Psychological harassment, also known as workplace bullying or workplace mobbing, refers to repeated mistreatment and abusive conduct directed at an employee in the workplace. This can include behaviors like screaming, constant criticism, isolation, intimidation, insults, and unreasonable demands. Psychological harassment creates a hostile work environment and can have severe consequences for the victim’s mental and physical health.
Definition of Psychological Harassment
The most widely accepted definition of workplace psychological harassment comes from researchers Leymann and Gustafsson, who described it as:
“Hostile and unethical communication which is directed in a systematic manner by one or more individuals, mainly toward one individual, who, due to mobbing, is pushed into a helpless and defenseless position and held there by means of continuing mobbing activities.”
Key elements of this definition include:
- Repeated, frequent hostile behaviors over a prolonged period of time
- A power imbalance between the perpetrator(s) and victim
- The targeted individual feels helpless against the mistreatment
Psychological harassment involves behaviors that can seem minor when viewed in isolation, but collectively undermine the target in a systematic way. It is the repetitive nature of the abuse that causes harm.
Prevalence of Workplace Psychological Harassment
Research estimates that psychological harassment affects 10-15% of employees globally. Some studies have found even higher rates:
- A 2008 national survey in France estimated 20% of employees had experienced psychological harassment.
- In a 2002 survey across UK companies, 45% of respondents said they had been bullied at work.
- A 2004 study of Canadian nurses found over 70% had experienced psychological harassment.
Psychological harassment can happen in any workplace and any industry. It may be more prevalent in high-stress environments with large power differences between staff levels. Healthcare, academia, and office/corporate jobs tend to have high reported rates of workplace bullying.
Forms and Examples of Psychological Harassment
Workplace psychological harassment encompasses many different behaviors. Some common examples include:
Verbal Abuse
- Yelling, screaming or berating
- Insults and name-calling
- Demeaning, abusive language
- Unjustified, constant criticism
- Mocking or belittling comments
Intimidation Tactics
- Slamming fists, throwing objects
- Invading personal space to seem threatening
- Sending threatening notes or emails
- Displaying weapons or making verbal threats
Isolation and Exclusion
- Preventing access to necessary information
- Leaving out of meetings/communications
- Silent treatment or ignoring
- Denying opportunity to express oneself
- Excluding from social gatherings
Destabilization
- Unreasonably heavy workloads or impossible deadlines
- Meaningless tasks unrelated to job
- Shifting goals and expectations without reason
- Excessive monitoring of work
- Repeatedly assigning demeaning jobs
Discrediting and Undermining
- Spreading rumors or gossip to damage reputations
- Insulting or belittling in front of others
- Making misleading allegations
- Attacking professional competency
- Excessive criticism about minor things
These behaviors undermine the target’s performance and destroy their self-esteem. They also isolate the person from support systems and create a threatening, unsafe environment.
Individual vs. Mob Psychological Harassment
Psychological harassment may be perpetrated by:
- A single individual – Most often a supervisor or manager who abuses their authority over an employee. Their position of power emboldens them to mistreat subordinates.
- A group of coworkers – Several people collectively mob an individual worker through gossip, humiliation, isolation, or verbal abuse. The ganging up provides a sense of anonymity.
Mob harassment is often covert and subtle, whereas boss harassment tends to be more overt aggression and intimidation. The result is the same – the gradual deterioration of the target’s working life.
Why Does Workplace Psychological Harassment Occur?
There are multiple factors that can lead to psychological harassment at work:
- Personality disorders – Narcissists and psychopaths tend to manipulate and dominate others in the workplace.
- Stress – High-pressure, stressful environments can cause some to lash out and bully subordinates.
- Insecurity – Inadequate managers feeling threatened may demean others to feel more powerful.
- Company culture – Firms that tolerate abuse create environments ripe for harassment.
- Learned behavior – Those bullied themselves or witnessing it go unpunished may follow suit.
- Envy – Bullies envious of competent coworkers target them to soothe their own insecurities.
In most cases, the root cause of sustained abusive behavior is the personality of the perpetrator. Weak interpersonal skills, lack of self-regulation and ethics, insecurity, and desire for control allows them to psychologically terrorize others.
Characteristics of Perpetrators
While individuals that engage in psychological harassment come from all backgrounds, they often share common traits:
- Lack empathy and compassion for others
- Have over-inflated sense of self-worth and entitlement
- Unable to handle criticism or perceived slights to ego
- Prone to outbursts of anger and rage
- Constantly micro-managing subordinates
- History of poor leadership and abusive behaviors
- Authoritarian, rigid approach with strict hierarchies
In short, psychological harassers tend to have dysfunctional personalities prone to dominating and demeaning anyone they perceive as weaker or threatening to their sense of power.
Characteristics of Victims
While anyone can become a target, certain personality traits make some more vulnerable to harassment:
- Non-confrontational, conflict avoidant
- Low self-confidence and self-esteem
- Unassertive about needs, boundaries
- Physically or socially isolated at work
- Younger, less work experience
- Minority status
- Envied skills or qualifications
- Whistleblowers/non-conformists
Bullies often zero in on those less likely to stand up for themselves. But anyone can be worn down by sustained abuse from higher-ups.
Consequences of Psychological Harassment
Being the target of psychological harassment has detrimental effects on a person’s mental and physical health. Common psychological consequences include:
- Depression
- Anxiety
- PTSD
- Sleep disturbances
- Loss of self-esteem and confidence
- Suicidal thoughts
- Anger
- Mood swings
- Inability to concentrate
Physical health effects can include:
- Fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Headaches
- Gastrointestinal issues
- Weight changes
- Impaired immune system
- Cardiovascular disease
Psychological harassment also harms job performance and work environments through increased absenteeism, lower engagement, and higher turnover.
Real-World Examples of Workplace Psychological Harassment
Some examples of psychological harassment employees have faced include:
Verbal Abuse and Intimidation
- A marketing director screaming obscenities at staff over minor mistakes.
- A doctor throwing surgical tools and charts during tirades in the operating room.
- A bank manager who hovering over employees’ desks and shouting insults about their intelligence.
Humiliation and Undermining
- An engineer whose manager mocked his stutter constantly in front of other teammates.
- A receptionist whose coworkers moved her office to an isolated spot and took away her work phone.
- A salesperson whom higher-ups stripped of major accounts without notification or reason.
Excessive Monitoring and Unreasonable Demands
- A software developer whose boss installed tracking software to monitor productivity down to the last keystroke.
- A waiter forced to work 18-hour shifts without overtime pay or breaks.
- A manager ordered to fire half her team as punishment for missing an unrealistic deadline.
These examples demonstrate the wide variety of tactics bullies use to assert dominance and control through psychological abuse and manipulation.
Preventing Workplace Psychological Harassment
The most effective way to stop workplace psychological harassment is through preventative measures. Some best practices organizations can implement include:
- Establish and enforce clear anti-bullying policies.
- Implement training to help managers recognize and respond to bullying.
- Have reporting systems that allow confidential complaints without retaliation.
- Conduct climate surveys to assess bullying prevalence.
- Incorporate civility, respect and ethics into company values.
- Provide coaching for rude, abusive managers to improve behavior.
- Protect whistleblowers and witnesses who come forward.
- Quickly investigate claims and take decisive action against bullies.
Stopping psychological harassment requires commitment from leadership to foster a culture of safety, dignity and accountability at all levels.
Responding to Workplace Psychological Harassment
If you experience psychological harassment, some steps you can take include:
- Keeping detailed records of the incidents.
- Telling the person their behavior is unacceptable and to stop.
- Reporting the harassment to HR or a supervisor.
- Filing a formal complaint if policies aren’t enforced.
- Contacting an employment lawyer for legal consultation.
- Seeking counseling or therapy for support.
- Joining support groups to combat isolation.
- Taking sick leave if needed for your health.
While you should not have to endure psychological abuse, taking initiative to report it and standing up for your rights is crucial. Oftentimes organizations are unaware of harassment occurring.
Legal Protections Against Psychological Harassment
In many jurisdictions, workplace psychological harassment violates laws against discrimination, harassment, and occupational safety. For example:
- The Canadian Labour Code protects all workers from “harassment and violence.”
- In the European Union, the Framework Directive on Safety and Health at Work addresses bullying behaviors.
- The U.S. does not have a federal law banning workplace bullying, though over 30 states have introduced legislation against it.
- Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bans harassment on the basis of protected classes like race, sex, religion, etc.
Consulting qualified legal counsel is advisable if you have been harassed. Laws vary significantly depending on your location.
Unions Against Psychological Harassment
Labor unions can be an important resource in combating psychological harassment through:
- Negotiating anti-bullying and anti-harassment provisions into collective agreements.
- Educating workers on their rights and speaking out on the issues.
- Providing advocacy and legal support if complaints are ignored.
- Organizing direct action in response to abusive managers.
- Lobbying for laws and regulations prohibiting psychological harassment.
Unionization places more power into workers’ hands to hold employers accountable for preventing abusive conditions.
The Importance of Speaking Up
The first step in challenging psychological harassment is breaking the silence. Targets often suffer in isolation, feeling ashamed or powerless. The perpetrator counts on them staying silent.
Yet speaking up can help shift organizational culture for the better. It signals that bullying will not be tolerated anymore. Managers unable to address it need to be replaced by ethical, empathetic leadership. Sick environments only change when exposed to the light.
So give voice to your experiences, connect with others going through similar abuses, and know you do not have to be silent. The truth, once spoken loud and clear, holds power.
Conclusion
Workplace psychological harassment involves repetitive, abusive conduct from managers or coworkers that creates a hostile work environment. It can include behaviors like verbal abuse, intimidation, isolation, destabilization, and undermining. This form of bullying affects over 10% of workers globally.
Psychological harassment stems from toxic organizational cultures and managers with personality disorders or insecurities. The consequences for victims include severe psychological and physical health impacts. Preventing bullying requires leadership committed to culture change through policies, training, reporting systems, and accountability.
Targets should document incidents, report the abuse, and know their legal rights. Speaking up can help punish perpetrators, compensate victims, and work toward safe, dignified working conditions free of harassment for all.