mobbing; In the literature, psychological violence means oppression, intimidation, inconvenience, harassment. Mobbing (psychological harassment) can be defined as the long-term and systematic pressure applied by the person or group holding the power to people or groups who are not in the same direction as themselves, especially in hierarchical structures where control is weak. The main purpose of mobbing is to intimidate the person as a result of the pressure and to make him quit the job.
In order for a behavior to be considered as mobbing (psychological harassment), it must have certain characteristics. First of all, the behavior should serve the purpose of removing the victim from work and pacifying them. Behaviors need to be done systematically to remove the victim from work. It must also manifest itself in the form of malicious and hostile attitudes, inequality of power and repetitive constant pressure. Mobbing can be from superior to subordinate, from subordinate to superior, that is, from employee to employer.
The following behaviors can be shown as examples of behaviors that will be considered as mobbing, that is, psychological violence in the workplace:
- Overburdening the person with the workload required by his/her job, overburdening him/her with jobs that he/she cannot handle,
- Gossip about the person,
- Making fun of a person’s disability, appearance, religious belief, private life,
- Exclusion of the person due to his political opinion,
- Threatening violence to the person,
- Loud scolding of the person in public and preventing other people from communicating with the person,
- Keeping the person’s commuting and commute times under constant observation and constantly emphasizing this in the slightest case,
- Exclusion of the person at meals, being forced to work in a room separated from others,
- Giving a nickname to the person,
-Trying to break the motivation of the person,
- Sexual harassment of the person,
-Constantly changing the person’s job, causing damage to his home or workplace.
The above listed are just examples and may be reproduced. Mobbing, that is, psychological harassment, should be evaluated according to each concrete event and the conditions of the workplace. However, the most important point to be considered about mobbing is that once the above-mentioned or similar behaviors are experienced, it will not be enough for mobbing. The behavior that may cause mobbing should be done in a systematic way in order to ensure that the person quits the job.
The effects of mobbing on the person are quite large and wearisome. Examples of the effects of mobbing are the damage to one’s professional sense of self, the loss of self-confidence, the natural feeling of fear, anger, and restlessness, and the health problems that may lead to depression, panic attacks and even heart attacks.
In order to prevent mobbing (psychological harassment), it is possible to carry out some studies in the workplace. Some of these studies are to identify the problems in the workplace in a timely manner, to appreciate the success of the employees, to investigate and decide the complaint in a fair and impartial manner, and to organize the work environment in accordance with the needs of the people.
In cases where mobbing, that is, psychological, is encountered, first of all, the problem should be tried to be solved by communicating. The person perpetrating the mobbing should be told that he/she should end this situation, that this is a kind of harassment, and that he/she should stop such behavior in the presence of a witness if possible. This situation is also extremely important in terms of proving mobbing, that is, psychological violence in the message.
The situation should be reported to the authorities of the institution.
In addition, psychological help can be obtained to help the person in the situation. This can also serve as evidence to managers in the workplace.
The use of mobbing, that is, psychological violence in a workplace, gives every employer and employee the right to terminate the employment contract with just cause. If the employee is exposed to psychological violence at the workplace, a warning should be sent to the employer stating that he has been exposed to mobbing and that the employment contract has been terminated immediately for just cause. If mobbing is proven, there is also the right to compensation against the workers and employers working in the workplace. In addition, individuals have the right to claim compensation for discrimination under certain conditions.