Bullying
Bullying is systematic, long-term aggressive behaviour to gain a sense of superiority and advantage. It is usually directed against an individual or group who cannot avoid or defend themselves. It includes all forms of creating hostile and humiliating relationships in the workplace. It is a risk to mental and physical health. It can be deliberate with the aim of elimination, unintentional or pathological, i.e. caused by behavioural disorders.
Attacks of classic bullying are recurrent and last for more than half a year.
Types of bullying
The term mobbing has become established in this country as the equivalent of bullying at work, and at the same time the name is used as bullying between colleagues.
It refers primarily to psychological abuse or a systematic, purposeful and, above all, repeated attack on a particular person. It uses a degrading attitude, excessive criticism, ridicule, and minor or major intrigues. It is therefore not a conflict or a short-term and one-off strategy. It is a series of negative communicative acts perpetrated by an individual or a number of individuals towards a particular person over a prolonged period of time (at least six months and at least once a week).
BOSSING
The word bossing refers to bullying by a supervisor, usually the practice of a manager putting pressure on a subordinate to force, for example, his or her obedience or expel him or her from the workplace. The term bossing is also often used interchangeably with mobbing from above.
STAFFING
Staffing refers to bullying from subordinates upwards, i.e. towards a supervisor, manager, director, management, etc. It is an unfair attack against an individual in any leadership position whom his direct subordinates want to eliminate, harm, or possibly his entire team or company. It may be one aggressor, but it may be the whole team or other managers who are incited against their boss. He may complain about Bossing, but the opposite may be true. His attacks can be very vicious and he will remove his manager just under the flag of bullying. It is for these reasons that it is important not to underestimate bullying investigations and objectivity.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT
Sexual harassment is unwanted, inappropriate behaviour of a sexual nature, involving humiliation of women or men, where human dignity is reduced, restricted, harassed with a sexual context. It often involves the use of power or physical superiority to engage in non-consensual sexual conduct, disregarding the freedom and needs of the other.
DISCRIMINATION
Discrimination and unequal treatment is usually attacking a person because of differences in race, ethnicity, national origin, gender (pregnancy, maternity, paternity gender identification), religion, politics, sexual beliefs, age, disability, etc. Oppression of certain individual members by denying them civil rights, reducing their chances of employment in society. Often based on prejudice.
CYBERBULLYING
Bullying through electronic media. Aggressive and deliberate harassment of a user of electronic media such as the internet, telephone. Like traditional bullying, it involves repetitive behaviour and a power imbalance between aggressor and victim. The intent is to harm, discredit the victim in their professional and private life, to hurt them. The loss of privacy, personal information and sense of security are at risk. The consequences are the same as for traditional bullying.
Most common attacks
The most common attacks include:
- preventing the expression of opinion without risk of retaliation
- intimidation, insulting, belittling, questioning,
- ridicule
- manipulation of information
- constant and unjustified criticism
- shouting, name-calling, derogatory nicknames, innuendo
- gossip, rumour, intrigue, incitement of colleagues
- threat to reputation
- social and professional isolation
- assignment of meaningless or difficult tasks
- sexual harassment
- discrimination, threats, harassment
- failure to provide trust and support
- undervaluing of performance leading to loss of self-esteem
Bullying consequencies
Mental
anxiety, frustration, resignation, loss of self-esteem, reluctance to go to work
Health
insomnia, nausea, stomach pain, headaches, psychosomatic problems, psychological disorders
Work
impaired performance, lack of concentration, errors
Company
absenteeism, turnover, decrease in efficiency and OSH, deterioration of work climate, damage to reputation, demotivation, financial losses
Who will help you?
- You can get in touch with the Psychological Counselling at the university.
- You can contact one of the contact persons at MU or the Masaryk University ombuds who will provide you with individual advice and possibly help with reporting the incident within MU.