By: Jorge Alejandro Medina Pérez
GSB Mexico Support
If you feel familiar with any of the following points, beware, you are being a victim of
mobbing
If you think it is possible, we recommend you to talk about it with the right person in your organization.
Attacks on the victim with organizational measures:
- The superior restricts the person’s ability to speak out.
- Changing a person’s location by separating him/her from his/her peers
- Prohibiting colleagues from speaking to a specific person
- Forcing someone to perform tasks against his or her conscience
- Judging a person’s performance in an offensive manner
- Questioning a person’s decisions
- Not assigning tasks to a person
- Assigning meaningless tasks
- Assigning a person tasks far below his or her capabilities
- Assigning degrading tasks
Social isolation:
- Restricting peers from talking to a person
- Refusing to communicate with a person through looks and gestures
- Refusing to communicate with a person by not communicating directly with them
- Not speaking to a person
- Treating a person as if he or she did not exist
Attacks on the victim’s private life:
- Permanent criticism of a person’s private life
- Telephone terror
- Making a person look “stupid
- Implying that a person has psychological problems
- Making fun of a person’s disabilities
- Imitate the gestures, voices… of a person.
Physical violence:
- Sexual offers, sexual violence
- Threats of physical violence
- Use of minor violence
- Physical abuse
Attacks on the victim’s beliefs:
- Attacks on political or religious attitudes or beliefs
- Making fun of the victim’s nationality
Verbal aggressions:
- Shouting or swearing
- Permanent criticism of the person’s work
- Verbal threats
Rumors:
- Badmouthing the person behind his or her back
- Spreading rumors
Put a stop! Check the following recommendations:
1- Defend your effort
Never let anyone tell you that everything you do is wrong or useless. Argue your answers and, above all, feel confident. If you notice that there is no change, let them know and approach Human Resources, they will surely have a solution.
2- Don’t wear yourself out arguing
There is no better response than to ignore the aggressor. If you see that this person keeps bothering you, emphasizing everything you “do wrong”, ignore them completely! It’s not worth your time, talk to your superior and come to a solution. Remember that answering him will only make you fall into his game.
3- Stay away completely
When you suffer harassment from your boss, you will hardly be right. Talk to him and make it clear to him everything that is going on, demand a response to so much harassment on his part. If he notices that you are a confident person who is not intimidated, he will probably change the way he is with you; if you see that the attitude towards you remains the same, I would recommend you to start looking for a new job or your change to a different area. You don’t have to put up with mistreatment.
4- Any evidence you have is good
Back up all your documents, but if necessary, ask to see the security cameras in case it is something serious. Try to record your aggressor when he is attacking you; don’t hesitate to use anything you see as evidence to put an end to it.
5- Learn to say no
Not because he is your boss you are going to allow him to speak badly or humiliate you, do not say yes to everything, have your own criteria and make the decision that best suits you. And, of course, that it doesn’t go above and beyond who you are.
