Some might say there is no better place to build your confidence and character than at work. Others might say there is no place worse.
If you have ever been belittled or ostracized while on the job, you probably haven’t forgotten how it felt—and you shouldn’t. Marginalization, manipulation, demotion, gossip, physical or verbal aggression are all demoralizing forms of mistreatment in the workplace. And when these behaviors are not isolated incidents but frequent, prolonged, and intentional, you may be experiencing a psychological phenomenon known as “mobbing.”
In the U.S., mobbing affects many working individuals, but the term itself is relatively new. While countries such as Sweden, Italy, and Austria have legal guidelines to address mobbing behaviors, American laws to reduce psychological harm in the workplace are surprisingly lacking—or otherwise nonexistent.
Here is how mobbing impacts workers, and how to address it in your workplace
What is mobbing?
First coined by Swedish psychologist Heinz Leymann in the late 1980s, mobbing is a systemic psychological phenomenon in which an individual or group weaponizes interpersonal organizational dynamics to repeatedly ostracize or undermine a colleague. The goal of this consistent, covert abuse is to segregate and exclude someone, or even to run the targeted individual out of an organization altogether.
Workers who are different from the majority in some way are more likely to be victims of mobbing. They are also often perceived as a threat. They may be the person with the most degrees or the highest performer, eliciting envy. Or they may be the last to arrive for meetings, eliciting resentment.
It is also common for workplace cultures to cultivate mobbing by way of competition and incentives. Practices that promote fast-paced performance or output may subtly support dishonest short-cuts, favoring those who are comfortable with a little lying to get ahead at the disadvantage of those who work with integrity.
Mobbers often have excellent impression management or control of information with their targets. This makes it easy for victims to remain completely unaware of the extent of the manipulation happening behind the scenes. Mobbing shares many similarities to gaslighting in that it can involve manipulating an individual’s perception and twisting their reality to destabilize them. It is possible for someone to experience both tactics simultaneously, resulting in a volatile recipe for psychological harm to the victim and overall workplace culture.
While its goal may be to diminish someone’s professional standing within an organization, mobbing also erodes self-worth, confidence, and entire careers. As a result, victims may develop severe anxiety, depression, PTSD, and even thoughts of suicide or homicide.
What does mobbing look like?
Mobbing is too often wielded as a weapon of emotional destruction, and too often overlooked. It typically starts off subtly and insidiously escalates over time. It can start with exclusion from simple social events and can grow to include any combination of manipulations.
Victims may wonder, “Am I just paranoid?” or “Maybe I’m just overreacting.” They know something is wrong, but they don’t know exactly what it is or what to do about it. Emotions are vital pieces of personal data. It is crucial to recognize and honor your emotions at work, especially when they may be signals of toxic behavior, abuse, and psychological harassment.
Specifically, mobbing can look or sound like: isolation, blame, sabotage, conspiring, gossip, physical or verbal aggression or abuse, demotion, marginalization, insults, slander, over-committing the victim to tasks, under-compensating them, and/or reporting false information or hiding information from the victim.
Here are five characteristics to consider to determine if you are experiencing mobbing:
- Frequency: Episodes of mobbing behavior are continuous and not isolated (e.g., happening once a week).
- Duration: The behavior is repeated over time for at least six months.
- Asymmetric relationship: There is a clear difference in power between the mobber and the victim.
- Negative intention: The aim is to sideline the victim until they are ultimately dismissed from their position and/or organization.
- Inability to defend oneself: The victim feels they cannot respond to their abuser in any way and they are isolated and feel psychologically unsafe.
How to address mobbing
Everyone pays a price when mobbing is present at work. It is paid in diminished performance, the medical expenses of abused employees, and unresolved trauma at an individual, collective, and organizational level. Mobbers themselves, workplace leadership, and bystanders all play a part in the perpetuation of harm.
If you are a target of mobbing, here are steps you can take:
- Honor your emotions. Mobbing starts with how you feel. Do not dismiss exclusion, manipulation, or confusion you feel at work. Investigate and unpack what factors are contributing to them before they spiral further.
- Lean on trusted support systems. As with gaslighting, it is easy to lose your stability and sense of reality amid mobbing. Identify individuals in and, especially, outside of work who can cut through the fog of mobbing tactics and help you safely navigate your way out of it.
- Record your experience. Document and report all mobbing attempts and/or gaslighting behavior. Write down what you see and hear.
- Ask for help. When possible, consult with your organization’s HR representative(s) or counselor to determine what steps are possible to address the mobbing.
Lastly, if you bear witness to mobbing but are not an active contributor, you are still complicit. Be an upstander not a bystander. As with all other forms of abuse, if you see something, say something. Importantly, be sure you feel safe before you take any action. If you choose to have a conversation with mobbers, we recommend bringing someone with you for support.
How to prevent mobbing
Scientific research shows that organizations with emotionally intelligent leaders have lower levels of stress and a lower risk of employees developing burnout or engaging in harmful, abusive behaviors. On the other hand, mobbing finds fertile ground where organizational leadership is apathetic and does not actively care for employee well-being.
Here are four steps organizations can take to prevent mobbing:
- Select managers with high commitment to and/or competency in emotional intelligence through strategic interviewing, surveys, or assessments.
- Train leadership and staff to develop their emotional intelligence and communication skills.
- Regularly assess the work-related stress level (included mobbing) and emotional climate at work, and plan interventions to promote wellbeing.
- Provide access to anti-violence and anti-bullying resources centers or listening hotlines where employees can feel safe talking about their problems at work.
By fostering awareness and cultivating emotionally intelligent workplaces, organizations can create environments where everyone feels psychologically safe, valued, and empowered to thrive without fear of mobbing or any other manipulation or abuse.
