Workplace Mobbing and the Role of Human Resources Management

Abstract

Workplace mobbing and bullying are the most pressing and urgent problems which employees, managers, and executives of most businesses can face in their day-to-day activities. The HR managers are responsible for the effectiveness of the processes in the workplace management and for protecting employees from unfair harassment and humiliation. The systematization of literary sources enabled us to make conclusions that the most common forms of workplace mobbing include the spreading of malicious gossip aimed at ridiculing and bullying the victim in a department or organization. It is quite often that gossip is a malicious tool for distorting personal information that has nothing to do with the victim’s professional competence. In an extreme case, such humiliations may be distributed beyond the office or scope of the employee’s activity. The purpose of the research is to investigate various forms of workplace mobbing as well as its impact on employees, their ability to work in a team, and their effective operation in the company. The article substantiates the role of the HR department in controlling workplace mobbing, the primary function of which is to support the organization’s ability to always improve its work efficiency. Given their job responsibilities, HR managers should focus on the legal, ethical, and socially responsible aspects of the company on the implementation of the policy, which forms team relationships due to the principles of mutual respect and dignity under conditions of an inclusive work environment. Besides, managers can take measures to identify, prevent, and effectively resolve daily differences and conflicts promptly. The purpose of these activities is to help employees behave properly, rationally, and professionally, objectively adhering to policies and instructions, thereby creating a supportive workplace environment. The results of the research can be useful for HR managers to make sure all employees can work in a safe and healthy work environment. Keywords: workplace mobbing, mobbing, bullying, harassment, HR management, stonewalling, violence.