Arrive on time every day. It fulfills its tasks, even exceeds them. And yet, something has changed: the sarcastic comments in meetings, the email you never receive, the project that is taken away without explanation, the awkward silence when you enter the room. It's not paranoia. It is mobbing, and those who suffer from it usually take months—sometimes years—to put a name to what they are experiencing.

The term, coined by the German psychologist Heinz Leymann in the 1980s, describes a form of systematic psychological violence exercised in the workplace: harassment, isolation, discredit or exclusion sustained over time, directed at a person with the objective – explicit or not – of destabilizing, discrediting or forcing their departure.

More common than it seems

Unlike a specific conflict between colleagues, mobbing is characterized by its repetition and intentionality. It is not a bad day or an isolated argument: it is a sustained pattern, which can come from a superior (downward vertical mobbing), from a subordinate towards their boss (ascending) or between peers (horizontal).

The forms it takes are varied and, often, difficult to prove: the assignment of humiliating or impossible-to-fulfill tasks, constant and disproportionate criticism, deliberate social isolation, the spread of rumors, the invisibility of the work performed or the intentional overload of functions. Its subtlety is precisely what makes it so harmful: it rarely leaves tangible evidence, and those who suffer from it often doubt their own perception before daring to speak.

The invisible cost in monthly health

Occupational health specialists agree that mobbing is not a simple work-related stress factor, but rather an experience with the capacity to generate deep and lasting psychological damage. Among its most frequent consequences are:

Added to this is a particularly insidious element: the feeling of “going crazy.” Since bullying is usually covered up and denied by those who carry it out, the victim experiences a constant dissonance between what they perceive and what the environment validates, which deepens the anguish and delays seeking help.

Why is it so hard to ask for help?

Silence is, perhaps, the most effective ally of mobbing. The fear of reprisals, of not being believed, of losing one's job or of being identified as "conflictive" leads many people to remain silent for long periods. Added to this, in many cases, is an organizational culture that minimizes the problem or reduces it to “normal friction” in the work environment.

Specialists insist that breaking that silence is the first step. Documenting the events - emails, messages, dates, witnesses -, seeking psychological support and, when possible, resorting to internal or external reporting channels, is key both for the health of the affected person and for stopping the dynamic before it worsens.

The responsibility of the organizers

More and more legislation and companies recognize mobbing as a psychosocial risk that must be managed with the same seriousness as any other occupational risk. Prevention protocols, confidential reporting channels, healthy leadership training and an organizational culture that does not tolerate abuse are measures that, according to specialists in human resources and occupational health, can make the difference between a toxic environment and a safe one.

Because, ultimately, mobbing not only destroys the mental health of those who suffer from it: it also erodes the productivity, work environment and reputation of organizations that look the other way.

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