The-Accountant-Jul-Aug-2017

WORK PLACE
MOBBING AND
BULLYING
Work Place Evils
By Carol Ngura, carolngura@gmail.com
As the global work force is
growing both intellectually
and in size, the Kenyan
work force is not left
behind. The average Kenyan
employee is becoming more hardworking
and extremely aggressive. There is an
increase in both healthy and unhealthy
competition in the workplace sometimes
making the environment very hostile
especially for the victims. Bullying and
mobbing are just some of the work place
evils quickly taking root in our Kenyan
work places.
What is bullying?
According to the Workplace Bullying
Institute (WBI), workplace Bullying is
repeated health-harming mistreatment of
one or more persons (the targets) by one
or more perpetrators. It is abusive conduct
that is:
• Threatening, humiliating, or
intimidating, or
• Work interference — sabotage —
which prevents work from getting done,
or
• Verbal abuse
What is mobbing?
Mobbing is emotional and psychological
terror or harassment perpetuated by a
group of people and aimed at a specific
target person. The victim is ridiculed,
humiliated and in the end dismissed from
the work place. The perpetrators may be
superiors, subordinates or even colleagues.
Mobbing can take a less aggressive
approach, the group starts spreading
rumors about the victim, isolating them
and just doing everything they can in the
background to make their life difficult. It
can also encompass more confrontational
actions like humiliating, belittling and
directly harassing the victim.
Difference between bullying
and mobbing:
• Bullying encompasses more
confrontational and often violent actions
like belittling the target, directly harassing
and humiliating them. Mobbing takes
a less confrontational and nonviolent
approaches like isolating the target.
• Bullies discredit their target to any
avenues; the target may seek support
from like management, human resources
and union representatives. Perpetrators
of mobbing only work in environments
favorable to them.
Likely targets:
Mostly the common targets are new
entrants in the organization especially
if the juniors were eyeing that position.
They tend to gang up against their new
boss just to make his/her work difficult
and make him/her look incompetent.
The competent employees are another
easy target. Their colleagues may find
them a threat to their positions and as a
result become hostile to them.
In addition, women employees are
likely targets especially if they hold a
position of authority and their juniors
are men. This happens because of the
patriarchal society that believes women
cannot lead men.
On the onset of aggression, many
targets are often clueless that there is a
group/mob forming against them. Most
38 JULY - AUGUST 2017