Mobbing: 8 Ways to Identify Psychological Harassment at Work & Strategies to Hel

What does mobbing look like?

Mobbing may not be easy to identify as it creates a smokescreen that makes it difficult to identify the forms of bullying and the real culprits behind it.

Slander

By spreading lies or making false accusations, the harasser or harassers seek to damage the reputation of the victim and encourage rejection by other workers.

Discredit

A harasser can undermine their victim's credibility and autonomy by making them appear mentally ill, suggesting that they suffer from some condition that makes them incapable or that their attempts to defend themselves stem from some delusion of persecution and not from reality.

Humiliation

A harasser may humiliate his victim in public, for example by devaluing his work, exaggerating his mistakes or making negative comments related to his race, gender, nationality or religion.

Work load

The inadequate distribution of the workload is also a form of harassment. You may note that you are assigned more responsibilities than your peers, or that these do not correspond to your actual qualifications or the functions of your position (too easy or not interesting tasks).

Sabotage

It is common when the harassers are subordinates. They can sabotage a boss's attempts to improve aspects of the company or make changes implemented during her tenure look negative.

Isolation

The harasser or harassers can favor the isolation of the victim by encouraging other people not to interact with the person or by interfering with existing communication channels. They may avoid eye contact as a way to make the victim feel invisible or assign them a separate workplace.