Navigating the Shadows: Understanding Workplace Mobbing and Surveillance as Part of Organized Harassment

Introduction

For targeted individuals (T.I.s), organized harassment expands far beyond the confines of public spaces or their personal lives. This malevolent behavior extends into a sanctuary that should be safe—their workplace. Workplace mobbing, a form of collective bullying by co-workers, and coordinated surveillance are commonly employed tactics designed to dismantle an individual's morale, mental health, and livelihood. This article explores the experience of T.I.s as they face workplace mobbing and surveillance, illustrating these effects with examples and personal anecdotes.

What Is Workplace Mobbing?

Workplace mobbing is a coordinated group effort aimed at ostracizing and bullying an individual through malicious gossip, exclusion, intimidation, and other harmful actions. For T.I.s, workplace mobbing is not just ordinary bullying; it is part of a broader, orchestrated agenda of harassment. Often, this harassment is orchestrated by outside actors, with the unsuspecting participation of management and co-workers. These individuals may be coerced or incentivized to join in, creating a hostile environment where the targeted individual feels isolated and undermined.

How Mobbing Impacts Targeted Individuals

1. Constant Monitoring and Isolation

The act of monitoring extends into the workplace through the use of subtle surveillance tools. This might include colleagues repeating private details of the T.I.'s life, learned from illegal surveillance or discarded devices. This surveillance is often coupled with efforts to isolate the individual. Co-workers might leave them out of key meetings, exclude them from important communications, or spread rumors about their work ethic or character.

Example: I experienced this firsthand during my time at Citgo when colleagues started referring to personal events in my life, which I had never discussed with anyone at work. This was an intentional psychological game designed to make me feel paranoid and isolated. Co-workers would also leave me out of key meetings, forcing me to fall behind on projects, which gave them a pretext to criticize my performance.

2. Sabotaging Professional Reputation

Another common tactic is the deliberate attempt to sabotage the T.I.'s career. Co-workers might withhold critical information, provide false feedback to superiors, or engage in smear campaigns that undermine the T.I.'s professional reputation. This constant pressure can cause T.I.s to feel insecure about their abilities, leading to stress and burnout.

Personal Anecdote: In my case, this manifested through deliberate miscommunication. People would give me incorrect deadlines or withhold information I needed to complete a task. Then, when I inevitably fell behind or produced subpar work, it would reflect poorly on me. The damage to my reputation was amplified when these incidents were mentioned to higher-ups, creating an atmosphere of distrust.

3. Psychological Warfare and Fear

Tactics: Mobbing frequently employs psychological tactics to instill fear in T.I.s. This can include intimidation through veiled threats or aggressive behavior from co-workers, making the workplace an emotionally unsafe environment. The constant stress of never knowing who might be part of the harassment network heightens anxiety, leading to mental health deterioration.

Example: At one point, my workstation was moved several times without explanation, and the nature of my tasks kept shifting, making it impossible to establish any consistency. Co-workers who once treated me cordially started behaving as though they were in on a private joke, often laughing or whispering when I entered a room. These behaviors were not random; they were calculated to keep me on edge and destabilize my mental well-being.

How Surveillance Plays Into Workplace Harassment

Surveillance is a significant part of organized harassment. For T.I.s, it is not merely about being watched; it is about knowing that every move, conversation, and action can be used against them in the form of mobbing or other harassment tactics. In many cases, this surveillance transcends physical boundaries and involves electronic monitoring, which means that a T.I.'s online activities, phone calls, and even personal conversations are often intercepted.

1. Electronic Monitoring:

This includes monitoring emails, phone conversations, and digital communications, which are then used to manipulate or coerce co-workers into participating in the harassment. T.I.s may find that seemingly innocent comments they make online or in private text messages are repeated back to them at work, confirming that their privacy has been breached.

Example: In my experience, surveillance in the workplace took on a sinister form. Colleagues seemed to know about private conversations I had at home or on my phone, even outside of work hours. It became clear that my privacy had been breached in some form, and I became hyper-aware of everything I said or did, always wondering whether someone was listening or watching. This constant state of hyper-vigilance can lead to serious mental health consequences, including anxiety and depression.

2. Co-worker Surveillance:

Co-workers themselves may be roped into monitoring the T.I., either knowingly or unknowingly. In some cases, they may be coerced into observing the T.I.'s actions and reporting back to an orchestrator. This creates an environment where the T.I. feels they are always being watched, heightening paranoia and stress.

The Emotional Toll of Mobbing and Surveillance

For targeted individuals, the emotional toll of workplace mobbing and surveillance can be devastating. The constant barrage of exclusion, criticism, and covert surveillance creates a hostile environment that feels inescapable. This often leads to:

Mental Health Decline: Chronic anxiety, depression, and paranoia are common outcomes for T.I.s subjected to mobbing and surveillance. The workplace, once a place of professional development, turns into a minefield of psychological warfare. Physical Health Issues: Stress from workplace harassment can lead to physical symptoms such as headaches, high blood pressure, sleep disturbances, and other stress-related illnesses. Loss of Livelihood: Mobbing often results in the T.I. being forced out of their job, either due to termination or because the harassment becomes too overwhelming to endure. The loss of a steady income is a further blow to the T.I.'s stability and well-being.

Conclusion

Workplace mobbing and surveillance as part of organized harassment present unique and painful challenges for targeted individuals. By stripping away a sense of safety and professionalism in the workplace, these tactics aim to destabilize, isolate, and discredit the individual, often with the end goal of forcing them out of their job. For T.I.s, understanding these tactics is crucial for building resilience, seeking legal recourse, and finding supportive networks that can provide guidance in these troubling times.

If you are a T.I. experiencing workplace mobbing or surveillance, know that you are not alone. There are resources, communities, and legal options that can help you fight back against these tactics of organized harassment.