For those who spend a significant portion of their time at work, relationships with colleagues are of particular importance. It's good if you happen to work in a close-knit team where everything is built on friendship and mutual assistance. But what about when workmates declare war on one of the employees? Accept this situation or accept the challenge?
If you are going to work every day, as if for a fight, then you are probably the target of mobbing. This phenomenon, which is widespread in the West, is beginning to penetrate Russian companies as well. Mobbing is a psychological terror against one of the employees; most often it takes the form of systematic bullying. Those who choose mobbing as a way to "build" relationships in a team take a peculiar position of a "predator". The goal of the attacking side is to morally crush and "drive into a corner" the person targeted as a victim, to lower his status in the team, making him an outcast. Often, emotional abuse is carried out not by one person, but by a close-knit group (mob in English means "crowd" or "joint attack"). In about half of the cases of mobbing, the bullying is initiated by managers or persons close to them. The most common weapons used by predators are systematic ridicule, gossip, teasing, and sarcastic remarks about the victim. Such forms of psychological influence are by no means as harmless as it might seem at first glance. Sarcasm can hurt a person's self-esteem, humiliate him; often ridicule leads to a sharp decline in self-esteem. It happens that emotional terrorists turn to direct aggression, openly showing their dislike and showing hostility in its various forms. This can be withholding professionally important information from the victim, an unreasonable burden in the form of additional work, or even damage to important documents, for the safety of which the victim is responsible. Or, one morning, the victimized person, finding himself at the workplace, may find that his computer suddenly went out of order. What motives determine the behavior of the attacker? The reasons for mobbing can be very different. Quite often, the "hunt" for a person begins in a team where an unhealthy moral and psychological climate has long reigned, caused by the incompetence of the leadership. Sometimes leaders deliberately encourage mobbing in order to be able to effectively manage the team. Sometimes, emotional abuse of a weak colleague is just a way to get rid of daily stress. To protect yourself from emotional abuse at work, start by reviewing your behavior and position in the team. Aggressors usually target people with low self-esteem. Do not respond to attacks with mutual aggression, because the attackers are just waiting for this. Remain self-possessed and calm. In defense of your possible mistakes, do not expose emotions, but reasoned objections. An independent and confident demeanor usually reduces the attacker's fuse and increases your chances of emerging victorious from the fight.
