ISSN 1413-389X Trends in Psychology / Temas em Psicologia – 2016, Vol. 24, nº 1, 353-365 DOI: 10.9788/TP2016.1-24

Psychological Interventions against Workplace

Vanessa Rissi1 Department Head of Graduate Studies in Psychology, Meridional College – IMED, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology, Vale do Rio dos Sinos University, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil Janine Kieling Monteiro Graduate Program in Clinical Psychology, Vale do Rio dos Sinos University, São Leopoldo, RS, Brazil William Weber Cecconello Graduate School of Psychology, Pontifi cal Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil. Eliz Graciela de Moraes Meridional College – IMED, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil

Abstract Workplace mobbing is a global phenomenon with a complex and multicausal nature. This concept refers to violent behaviors which aim to humiliate, exclude and cause psychological damage to an individual or group in the work environment. Since workplace mobbing may cause or exacerbate several psychological disorders, it must be addressed by psychological interventions. In light of these concerns, the aim of this article was to investigate whether psychologists in organizational settings address the issue of mobbing, and describe the interventions implemented in this type of situation. We also sought to investigate their understanding of the concept of mobbing in the workplace. This was a qualitative exploratory study involving seven psychologists recruited by convenience. Participants were interviewed, and data were processed by content analysis. Our fi ndings showed that psychologists make use of specifi c and isolated preventive interventions, as well as reactive interventions, such as maintaining a physical distance between the parties involved in mobbing and monitoring the behavior of the offender. It was also observed that psychologists adequately understand as a phenomenon characterized by , which is often perpetrated by managers, as a form of of power. Keywords: Mobbing, psychological interventions, prevention, work.

Intervenções Psicológicas diante do Assédio Moral no Trabalho

Resumo O assédio moral é um fenômeno mundial, complexo e multicausal. Refere-se a comportamentos violentos que visam humilhar, rechaçar e demolir psiquicamente o indivíduo ou grupo assediado, no contexto do trabalho. Devido ao seu potencial para causar sofrimento psíquico e adoecimento no trabalho, pode exigir intervenções psicológicas. Nesta perspectiva, o artigo objetiva identifi car se os Psicólogos,

1 Mailing address: Faculdade Meridional – IMED, Departamento de Pós-Graduação Lato Sensu em Psicologia, Rua Senador Pinheiro, 304, Cruzeiro, Passo Fundo, RS, Brazil 99070-220. Phone/Fax: (54) 3045-6100. E-mail: vanessa. [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] and [email protected] 354 Rissi, V., Monteiro, J. K., Cecconello, W. W., Moraes, E. G. quando inseridos nas organizações de trabalho, têm enfrentado o assédio moral, e como têm realizado as intervenções psicológicas. Para isto, também buscou-se compreender qual é o entendimento que estes profi ssionais possuem acerca do assédio moral nas relações de trabalho. Realizou-se um estudo de abordagem qualitativa e delineamento exploratório. Foram entrevistados sete Psicólogos, recrutados por conveniência. Os dados foram processados por análise de conteúdo. Os resultados apontaram que os Psicólogos utilizam intervenções psicológicas preventivas, mas pontuais e isoladas, bem como intervenções reativas, caracterizadas por demissão, manutenção de distanciamento físico entre os envolvidos no caso de assédio e acompanhamento do comportamento do agressor, após conversa inicial. Também se constatou que os Psicólogos compreendem adequadamente o assédio moral enquanto fenômeno que humilha e é perpetuado por gestores, caracterizando abuso de poder hierárquico. Palavras-chave: Assédio moral, intervenções psicológicas, prevenção, trabalho.

Intervención Psicológica ante el Acoso Moral en el Trabajo

Resumen El acoso es un fenómeno global, compleja y multifactorial. Se refi ere a un comportamiento violento destinado a humillar, rechazar y psíquicamente demoler el individuo o grupo acosado, en el contexto del trabajo. Debido a su potencial para causar trastornos psicológicos y enfermedades en el trabajo, puede requiere de intervenciones psicológicas. En esta perspectiva, el trabajo tiene como objetivo determinar si los psicólogos, cuando si inserem en las organizaciones de trabajo se han enfrentado el acoso moral y cómo se han realizado las intervenciones psicológicas. Por esto, también tratamos de entender lo que es el entendimiento de que estos profesionales poseen acerca de la intimidación en las relaciones laborales. Se realizó un estudio cualitativo y enfoque de diseño exploratorio. Fueron entrevistados siete psicólogos contratados por conveniencia. Los datos se procesaron por análisis de contenido. Los resul- tados mostraron que los psicólogos utilizan intervenciones preventivas, pero específi cas y aisladas, así como las intervenciones reactivas, que se caracteriza por la demisión, el mantenimiento de la distancia física entre las personas involucradas en el caso del acoso y la vigilancia de la conducta del delincuente, después de la conversación inicial también mostró que: psicólogos entienden adecuadamente el acoso moral como un fenómeno que humilla y se perpetúa por los administradores, con el abuso de poder jerárquico. Palabras clave: Acoso moral, las intervenciones psicológicas, prevención, trabajo.

Workplace mobbing is a serious and com- in Brazil since colonial times (Teixeira, Munck, plex problem rooted in social, economic, orga- & Reis, 2011). nizational and cultural factors. This is a global Mobbing refers to abusive, intentional, phenomenon, which has concerned academics and frequent attempts to , humiliate, from diverse disciplinary backgrounds as well as and devalue an individual or group, degrading international organizations involved in worker their working conditions and threatening their protection and human rights (Heloani & Barreto, personal and professional integrity (Freitas, 2010). Although workplace mobbing has been Heloani, & Barreto, 2008; Leymann, 1996). discussed in the international literature for over Workplace mobbing is characterized by 25 years, it has been studied for signifi cantly less four major features, all of which have been time in Brazil (Soboll, 2008a): the fi rst article previously discussed by Freitas et al. (2008), on the topic was only published in 2001. This Rezende (2008) and Soboll (2008b): type of psychological violence is often under- 1. Frequency and recurrence: hostile behaviors estimated by organizations (Guimarães & Vas- must occur several times a day, for a certain concellos, 2012). However, it has been present period of time. Isolated instances are not Psychological Interventions against Workplace Mobbing. 355

considered mobbing. There is no consensus levels, respectively. Suicide may also result on the usual duration of mobbing, but occur- from psychological (Freitas, 2011). rences must be continuous and persistent to Most researchers divide workplace harass- be classifi ed as such. ment into four major types: downward (or ver- 2. “Personalness”: ho stile behaviors are not tical), upward, horizontal, and mixed. Hirigoyen directed at a group of people, but at a spe- (2005a) defi nes downward harassment as abuse cifi c person. It is possible for more than one by a superior. This is usually the most common person in a particular group to be targeted, type of harassment. Horizontal harassment but the process is always direct and per- involves abuse by a colleague of the same sonal. hierarchical level. This type of abuse often 3. Geographical limit: hostile behaviors must occurs when workers compete for the same job occur in the workplace, among people or promotion. A less common type of abuse who are employed or depend directly or is upward harassment, in which a manager is indirectly on the same organization. attacked by one or more subordinates. This 4. Intention to harm: the behaviors in question usually occurs when a new worker is hired for intend to harm the victim so as to reduce a managerial position in an organization. Other their acting space and force their removal employees who wanted the job may then dispute from the organization or a specifi c project the authority of the new hire. Mixed harassment in which (s)he is involved. The target can be occurs when an employee is attacked by defi ned either explicitly or implicitly. individuals across different hierarchical levels, According to the World Health Orga- such as colleagues and superiors. Regardless nization (Organización Mundial de la Salud of the type of harassment (downward, mixed, [OMS], 2004), may cause horizontal or upward), workplace mobbing is or contribute to the appearance of several a complex process in which the victim is often psychopathological, psychosomatic and beha- unable to defend themselves. This may have vioral disorders. The individual, organizational signifi cant repercussions for their self-esteem. and social consequences of mobbing have been The loss of self-concept, combined with a feeling investigated by several international studies, of uselessness, may result in a loss of dignity and and include impairments in victim quality of self-respect (Heloani & Barreto, 2010). life (Niedl, 1996); suicíde, post-traumatic stress Workplace mobbing can involve two disorder (Hansen et al., 2006); problems in family distinct pathways: personal harassment, which relationships (Duffy & Sperry, 2007); decreased is related to interpersonal relationships, and work satisfaction (Hoel & Cooper, 2000); organizational harassment, which is associated interpersonal problems in the workplace (Vega with the organizational context, process and & Comer, 2005); impaired group processes and management (Soboll, 2008b). Therefore, when increased aggressive behaviors (Ramsay, Troth, investigating workplace mobbing, it is important & Branch, 2010); impairments in cognitive to evaluate both workplace relationships and the functions such as attention and concentration, and organization itself. an increased risk psychological disorders such Both employers and employees recognize as (International Labor Organization that psychological abuse is a severe form of [ILO], 2000; OMS, 2004) increased medical violence, which may result from changing costs and early retirement (Hoel, Sparks, & dynamics in the relationship with colleagues Cooper, 2001). On a similar vein, Freitas (2007) and superiors. Organizational relationships identifi ed several consequences associated with are increasingly dominated by individuality workplace mobbing in Brazil, ranging from and competitiveness; rather than encouraging victim psychopathology at an individual level, bonding and cooperation between workers, they to decreased productivity and increased social prevent employees from recognizing and valuing security spending, at organizational and social the work of others. Under such circumstances, 356 Rissi, V., Monteiro, J. K., Cecconello, W. W., Moraes, E. G. there may be a belief that events are not workplace social norms, as well as limit-setting caused by injustice, but rather, by economical interventions. Preventive measures must also in- or systemic factors, or even by destiny alone clude awareness-raising among employees, dis- (Dejours, 2001). As a result, situations of cussion groups, and adequate training for human violence may become a natural and banal part of resource professionals (Hirigoyen, 2005b). the organizational routine, with the organization According to the European Agency often emphasizing their supposed economical for Safety and Health at Work (2009b), the and systemic causes to rid itself of responsibility following measures may help prevent workplace (Monteiro & Machado, 2010). This explains the mobbing: (a) leave workers free to choose how position of most organizations towards situations to do their job; (b) disseminate organizational of violence, as well as the near nonexistence goals; (c) develop employee leadership skills; of company records of psychological abuse or (d) clarify job and task descriptions; (e) develop workplace mobbing. organizational policies which foster positive Work-related psychological disorders and professional relationships; (f) establish programs complaints pose a great challenge to occupational and policies to identify and manage these health professionals (Glina & Rocha, 2010), problems inside the organization. including psychologists. Psychological interven- Possible interventions for victims of work- tions are equipped to prevent and treat a variety place mobbing include counseling, support of problems, as well as promote mental health groups, rehabilitation and return-to-work strate- (Capitão, Scortegagna, & Baptista, 2005) across gies, and the establishment of ombudsman ser- several contexts, and could be adapted to the vices (Glina & Soboll, 2012). According to issue of workplace mobbing, precisely due to its Tehrani (2003), such interventions should be im- contribution to psychological suffering and ill plemented by professionally trained counselors. health. Some other useful interventions suggested by Several publications have described inter- this author include debriefi ng, narrative therapy, ventions to prevent and/or combat mobbing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, other types of psy- or promote mental health in the workplace. On chotherapy and self-help groups. the other hand, few studies have assessed the The present study was motivated by the idea effi cacy of such interventions (Glina & Soboll, that the professional duties of the organizational 2012). According to the European Agency for psychologist include the management of work- Safety and Health at Work (2009a), mobbing is place mobbing. According to articles I and II a psychosocial risk factor, and, as such, must be of the Code of Professional Ethics in Psychol- addressed by interventions which follow general ogy (Conselho Federal de Psicologia [CFP], guidelines for risk assessment and management 2005), psychologists must work to promote re- in the workplace. spect, freedom, dignity, equality and human in- Interventions to improve the psychological tegrity, and uphold the values expressed by the climate at work are recommended and neces- Universal Declaration of Human Rights, always sary (Einarsen, Hoel, Zapf, & Cooper, 2003). seeking to enhance health and quality of life at These interventions may be divided into three individual and group levels, contributing to the types according to their target: individuals who elimination of any type of , discrimina- are directly involved in the issue (aggressors and tion, exploitation, violence, cruelty and oppres- victims), the individual-organization interface sion. Similarly, the National Guidelines on the (departments, teams and groups of colleagues), work of psychologists in Brazil (CFP, 1992) or the organization itself. state that the respect of human dignity and integ- Workplace mobbing can be prevented in rity must always underlie the professional prac- several different ways. Potentially useful inter- tices of these individuals. ventions include educational programs for em- In light of these concerns, the aim of this ployees and managers regarding appropriate article was to investigate whether psychologists Psychological Interventions against Workplace Mobbing. 357 in organizational settings address the issue of psychologists who had worked for at least one mobbing, and describe the interventions imple- year in the same organization. The sample in- mented in this type of situation. We also sought cluded seven female psychologists with a mean to investigate their understanding of the concept age of 31 years, with an average of seven years of mobbing in the workplace. since graduation. They had worked at their cur- rent job for a mean of six years, and 66.66% of Method the sample had graduate-level training in orga- nizational psychology and/or human resource Participants management. Participant characteristics are de- Participants were recruited by convenience, scribed in Table 1. according to the following inclusion criteria:

Table 1 Participant Characteristics

Subject Age Time in Time since Type of Number of employees Graduate-level (years) company graduation organization in organization training

A 35 11 and 14 years Higher Education 2180 Specialization a half years Institution training B 35 10 years 10 years Transportation 1500 Specialization training C 24 2 years 1 year and Information 65 Graduate degree 3 months technology (ongoing) D 24 3 years 2 years Sales 1200 to 1300 Undergraduate degree E 30 3 years 9 years Passenger 300 Specialization and cargo training transportation Graduate degree (ongoing) F 44 3 years 20 years Beauty Services 50 Specialization training G 40 7 years 10 years Distributor 1000 Specialization training

Data Collection Procedures Data Analysis Data were collected using semi-structured All interviews were subjected to content interviews based on a standard guide. The analysis, according to the method proposed by interview was divided into three main sections: Bardin (1979): pre-analysis, classifi cation or understanding of workplace mobbing; per- categorization, and interpretation. ceived occurrence of mobbing situations; and interventions used to address the issue. Ethical Considerations Participants were interviewed at work at a This study was approved by the Re- previously scheduled time. Data were collected search Ethics Committee of the institution between September and November 2013. in which it was performed under project Interviews had a mean duration of 60 minutes, number 11424812.8.0000.5319. All subjects and were fully recorded and transcribed. provided written for participation, as 358 Rissi, V., Monteiro, J. K., Cecconello, W. W., Moraes, E. G. recommended by ethical guidelines for human subordinates’’ and Subject C: ‘‘Mobbing is research. anything that denies the respect for employees, like whenever people end up using, for instance, Results and Discussion their own position of leadership to get things for themselves’’. Data analysis revealed three consistent Workplace mobbing is known to be strongly themes across participant interviews, all of associated with aspects of the work environment which pertained to the aims of our research: and organization, such as styles of leadership (a) workplace mobbing: humiliation and abuse (Einarsen, 2000). The competitiveness which of power; (b) perceptions of the occurrence of permeates the organizational environment may workplace mobbing; (c) preventive and reactive intensify situations of harassment. These con- psychological interventions. ditions foster the noxious treatment of subordi- nates by superiors, who use their power to reject Mobbing: Humiliation and Abuse or humiliate other workers. Not infrequently, of Power these individuals are seen as effi cient adminis- The interviewees understood mobbing as an trators by their superiors, due to their assertive inappropriate relational pattern, characterized by and aggressive nature (Heloani, 2003). , humiliation, and . This defi ni- Exacerbated competitiveness, as well as tion is similar to that reported in the literature. In destructive and tyrannical leadership styles, all the words of Subject A: ‘‘It’s a situation in which of which were mentioned by the interviewees someone is being victimized, and feeling humili- as part of workplace relationships, are indica- ated, exposed, and which can cause psychologi- tive of a type of organization which is condu- cal harm due to the exposure to embarrassing cive to situations of workplace violence, such as situations”. Furthermore, participants tended to mobbing. These observations suggest that work associate harassment with aggressive behavior organization is a fundamental dimension of the by managers, which suggests that downward ha- understanding of violent workplace situations rassment may be more common than other types which result in suffering. The concept of work of abuse in these organizations. organization (Dejours, 1988; Mendes, 2007) re- Glina and Soboll (2012) describe mobbing fers to biopsychosocial characteristics of work, as a negative behavior which constitutes an such as the division of labor, affective and so- extreme form of psychological violence, which cioprofessional relationships, work conditions, causes to the victim (Soboll, initiative and autonomy, the ambiguity of task 2010). Hirigoyen (2005b), who is responsible outcomes, as well as the level of cooperation for the worldwide dissemination of the concept and communication. Depending on its charac- of mobbing, defi nes it as any and all abuse which teristics, the work organization can infl uence the manifests especially in the form of behaviors, development of work relationships characterized words, acts, gestures, and writings, and harms by competition and individualism as opposed to the personality, dignity or the physical and positive socioprofessional relationships, setting psychological integrity of the individual, the stage for workplace mobbing. Martiningo putting their job at risk or degrading their work and Siqueira (2008) illustrated this concept by environment. demonstrating that certain forms of work orga- Psychologists understood mobbing as a type nization cause insecurity in managers and sub- of abuse which is most commonly perpetrated ordinates, placing them under intense pressure by hierarchical superiors on their subordinates. to achieve set targets and objectives without ad- This situation can also constitute an abuse of equate organizational support. Under these cir- power, as described by Subject G, ‘‘It is a situa- cumstances, they become more likely to engage tion provoked by hierarchical superiors on their in mobbing behaviors. Psychological Interventions against Workplace Mobbing. 359

When discussing workplace mobbing, the pany, and probably, their own work as psycholo- psychologists interviewed for the present study gists, as illustrated by Subject F: ‘‘It is possible did not appear to establish a relationship between for a manager to go overboard with a worker, violent and disrespectful leaders and the organi- but on the other hand, we see the opposite thing zation itself, although, as previously mentioned, also, some workers who go looking for it, who certain organizational features may facilitate or provoke this type of situation” and Subject D: even encourage workplace mobbing. The phe- Mobbing doesn’t happen here. It all de- nomenon which results from this situation can pends on the person. The other day I heard be referred to as organizational harassment (So- someone say that their boss told them to join boll, 2008a). Weight Watchers, since they would be more Although the psychologists interviewed productive if they lost weight. So it all de- were familiar with the concept of mobbing, none pends on the person being psychologically of them referred to the features used to identify prepared to deal with that. It doesn’t neces- these behaviors, such as their frequency and du- sarily make it harassment. ration. Although there is no consensus as to the In both cases, the worker was said to be re- average frequency and duration of these phe- sponsible for the embarrassing situation to which nomena (Glina & Soboll, 2012), these charac- they were exposed. Unfortunately, workplace teristics are fundamental for the identifi cation of mobbing is often blamed on the victim (Hirigoy- mobbing behaviors, and for the differentiation en, 2005b) due to supposed personality issues or between this and other forms of workplace vio- emotional fragility, as has been studied by Var- lence (Einarsen & Skogstad, 1996). tia (1996). However, the personality of the vic- tim is known to have little bearing on the cause Perceptions of Workplace Mobbing of workplace mobbing (Leymann, 1992), since Most of the subjects interviewed denied these incidents are far more likely to be prompt- the occurrence of mobbing in the company for ed by organizational and psychosocial factors, as which they work. Subject D, for instance, made has been discussed earlier in this article. the following statement: ‘‘I would like to say Victim-blaming for incidents in the work- it doesn’t, and I believe it doesn’t happen. We place is still a common practice among ad- never had any problems with mobbing”. Simi- ministrators and organizational psychologists. larly, Subject F said, ‘‘Well, I don’t believe so, Occupational psychodynamics provides some although I speak for only one side, for the psy- conceptual refl ections on the topic in an attempt chology department, for the administration... to understand why workers are so frequently but it seems to me that it doesn’t’’. These state- blamed for situations in which they are usually ments suggest that some companies may be able the victims, as is the case of mobbing. Accord- to maintain healthy workplace relationships with ing to Barros (2010), by neglecting the practical the help of work organization practices which aspects of a task and its demands on the work- contribute to the absence of workplace harass- er (that is, considering management objectives ment and other forms of violence. Many organi- only), organizations deceive themselves into zations have decided fi ght workplace mobbing the believing that workers are incapable, unpre- through interventions such as zero-tolerance pol- pared, unqualifi ed, or unequipped for work. This icies for harassment (Salin, 2008), codes of eth- perspective shifts the focus of attention to the in- ics, and mechanisms to encourage the reporting dividual worker and neglects the complexity of of incidents to human resources (Heloani, 2005). human behavior and the situations faced by this Unfortunately, much of what was said by individual in the web of organizational culture. the psychologists interviewed for the present The power of the workers is curbed by the work study was followed by justifi cations and , organization, which prevents their activity. In in an attempt to defend the image of the com- this situation, if we focus on management objec- 360 Rissi, V., Monteiro, J. K., Cecconello, W. W., Moraes, E. G. tives only, we are likely to the worker for Table 2 their lack of productivity (Barros, 2010). Preventive Interventions Implemented by Psy- chologists One of the psychologists interviewed did acknowledge the existence of mobbing in their Preventive measures company. According to Subject B, Training in leadership skills There was one situation in which an older Code of ethics director was calling the phone operator a Educational briefi ngs on laws against witch, and saying he was going to buy her workplace mobbing a broomstick as a . So, she was feeling humiliated and I had to intervene. He had been in the company for 30 years, and she Although the psychologists implemented had only been there for one. She was still several preventive initiatives, none of them having trouble adjusting to his rapid pace. focused exclusively on mobbing, as explained In this case, it appears that the aim of the by Subject D: “There is qualifi cation and abusive behavior was to manage worker produc- development, but nothing focused specifi cally on tivity, since this individual could not follow the mobbing”. work pace imposed by the company (Andrade & However, there appeared to be a general Tito, 2012). This situation illustrates the concept concern about ensuring leaders were trained in of organizational mobbing, which has already the skills required to establish respectful rela- been discussed by Brazilian researchers (Araújo, tionships with subordinates, through assertive 2006; Soboll, 2006, 2008b), and refers to the use communication and feedback techniques, as dis- of abusive behaviors as means to manage, con- cussed by Subject A: ‘‘What we do is implement trol and discipline, and not just harm the worker, manager development initiatives in which we as is the case of typical mobbing. talk about many things, such as what to say to subordinates, how to say it, how to handle ter- Preventive and Reactive Psychological minations’’. Interventions This type of initiative is discussed by Terrin (2007), who suggests that workplace mobbing Preventive interventions against mobbing should be addressed by the reevaluation of com- and workplace violence can be classifi ed as pri- pany values and a change in the organizational mary, secondary or tertiary. Primary interven- culture, which should include the incentive of tions consist of risk assessment and reduction, constant and permanent interpersonal communi- as well as the introduction of anti-harassment cation. Policies regarding individual well-being, policies. Secondary interventions involve quali- confl ict mediation, training and development, as fi cation programs, worker surveys, and confl ict well as the formation of a positive organization- resolution. Lastly, tertiary prevention involves al climate may not only resolve the occasional harm reduction and treatment once the incident problem, but also contribute to the establishment has already occurred (Leka & Cox, 2008). of a healthier work environment, with no ambi- The psychologists interviewed mentioned guity or doubt (Heloani & Barreto, 2010). both preventive and reactive interventions, as The creation of a code of ethics was also summarized in Tables 2 and 3. In the present used as a preventive strategy, as explained by study, reactive interventions are defi ned as any Subject B ‘‘We have a code of ethics regarding and all measures implemented by psychologists respect, social equality, how to demand results when mobbing has already occurred, or is likely from collaborators, and the types of behavior to occur. which are not allowed in the company’’. However, workplace mobbing is never specifi cally mentioned in the codes of ethics cited. Psychological Interventions against Workplace Mobbing. 361

This is a cause for concern, since codes of ethics tional repercussions of mobbing, as discussed by should, ideally, contain explicit descriptions of Subject G: behavioral norms and expectations, to ensure that There was one supervisor who talked too any behaviors not tolerated by the organization much when asking workers about their are clearly defi ned (Martiningo & Siqueira, goals. The department even fi led a com- 2008). Additionally, it is important to note that plaint. It wasn’t very serious, but we were the presence of a code of ethics does not relieve still worried. We can’t encourage this type the company of responsibility for any inadequate of thing. If we do, sooner or later we will behaviors which may occur. have trouble with the law. Some researchers have gone further in their These fi ndings agree with those of Argimon, study of preventive actions, and attempted to Boaz, Da Rosa, Daldon and Wendt (2007), who discuss their effi cacy. These studies have iden- found that psychologists are increasingly mov- tifi ed some fundamental elements of preventive ing away from a humanized perspective, and interventions, such as the promotion of a posi- submitting to the demands of the company and tive social climate which values diversity and administration. Even those who realize that their addresses frustration and confl icts, the adop- actions are no longer aligned with their profes- tion of egalitarian management styles, and the sional goals may end up adhering to the perspec- development of a work organization based on tive of the organization. clearly defi ned goals, rules and responsibilities The code of professional ethics issued by (Freitas et al., 2008). the CFP (2005) states that psychologists must The implementation of activities, policies always seek to promote health and quality of or procedures to address workplace mobbing life at individual and collective levels, and con- did not appear to be common practice among the tribute to the elimination of any form of neglect, organizational psychologists interviewed in the , exploitation, violence, cruelty present study. However, legal training, usually and . This suggests that to abstain conducted by lawyers, appeared to be somewhat from the search for answers, and maintain an ac- common in the companies analyzed, as reported cessory silence and a position of conformity to by Subjects D, ‘‘Labor claims always expose ongoing suffering in the company goes against the company. It is important to discuss the legal psychologists’ professional obligations (Caniato impact suffered by the company through debates & Lima, 2008). and discussions with lawyers’’ and G: “Our lawyer gives talks about legal issues, and how Table 3 Reactive Interventions Implemented by Psycho- they are handled by the Ministry of Labor. We logists focus far more on orientations to avoid labor suits. This is one of the prevention tools we use”. Reactive interventions Workplace mobbing can certainly result in Termination labor claims due to their potential to cause psy- Distancing the victim and the perpetrator chological harm. The company must always be Orient and monitor the perpetrator held responsible for this type of incident regard- less of the hierarchical status of the perpetrator. In legal terms, the psychological harm caused The termination of the aggressor was cited by workplace mobbing represents the damage as a possible response to a mobbing incident by suffered by the victim of this type of offense. Subject B: ‘‘If it did happen we would certainly If there is evidence of psychological harm, the opt for termination. Since this is a family com- victim is eligible to receive fi nancial compensa- pany, built on respect and ethics, we would have tion (Carvalho & Tonial, 2012). The interviews no choice other than termination’’. demonstrated that this may be a greater concern Another possible intervention would be to for companies than the psychological and emo- distance the victim from the aggressor, as sug- 362 Rissi, V., Monteiro, J. K., Cecconello, W. W., Moraes, E. G. gested by Subject E: ‘‘We would ask the man- to improve the worker’s ability to deal with ager to avoid direct contact with the victim, and stress. Examples of such interventions include tell her to do the same’’. counseling, support groups, rehabilitation and Both interventions are only palliative. The return-to-work strategies, as well as ombudsman confl ict will remain latent and may resurface at services (Glina & Soboll, 2012). Professionally- a later time. When the situation is addressed by trained counselors may also be helpful, as distancing the parties involved, it is important demonstrated by Tehrani (2003). This author to consider that harassment may still persist in also suggests the use of debriefi ng, narrative organizations which implicitly authorize it, as therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, other suggested by Brodsky (1976). The absence of types of psychotherapy and self-help groups. sanctions against those who do not follow the However, preventive measures are signifi - rules or break anti-harassment policies may cantly more important than any interventions give this impression to employees. Interviews performed after mobbing has already taken with victims of workplace mobbing have place, as discussed by Heloani (2011), who also revealed that this phenomenon tends to occur in stresses the importance of holding the compa- companies whose organizational culture permits ny accountable. The prevention and protection or encourages this type of behavior (Einarsen, against mobbing prevents such practices from Skogstad, Raknes, & Matthieses, 1994). becoming institutionalized, and therefore, ac- Another intervention cited by psycholo- cepted or naturalized. gists was to talk to the perpetrator and request a change in behavior, as suggested by Subject F: Final Considerations We ask him to go to the HR department. This is when we talk about what is happening Psychological interventions against work- and give the necessary orientations to the place mobbing are usually performed on a worker. We explain that we cannot tolerate case-by-case basis rather than as part of a this type of behavior and set a deadline for larger initiative to combat this phenomenon. his change in attitude. There appear to be no preventive interventions Crawshaw (2008) has described coaching in place which specifi cally target mobbing. methods specifi cally designed for the rehabilita- However, the development of initiatives such tion of abrasive leaders through the use of empa- as feedback training for managers suggests that thy. This author interprets harassment as a mal- the professionals interviewed understand the adaptive response to perceived threat. However, importance of preventive action. this type of intervention has been less explored The psychologists interviewed also sug- by research. gested several possible strategies to deal with The present fi ndings cannot speak to the ef- mobbing once it has already occurred, including fectiveness of interventions involving the victims termination, distancing of the parties involved, of psychological abuse, given that most inter- and the provision of orientations to the aggres- viewees denied the occurrence of harassment in sor. Unfortunately, isolated and sporadic inter- their respective companies. However, according ventions are known to be ineffective, since they to the national and international literature (Gli- fail to consider psychosocial variables such as na & Soboll, 2012; Sheehan, 1999), workplace the organizational climate and culture (Glina & mobbing has become an increasingly common Sobol, 2012). phenomenon due to the changing dynamics and The psychologists interviewed described pressures of the working world. As such, we can- workplace mobbing as an act of violence char- not refrain from discussing the different types of acterized by humiliation and embarrassment. interventions involving the victims of mobbing. They also suggested that downward mobbing, The European Agency for Safety and or the abuse of subordinates by a superior, was Health at Work (2002) refers to these initiatives more common than other forms of psychologi- as individual interventions, since they seek cal abuse. Psychological Interventions against Workplace Mobbing. 363

The role of the psychologist in workplace porânea (pp. 57-104). São Paulo, SP: Conselho mobbing should be more rigorously questioned, Federal de Psicologia. especially since, according to the profession- Brodsky, C. M. (1976). The harassed worker. Toron- al code of ethics (CFP, 2005), it is his duty to to, Canada: Lexington Books. combat situations of violence, discrimination Caniato, A. M. P., & Lima, E. da C. (2008). Assédio or negligence. Given the magnitude of this phe- moral nas organizações de trabalho: Perversão nomenon, it is imperative that all possible efforts e sofrimento. Cadernos de Psicologia Social be made to control it, either by preventive inter- e do Trabalho, 11(2), 177-192. doi:10.11606/ ventions, or by secondary and tertiary measures. issn.1981-0490.v11i2p177-192 Are psychologists succumbing to the interests of Capitão, C. G., Scortegagna, S. A., & Baptista, M. N. the organization and administration? That is the (2005). A importância da avaliação psicológica question posed by this research. na saúde. Avaliação Psicológica, 4(1), 75-82. We therefore suggest that future studies en- Carvalho, S. A., & Tonial, J. C. (2012). A prova gage in a critical refl ection on the role of the or- do assédio moral no ambiente de trabalho. ganizational psychologists. Given the limitations UNOPAR CIENTÍFICA: Ciências Jurídicas e of the present study, especially the fact that these Empresariais, 13(1), 13-22. data may not be representative of the category Conselho Federal de Psicologia. (1992). Sobre a pro- as a whole, we emphasize the need for further fi ssão: Atribuições profi ssionais do psicólogo discussion of the effectiveness of psychological no Brasil. Brasília, DF: Autor. Recuperado em interventions against workplace mobbing in the http://www.crprs.org.br/download/atr_prof_psi- cologo.pdf Brazilian population. Similarly, the small num- ber of psychologists interviewed may have bi- Conselho Federal de Psicologia. (2005). Código de ased our results, especially since nearly all par- ética profi ssional do psicólogo. Brasília, DF: ticipants denied the occurrence of mobbing in Autor. Recuperado em http://site.cfp.org.br/wp- content/uploads/2012/07/codigo_etica.pdf their companies. Crawshaw, L. (2008). Rehabilitating abrasive leaders References through executive coaching & organizational intervention. Proceedings of the Conference In- ternationale sur le Harcelement Psychologique/ Andrade, J. A. D., & Tito, F. R. D. C. (2012). Estrutu- Moral au Travail, 6, 147. ração intersubjetiva do assédio moral: Um estu- do do contexto das organizações bancárias. Re- Dejours, C. (1988). A loucura do trabalho: Estudo vista Organizações em Contexto, 8(15), 1-20. de psicopatologia do trabalho. São Paulo, SP: doi:10.15603/1982-8756/roc.v8n15p1-20 Cortez. Araújo, A. R. (2006). O assédio moral organizacio- Dejours, C. A. (2001). Banalização da injustiça so- nal (Dissertação de mestrado em Direito, Pon- cial (4. ed.). Rio de Janeiro, RJ: Fundação tifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo, SP, Getúlio Vargas. Brasil). Duffy, M., & Sperry, L. (2007). Workplace mob- Argimon, I. I. D. L., Boaz, C., Da Rosa, H. D. L. R., bing: Individual and family health conse- Daldon, K. A., & Wendt, G. W. (2007). O pro- quences. The Family Journal, 15(4), 398-404. fi ssional da psicologia nas organizações: A sig- doi:10.1177/1066480707305069 nifi cação dos valores empresariais no trabalho Einarsen, S. (2000). Harassment and bullying at work: na psicologia. Revista de Ciências Humanas, A review of de Scandinavian approach. Aggres- 8(11), 107-126. sion and Violent Behavior, 5(4), 379-401. Bardin, L. (1979). Análise de conteúdo. Lisboa, Por- Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. tugal: Edições 70. (2003). The concept of bullying at work: The Barros, V. A. (2010). O trabalho do profi ssional European tradition. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. psicólogo: Construindo uma posição crítica. In Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and emo- Conselho Federal de Psicologia (Ed.), Psicolo- tional abuse in the workplace (pp. 3-30). Lon- gia crítica do trabalho na sociedade contem- don: Taylor and Francis. Retrieved from http:// 364 Rissi, V., Monteiro, J. K., Cecconello, W. W., Moraes, E. G.

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