Gina hasn’t been working at her new job for long but she already feels excluded. Although she’s tried her best from the beginning, she’s constantly criticized and exposed in front of the entire team. At lunch she’s usually by herself and can’t help but feel like everyone is staring and spreading rumors. Is she just imagining that conversations always fall silent when she enters a room or do the little groups in the hallway really dissolve as soon as she comes close? Gina feels extremely uncomfortable and after a few weeks she starts experiencing stress symptoms she’s never experienced before. It’s time to act.
Who hasn’t experienced the unpleasant feeling of not being wanted in a group? You can always leave a toxic circle of friends behind, but that’s not so easy at work. You don’t have to like everyone, but you do have to get along and work side by side, if not together. But when people go too far, when is the right time to say “stop!”? When is a joke no longer funny, but mean and inappropriate? When should you stop thinking that it’s your own fault?
The time to act is NOW.
What’s the difference between mobbing and bullying?
Mobbing refers to the systematic wearing down of a less resistant individual, for example at school or at work. Bullying is when the intimidating and aggressive behavior comes from only one person.
Heinz Leymann, who is regarded as a pioneer of mobbing research, provided a list of 45 mobbing actions in 1993. The actions can be classified into the following five groups:
Attacks on
- the possibility of communicating with others
- social relations
- social standing
- the quality of a person’s professional and life situation
- health
Mobbing can be caused by inadequate communication, repressed conflicts or dysfunctional leadership behavior of superiors. Mobbing can also occur when employees are overstrained or bored, or if competition within teams is high.
Despite the explosive nature of the issue, there are no systematic studies on mobbing in the workplace in Switzerland. The following data comes from Germany.
- 12.5% of the participants said they have been mobbed at the workplace before
- 29% reported that they have witnessed mobbing among colleagues before
- 44% of the harassed stated they like to go to work (compared to 63% of those not affected)
- 27% of respondents affected by mobbing said they are very often frustrated at work (compared to only 6% of those not affected)
- 16% of respondents over the age of 50 stated that they had been bullied in their current company. The figure is 11% for 30-50 year olds and only 8% for under-30 year olds.
What are the consequences of mobbing?
Victims of mobbing are exposed to high levels of stress and can develop a variety of psychological and physical symptoms over time, which in the long-term can severely affect self-esteem and productivity. Various forms of cyber bullying are also very serious because they have driven many people into depression, isolation or despair. Once the negative spiral has started, it can become a traumatic experience with serious consequences such as addictive behavior, reduced physical resilience, or even suicidal behavior.
What can you do if you find yourself in this situation?
Defend yourself and do not let yourself be forced into the role of the victim! Speak directly to the mobber(s) and ask them what their motives are. Often it is the perpetrators who need emotional support due to low self-esteem or childhood traumas. Perpetrators often tend to blame others for their own failures. Perhaps a discussion with the mobber(s) with a neutral third party can help. Talk to your superiors about the situation, you may be able to get a different job assignment or to work on another project with a different team. If you see no improvement and the situation cannot be changed, a change of job is often the last resort.
Here are some helpful links if you’re based in Switzerland: