RCMP and other Police Organizations as well as most dysfunctional Work Places:

In Policing:

The “Mobbing Effect “

Workplace harassment follows 5 stages

As was researched and discovered by the late Dr. Heinz Leymann (The Mobbing Encyclopedia) there is a five stage process that occurs when mobbing begins. Once in full swing this process is very difficult if not impossible to stop.

Stage 1

This stage begins with an unresolved conflict or a critical incident. Usually the target is an above average employee with a vulnerability that can be exploited. This often stems from jealousy, the need to scapegoat or to deflect blame, or simply because it builds social cohesion in divisive and dysfunctional groups. This stage is very early in the mobbing process, and may not go any further in developing into mobbing.

Stage 2

This is where the assaults begin to take place. There are different tactics that are utilized and this is when the process begins to pick up steam. Here a ring leader and allies will not only add fuel to the fire, but sabotage any resolution of the conflict to ensure that the lynching will run its course. They will counter and dismiss all attempts at resolving the conflict and when the outrage seems to be quieting they will rejuvenate the topic by taking it in another direction.

Stage 3

This is the stage where management begins to play a role. This is the first step in the elimination process. Managers often misinterpret the situation, and blame falls onto the victim. Supervisors simply don’t want to believe that their employees are capable of this kind of behaviour. With the targets now discredited and stigmatized any defence they make is disregarded. With “reality” now distorted, the individual’s word will not be taken over a group. There truly is strength in numbers.

Stage 4

This is where the process meets a critical stage and the target is labeled mentally ill or antisocial. By this time the target has become frustrated, withdrawn and unhappy while coworkers maliciously interpret this as mental illness. The target is highly suspicious of others and often discredited by being labeled as paranoid. Counselling at this point is mostly ineffective, as it does little to relieve the toxicity of the work environment. Unfortunately, many psychologists are ignorant or untrained about mobbing and its devastating effects. They will often attribute this to permanent mental conditions and personality flaws that were “always there” Nobody sees that this is a “normal reaction to an abnormal situation”.

If the target begins to fight back, he/she is labelled as an aggressor. When the target is excluded or withdraws and seeks solace then he/she is accused of being introverted. The mob will put the target in the compromised position, and will attack him/her for being there. As in any abusive situation, victim blaming is always the aggressors way of abdicating responsibility.

Stage 5

This stage is the expulsion process. By this time the target is mentally and physically drained, and has difficulty mustering the resources to provide an adequate defence. Often times there is little due process in the removal of a target and he/she has little chance of succeeding. Management being human as well will take the course of least resistance, they are more concerned about making the problem go away than getting to the root of the problem that is the bullying/mobbing behaviour. It is easier to remove one target than it is to deal with a gang of bullies.

After the expulsion, the target is emotionally devastated and can often show signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. With their professional reputation destroyed, nobody else wants to hire them. Their lives are all but ruined.

What does bullying do to your health? Bullying causes injury to health and makes you ill.

How many of these symptoms do you have?

constant high levels of stress and anxiety

frequent illness such as viral infections especially flu and glandular fever, colds, coughs, chest, ear, nose and throat infections (stress plays havoc with your immune system) aches and pains in the joints and muscles with no obvious cause; also back pain with no obvious cause and which won’t go away or respond to treatment headaches and migraines tiredness, exhaustion, constant fatigue

sleeplessness, nightmares, waking early, waking up more tired than when you went to bed

flashbacks and replays, obsessiveness, can’t get the bullying out of your mind irritable bowel syndrome

skin problems such as eczema, psoriasis, athlete’s foot, ulcers, shingles, urticaria poor concentration, can’t concentrate on anything for long bad or intermittently-functioning memory, forgetfulness, especially with trivial day-to-day things sweating, trembling, shaking, palpitations, panic attacks tearfulness, bursting into tears regularly and over trivial things uncharacteristic irritability and angry outbursts hyper vigilance (feels like but is not paranoia), being constantly on edge hypersensitivity, fragility, isolation, withdrawal

reactive depression, a feeling of woebegoneness, lethargy, hopelessness, anger, futility and more

shattered self-confidence, low self-worth, low self-esteem, loss of self-love, etc.

Calvin Lawrence (RCMP Retired)