Ending Workplace Mobbing

If political and business leaders want to encourage sexual harassment reporting, they must tackle general workplace bullying. When workplace mobbing is allowed, employees repeatedly conclude their administrators are inept, partial, dismissive, and indifferent. Supervisors appear to placate to powerhouse employees. They seem to have a habit of stonewalling employees who present concerns. They look like they are unwilling to protect employees from rumors and visible mental stress. They are perceived repeatedly not clarifying confusing policies. Employees who enter sexual harassment with these perceptions are unlikely to report their sex discrimination. The threat of retaliation simply seems too high.  

Companies, therefore, must adopt policies and practices that reduce workplace mobbing. Here are my suggestions:

1. Have a policy that clearly prohibits all types of internal workplace mobbing. This policy needs to define internal workplace mobbing as any intentional, intimidating, manipulative plot to ruin an employee’s reputation, work, or mental health in order to push them out of a position or company. 

2. Train employees how to handle miscommunications. To avoid mobbing, each side within a communication situation needs to accept responsibility when a mistake occurs.  Both sides should apologize to each other that the mistake happened, acknowledge the error was not intentional, and concede the mistake was owned by everyone in the group. In some circles, this is called “the blameless apology.” Then the team should review the mistake and determine how future miscommunications could be avoided. Both sides should come up with a strategy to prevent the mistake from happening again. Above all, grace should be given in an attempt to reconcile and strengthen the team.  

3. Have a clear procedure on how employees can confront perceived deception. Employees need to know they can ask another employee (in good faith) if they are lying to them about a particular situation. They need to know they can present their perceived deception without any fear of retaliation (being transferred, demoted, or losing their job) for presenting what may turn out to be an unsubstantiated claim.  Addressing their concern privately as each event occurs reduces the chance the conflict will escalate into a full administrative investigation. 

4. The company must investigate all internal workplace mobbing complaints. After multiple events make an employee feel lied to, the employee should have the right to come to administration and present their concern they are being bullied or mobbed.  Even if their claim is unsubstantiated, the employee at least feels cared for and heard. An internal investigation also signals to every employee that the company takes workplace bullying serious. This investigation needs to review evidence that proves the employee was lying. To avoid a conspiracy to mob someone with a false workplace bullying accusation, verbal testimony should be considered less convincing than concrete evidence.

5. This policy needs to include harsh punishments for those who have substantiated workplace mobbing charges. A clear statement that is enforced should hinder employees from cooperating with anyone who approaches them with a plan to target an “unwanted” staff member. As a form of deterrent and effective communication, employees should know the consequences of workplace mobbing ahead of time.  

6. Mobsters and gas lighters have power because no one knows the survivor’s story. Non-disclosure clauses require and intimidate survivors to stay silent. Survivors need to be told they can state “I am a workplace mobbing survivor who perceived a hostile attack within this company. I am uncomfortable with this conversation. Please stop.” Being able to state this need allows the collective group to signal respect and concern to the employee. It also empowers them as they manage triggers connected with their harassment.  

7. If leaders want to protect themselves from downward mobbing allegations, they need to advocate for target. Administrators need to be the person they present to the public. They need to be the person their employees believe them to be. Leaders should ask any employee who reports a staff conflict if they feel safe. They should tell employees they can file a police report and not lose respect or their position. Administrators should ask employees annually how administrative could improve their ethics of care. Leaders should prove they are on employees' side with action, not mere words. My district failed to do this and eventually, real or perceived, I concluded their lapse was more than just ineffective leadership or coincidental errors. I concluded they did not care about me as an employee, which in turned led to believe I was being mobbed downwardly.

8. Have clear policies on how someone moves up your company’s professional ladder.  An appearance of nepotism and favoritism supports the quid pro quo culture necessary for downward workplace mobbing.  It is also unethical as it hires and promotes people outside of their hard work and merits.