Most of my writings are inspired by natural, colorful miracles of the earth. Thisbtime, my pen reaches you from Istanbul, where I came for holiday. I am on the shores of the Sea of Marmara, where the world’s few historical structures dance with the deep blue waters of the Bosphorus that are sometimes turbulent and sometimes silent. While there is a high construction and a lively crowd around it, suddenly, the mischievous children of the Bosphorus, the dolphins, pass through the vast waters. People traveling on the famous ferries, which are considered among the symbols of the city, throw bagel crumbs to feed the seagulls enthusiastically flying and screaming. Countless streets such as Barbaros and Akaretler on the outskirts of the town are reaching out for the sea along the coastline, and they serenade to the Maiden’s Tower. And be sure of that, every single back street towards the city has a magical story. This city, which has great legends, has also a great crowd.
In such big cities all over the world, you sometimes feel so tiny, as if you are an ant, running and working all the time. This feeling of smallness, busy working life, inability, and inadequacy to manage time, as well as the psychological attacks we experience from time to time, and various traumatic events sometimes small and sometimes big, annoy us even more. Especially these situations that we experience in our business life increase this negative mood. The name of this psychological terror, harassment, intimidation, and self- confidence-breaking behavior in the workplace is mobbing. We can experience similar behaviors not only in business life but also in our family and social environment. So let’s talk about mobbing. This word is an abbreviation of
archaic mobile, short for Latin -mobile vulgus- meaning ‘excitable crowd” Having this word reached its current form is a very interesting, but in fact, similar story. At first, it was used by biologists and they called it the behavior of birds that protect their nests by frightening the attacker. It was later described
as an attack by a small group of animals on a large animal. This word, which evolved in time, was used to name a demeanor of discrimination exercised by a group of children to another child outside the group. These kinds of behaviors, which are experienced in business life finally and pester the life out of the exposed person, are called mobbing and became well-known all over the world. In fact, the word always refers to the same, psychological assault. Purpose, space, time, gender, and duty change, but what is experienced and felt is always the same and often destructive.
The causes of mobbing often vary;
* Individual reasons
* Personal and spiritual structures of the attackers
* Personal and spiritual structure of the victim
* Structure of the current management or organization
The reasons mentioned above can be multiplied within themselves, but the central point is always the same; the attack to yield. It causes severe psychological problems for the victim, along with physical problems. Considering today’s socioeconomic conditions, it is not easy to say ‘goodbye’ to a workplace that one works in. Most of the time, however, this story ends with the termination of the employment. When the time comes to say goodbye, the victim had already experienced a psychological and physical breakdown. It’s a story we all face, even if it’s a small one, isn’t it? And the saddest part when we experience them is the audience who witnessed these behaviors. There may be those who are curious, who watch with much interest, who are not involved in
any events but are just watching, or who watch as if they are hypocritically doing nothing, but who secretly support the attacker. When we examine the incident from a general perspective, the audience also causes psychological harm to victims as much as those who exercise mobbing.
Once mobbing occurs and continues at regular intervals, it harms the individual, the institution, the image of the institution, the family of the individual, and their immediate environment. In short, it is a phenomenon that
harms society. Thus, it is protected by law since it is a social problem. It should be known that these behaviors are prohibited by law and the situation should be approached with common sense by everyone. Struggle and intervention by both the individual and the institution are essential. People should know that they are not alone in such situations; high authorities dealing with mobbing, human resources departments, workplace physicians, employees, and managers should be aware of the situation, and social assistance organizations,
solidarity institutions etc. should provide special psychological support. In addition, complaints must be made in writing, and witnesses and documents must be attached to the application. This is also required in legal terms.
As a result, we experience mobbing and similar unpleasant events in our lives. We see it not only in big cities, but also in towns, villages, and perhaps sometimes in our very immediate surroundings. To deal with this, I advise you to calm down first. Express yourself in simple and calm language. This way you won’t lose control. Take into account the suggestions from them and consider what is important. Accepting these suggestions does not mean that you agree with them. It serves a common purpose. Generate new ideas that will attract attention. Most importantly, do not be afraid to argue with the attackers, but never adopt the same style as them. Stay in balance, as in every area of our lives. Being balanced increases the quality of our lives and makes it easier to
achieve our goals. Your behavior should not be the result of existing circumstances but of your character. Remember, when you discover your power and your mind, your show will begin.
Be a wise person. You can win fairly, live peacefully, get out of the complexes, leave the chaos behind, and move on with joy. The stage is yours, now it’s showtime.
With warm regards…
Ozlem TUNA
Cover Photo: kaptanmaykrelaxx
