Surviving Workplace Mobbing: Understanding the Dynamics and Taking Action

Social mobbing is a social psychological term that refers to bullying of an individual in a social context like school, work, community, or residence. The mobbing tendencies in the workplace include: persistent and drawn-out harassment or intimidation, humiliation, social exclusion, being purposefully misled work duties, unclear direction, incorrect dates, criticism, and incorrect reporting among others. The perilous query is why people engage in such barbaric actions. Various researchers on this topic have consigned the chronic abnormal behaviors to; narcissistic personality, inferiority complex, jealousy, and poor institutional infrastructures. The long-term impact of social mobbing on an individual causes anxiety at the workplace, persistent insecurity, and weakness. In a workplace, a lack of established ethical values and culture has contributed to untold ill actions among the employees themselves and employers to employees.  Other factors that contribute to these situations are; low emotional intelligence, stressful and monotone working environment, and low levels of professional growth.

Effective ways of dealing with social mobbing

Depending on the kind of work one does, a workplace has been estimated to carry approximately 1,801 hours per year, therefore it is a place where we spent more time in our lives than any other place outside the home. Thus toxic workplaces can contribute to various health problems and mental health challenges. When the structures are not protective of you, you can also protect yourself. Here are a few steps to protect yourself from social mobbing at work;

• Have an open mind as you engage with your workplace, that there could be such heinous practices it will help you make practical relationships.
• Identify any form of unprofessionalism and stay away from such individuals.
• Avoid discussing colleagues or issues at work with anyone bullies at work thrive well with gossip and use it to blackmail or put you on the spot.
• Focus on your duties which is the reason why you are there in the first place.
• Use official ways of communication like emails or letters when making an inquiry because they embody evidence.
• Check your contract to see if there are policies to deal with social mobbing and where to report it.
• Practice self-care after work to relieve yourself of all negative experiences before you begin your stay at home.
• Seek professional counseling to improve your skills on how to face adversity and leave beyond it.

What does the Bible say about bullying?

The Bible does not address bullying specifically however there are Bible principles about social life and what work means that can helps us reflect on this issue. The Bible commands us to love our neighbor as ourselves (Mark 12:31) and to treat others the way we would like to be treated (Luke 6:31). There is no room in the Christian faith for belittling or abusing someone. Every person, regardless of what he or she looks or acts like, is created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26-27; James 3:9-10) and is worthy of the dignity that God gives to every person. Work is our worship towards God and we should do everything as unto the Lord including how we treat others Colossian 3:23-24.