unbearable work environment for his employee. He sets unrealistic deadlines for her to complete tasks, demands strict adherence to labor discipline, and the rest are given significant concessions. Nina is under constant stress, and the only thing stopping her from quitting is the even greater fear of being unemployed.

In this case we are talking about bossing ( boss- chief, boss), bullying by a leader of his subordinate. In fact, this is the same bullying, but not horizontal, but vertical. It is usually used when the boss does not have enough compelling arguments to legally fire a person.

As a rule, the victim has little hope of getting help from his colleagues, because they are not at all eager to fall under the punishing sword. Sometimes the boss’s attitude towards someone is perceived by his subordinates as a clear indication of action; in such a situation, the person is under the crossfire of bullying from literally all sides.

They may put pressure on you, forcing you to urgently write a letter of resignation of your own free will. Do not make any decisions in a hurry; you have every right to take a break to think. If you agree to quit your job, try to negotiate a dismissal by agreement of the parties. This assumes that both sides are willing to make concessions to each other. You leave, and the employer, if you can reach an agreement with him, pays severance pay in a certain amount. After all, dismissal on one’s own initiative only involves compensation for unused vacation.

Experts recommend, in any case, to quit a company where people are allowed to terrorize people with impunity, and the sooner the better. Otherwise, the consequences for your health and psychological state may become irreversible.

Daria Stasevich, psychologist

If your boss decides to fire you, you will have a very difficult time. But your departure is not the only scenario, although it is very likely. You can try to transfer to another department of the same company or to another branch or even region, if possible. You can turn to your superiors or the court for help. There are also city and district labor inspectorates. It is important to provide documentary evidence of violation of your rights - voice recordings of conversations with superiors, various correspondence, an employment contract, etc. will do.

In any team there is a person who is not accepted by everyone for a number of reasons. However, such rejection can be “peaceful” when the person is treated calmly and even hardly noticed. The situation is much worse for those who are openly bullied and not allowed to work or study normally. This phenomenon is called mobbing, which implies the “survival” of a person from the team. What is mobbing and how to deal with it - we will learn from our article.

Description of the concept of “mobbing”

As we wrote above, mobbing is a confrontation between a group and one person. In other words, they find an outcast in the team and begin to persecute him in every possible way. Unfortunately, this phenomenon is spreading very quickly and occurs most often in work communities. Not uncommon in children's rooms either.

What does it look like? For example, you found a new job that you really like. For several days everything went well - your colleagues were nice and friendly and it seemed that you were accepted into the team. However, after some time, you began to notice that they forgot to remind you about the meeting, or important information disappeared from your computer, and the like. Or your child has moved to a new school, where he often begins to conflict with his classmates, although you had not previously noticed this in him. All these cases are examples of psychological mobbing.

Other examples of mobbing at work include the following:

1. Hostility towards you from colleagues;
2. Colleagues do not greet you or discuss work issues in front of you;
3. Rumors are being spread about you that have no basis;
4. Your superiors underestimate you and question your professionalism;
5. A pregnant woman is being bullied at work;
6. In your presence, colleagues allow themselves to make unkind jokes about you.

Surely you have encountered similar phenomena at least once. Mobbing employees occurs with the goal of humiliating you or, worse, ultimately getting you fired. Few people are willing to tolerate such an attitude towards themselves, so in the end, a person has to look for a new place of work.

Types of mobbing

The most common types of mobbing at work are as follows:

1. Horizontal mobbing - the entire team chooses a “victim” and begins to put pressure on her;
2. Vertical mobbing - mobbing of personnel by management;
3. Latent mobbing is a type of hidden pressure on a colleague when they try to isolate him from the team with psychological tricks (they don’t communicate, don’t greet each other, don’t invite them to joint events);
4. Mobbing is an open type - a person is bullied in front of everyone, openly, mocked and humiliated, they allow themselves to use unpleasant expressions addressed to him;
5. Vertical latent mobbing - a subordinate does not receive the attention of his leader, he ignores his wishes, overwhelms him with difficult work, and does not allow him to rest and grow in his career.

There is also such a term in psychology as bullying. How is mobbing different from bullying?

Mobbing: harsh confrontation between the work collective and one outcast person

Bullying and mobbing: differences between concepts

There are similarities between these two concepts: both bullying and mobbing imply bullying in a team, psychological violence against a person. However, there is a significant difference. If during mobbing one person is confronted by a whole group of people, then during bullying it is only one person.

Understanding the reason for such behavior on the part of your colleague is not easy. Perhaps you took his position, for which he applied before you. Or the reason lies elsewhere - in personal hostility. And it can also happen when the boss becomes a subordinate. In any case, you should be attentive to such situations, since even one person can ruin your reputation at work.

In general, the psychological climate in a team is very important. Even material values ​​recede into the background if you are very friendly with your colleagues. Therefore, bullying and mobbing can significantly complicate your professional activities.

The psychology of mobbing has not been fully studied. It is still unclear why people choose victims of emotional abuse at work. Below we will try to figure out what may be a prerequisite for such behavior among colleagues.

Stages of mobbing development

Mobbing in the workplace has certain phases of development. If you are new to the team, then our information may be useful to you. So, the phases of development of mobbing in the workforce:

The emergence of prerequisites for mobbing

The cause of bullying may be a previously unresolved conflict with colleagues, which entails a deterioration in the psychological climate in the team. The conflict can be either due to work activity or due to personal hostility. Mobbing a newbie, according to statistics, is the most common phenomenon.

Search for "victim"

This is one of the very first stages. They find the culprit of the situation and begin to show aggression towards him. Of course, under such conditions a person may experience an emotional breakdown, which plays into the hands of his colleagues. As a result, the situation is getting worse.

Active stage

More and more often, the “victim of mobbing” becomes the center of ridicule and cruel jokes, they are becoming more and more regular. No matter what situation a person finds himself in, the team still does not accept him and constantly criticizes him. The “victim” of psychological mobbing begins to feel depressed, and their health may even deteriorate.

Isolation stage

At this stage, the “victim” is no longer perceived as a member of the team. The person is not invited to corporate events or birthdays, and people communicate with him less and less. This leads to a person’s emptiness and reluctance to work. As a result, both emotional and physical health deteriorate, the “victim” begins to get sick more often and miss work.

Dismissal from work

At this stage, the employee no longer wants to remain in the workplace and quits. In conditions of pressure from colleagues, it is difficult to force yourself to work.

Causes and consequences of mobbing

Mobbing in an organization, school or any other group is by no means uncommon. Quite often, a victim of psychological violence needs the help of a psychologist to understand the reason for such pressure. Only by understanding what lies behind this behavior can you avoid repeating situations in the future.

What are the reasons for mobbing?

Let's consider some points that can provoke mobbing in a team.

Newbie

When a new person joins a team, he cannot avoid being assessed by his colleagues. If he does not fit into the rules and norms of an already established team, then they begin to survive him. Being a “black sheep” is fraught with complete rejection from others, which is why the new employee does not stay long. Psychologists assure that in a team where everyone started their work from scratch, mobbing is excluded.

Difficult psychological climate in the team

At work, where there is an angry boss, low wages or non-payment at all, constant gossip, etc., in such a team you cannot talk about well-organized work. Surely, people come here without the desire to work, so everyone’s mood is quite tense. There are situations where employees are constantly bullied by their boss, which makes work simply unbearable. To relieve tension in the team, they find the weakest person and begin to suppress him. The victim eventually quits.

No workload

Due to low employment at work (this also happens), employees, out of boredom and idleness, begin to spread gossip and rumors about colleagues. This often happens in women's groups. Where every person is busy with his own work, and is focused on it to the maximum, mobbing is extremely rare.

Envy from colleagues

Mobbing at work is familiar first hand to those rising up the career ladder. Some people are designed in such a way that other people's success makes them jealous. And instead of being happy for their colleague, employees begin to interfere with him in every possible way. They also envy those who are smarter, prettier, and earn more. Unfortunately, there is no escape from envy. In this situation, try not to boast about your successes and be as equal as possible with your colleagues.

Victim by definition

There are people who do not fit into any team. This is due to the fact that they do not know how to protect themselves and their interests, i.e. simply “take the hit.” Such individuals are more likely than others to encounter professional mobbing.

What are the consequences of mobbing?

As a result of mobbing, a person becomes disoriented and exhibits the following psychological aspects:

1. Lack of confidence in yourself and your professional abilities;
2. Phobias may develop;
3. Self-esteem falls;
4. Depression, stress, low mood appear;
5. Aggression towards loved ones may develop;
6. Decreased performance.

Mobbing: It is advisable to nip a dangerous phenomenon that reduces self-esteem in the bud by showing your best character traits

How to resist mobbing at work?

In any situation, before leaving, you need to try to find a way out. Mobbing in the workplace can be overcome using the advice of psychologists.

Analysis of the situation

If you have become a victim of mobbing, then first of all try to understand why this happened. It's never too late to quit your job and find a new job, but where is the guarantee that this won't happen again?

Self confidence

If you see that, according to all the signs of mobbing, you are the victim of psychological violence, then it’s time to prove to everyone that you are worthy of working here. Become not just a super employee, but prove to everyone that you are irreplaceable. More self-confidence and less attention to your “good” colleagues.

Control of the situation

Never relax. The closest attention is being paid to you now, so there should be no mistakes on your part. This is out of the question. Be attentive to any words and actions of your colleagues - do not trust their unexpected goodwill toward you. Not so simple.

The ability to stand up for yourself

It's one thing to ignore grins and not pay attention to caustic attacks. It’s quite another to allow people to “wipe their feet on you.” Confidently and calmly discuss what you are not happy with. Quiet silence in this situation will not work to your advantage.

Dialogue with colleagues

Often a frank conversation with your colleagues is the best help when mobbing. Ask directly what doesn’t suit them about you and try to get out of the current situation together. It is in your hands to establish relationships with them.

We talk less - we listen more

One never becomes a victim of mobbing out of the blue. Both sides are to blame. You gave a reason, colleagues took advantage of it. Be smarter and wiser - learn to listen more than talk.

Showing toughness

If you are a newbie, your colleagues are most likely testing your strength. Apparently, this is how it is customary to “greet” all new employees. Do not allow yourself to be bullied, stop even attempts to do so. Sometimes a tough rebuff is more effective than silence. Put your colleagues in their place right away.

Job change

If nothing helps, and you are still the “black sheep” in the team, then think - do you really need this job? Why would you waste your time on something that no one values? It's time to find another suitable place where you will be respected more. Don't be afraid to change jobs - psychological health is much more important than material values. Any psychologist will tell you this.

Mobbing at school

It is not uncommon for mobbing to happen among teenagers. At this age, children are quite cruel, so it becomes difficult for the victim. What is children's mobbing, how to fight it and stop bullying at school - we will find out below.

Reasons for school mobbing

Mobbing in an educational environment has its own prerequisites.

Bad atmosphere in the family

Inharmonious relationships in the family, constant reproaches from parents, and rejection of the child lead to the fact that such a teenager becomes anxious, prone to apathy and depression. With such self-doubt, it is easy to become a victim of ridicule and hostility.

Excessive time spent on the computer

The craze for computer games makes it more difficult for children to perceive reality. Psychologists have proven that the psychological state of such children can be assessed as depressive and often aggressive. Teenagers take out all their negativity on their classmates, plus difficulties arise with adaptation, which leads to “hermitism.” The best alternative to a computer game is a book: it’s both more useful and educational.

Internet

Experts have long noticed that frequently spending time on the Internet does not bring anything good. For a child’s delicate mental and not always fully formed organization, this is fraught with mental disorders. Mobile phone is also included here. In addition, it is often used as a means to bully classmates.

Psychological characteristics of personality

Children with low self-esteem, poor academic performance, and increased anxiety most often become victims of school mobbing. Often, nationality is also part of the reason for mobbing.

Mobbing also happens on the way to school, when a teenager is regularly beaten or ridiculed. Often a teenager asks his parents to take him to school, or does not want to go there. In any case, you should talk to your child if you see a similar situation.

Types of mobbing at school

The following methods of mobbing in a school environment are distinguished:

1. Mockery, ridicule, cruel jokes and jokes - the victim of mobbing is subjected to negative verbal influence and becomes a common laughing stock among his classmates;
2. Boycott - the teenager is not openly noticed, shunned, does not want to communicate with him, does not help him, and is isolated in every possible way from joint activities;
3. Physical violence is common among boys; physically weak children are more often exposed to it;
4. Threats - threaten physically or mentally, use ultimatums, force people to obey against their will.

School bullying, at first glance, does not seem serious. However, psychologists assure that mobbing at school can also affect one’s sense of self in adulthood. Such children grow up with a lot of complexes, fears, and worries. In addition, mobbing often becomes a cause of child suicide. How can you help your child avoid the fate of becoming a victim of mobbing?

Ways to combat mobbing at school

First of all, it is worth saying that only through the joint efforts of parents and teachers can you help your child avoid aggression from his peers.

Supervision of children by teacher

This applies to lessons, recess, and after-hours. The teacher must notice everything that happens in the classroom and anticipate possible conflicts.

Extracurricular activities with the class

Only competent work by a teacher at school will help avoid mobbing. It is important to involve a psychologist when difficulties arise, communicate with the guys more often, and become an authority for them. It is imperative to conduct a class hour, during which all current issues related not only to studies, but also to relationships in the team will be discussed.

Attention to the child from parents

It is very important to develop healthy self-esteem in a child from childhood. To do this, you don’t need to constantly monitor him, but you also don’t need to overindulge him. The task of parents is to raise a self-confident person. This is only possible with a trusting relationship between an adult and a teenager.

Opportunity to solve the problem yourself

If you see that your child has become a victim of mobbing, then give him the opportunity to resolve the conflict himself. Do not aggravate the situation with your help unless the teenager asks you for it.

In situations where a child turns to you for advice, be sure to help him. Firstly, discuss the situation with a teacher and psychologist, and secondly, talk to your child more often. Only a parent can give their child the necessary confidence, be his friend.

The above measures can be a good preventive measure against school mobbing. In any case, if the situation gets out of control and overcoming mobbing becomes impossible, it is never too late to change schools. The psychological health of a child is much more important than the proximity of the school to home or its prestige.

In conclusion, we would like to say that mobbing can and should be fought by first analyzing the reasons for this phenomenon. In any situation there is a way out, which one you will have is up to you to decide.