A Trauma-Informed Model for Addressing Workplace Mobbing

Authors

Abstract

Workplace mobbing is a severe occupational hazard that can result in profound psychological, physical, financial, and professional harm to targets (Balsak et al., 2025; Leymann, 1990). While much research has documented the outcomes of workplace mobbing (Bowling & Beehr, 2006; Groeblinghoff & Becker, 1996; Hamre et al., 2020; Leymann, 1996), many organizational systems continue to misclassify early warning signs as interpersonal conflict, performance concerns, or communication breakdowns. This misclassification often leads to inappropriate responses and escalation of harm (Gregersen, 2016; Grotto-de-Souza et al., 2022). We present a practice-informed conceptual model designed to strengthen prevention, early intervention, and recovery pathways in workplaces impacted by mobbing and related forms of psychological harassment. The paper draws from extensive practice-based and trauma-informed expertise in workplace psychological safety. The conceptual model presented is derived from repeated patterns observed across complex workplace cases, including multi-party conflict dynamics, organizational process failures, and the predictable progression of psychological injury when early warning signs are missed or minimized. The purpose of the model is to translate practice-based knowledge into structured, evidence-aligned approaches to address workplace mobbing. The model includes operational indicators that can be observed in workplace processes and behaviors and highlights predictable harm pathways when organizational containment strategies fail to prioritize worker safety and procedural integrity. Practical implications are provided for employers, investigators, and policymakers, emphasizing trauma-informed procedural safeguards, accountability mechanisms, and systemic reforms to reduce disability trajectories, improve psychological safety, and restore trust within workplaces.

Author Biographies

Linda Crockett, The Canadian Institute Of Workplace Harassment and Violence

Linda Crockett is the Founder of the Canadian Institute of Workplace Harassment and Violence (CIWHV), a not-for-profit organization currently in the process of becoming a registered charity. CIWHV is dedicated to building awareness of workplace psychological hazards and developing solutions for the systemic gaps that leave workers vulnerable and unsupported. Linda’s work focuses on the realities and impacts of workplace harm, including mobbing, lateral violence, bullying, harassment, racism, and discrimination, and the urgent need for trauma-informed prevention, intervention, and recovery pathways.

With 15 years of experience as a psychological safety specialist and trauma therapist, Linda is recognized for her specialized expertise in workplace psychological injury and institutional betrayal. She is known for advancing trauma-informed approaches that go beyond surface-level policy compliance and instead address the real-world failures in workplace investigations, leadership accountability, disability accommodation, and mental health response systems. Her work is driven by a commitment to restoring dignity, safety, and justice for those harmed—while also supporting leaders and organizations in strengthening their competence, reducing harm, and improving workplace culture.

Linda is also the Founder of the Canadian Institute of Workplace Bullying Resources (CIWBR), a for-profit organization providing hands-on services to workplaces across all sectors and organizational levels, from new hires to C-suite leadership. CIWBR delivers specialized consulting, training, coaching, and trauma-informed solutions, including therapist training, training for all treatment providers, and training in trauma-informed processes for investigators, unions, insurance companies, and workplace support systems.

She is the Founder of the International Workplace Bullying Awareness Week, now in its 13th year, with participation from 22 countries, and is the Co-Founder of the National Physicians Task Force on Workplace Bullying, helping bring critical attention to the impact of bullying on healthcare professionals and the broader harm to workplace functioning and public wellbeing.

Linda’s work continues to shape the field of workplace psychological safety through trauma-informed leadership development, systemic reform strategies, and advocacy that centers human dignity and ethical accountability.

Adiah Afraz , Athabasca University

Adiah Afraz is a Senior Analyst at Government of Alberta. She holds an MSc in Applied Linguistics from the University of Oxford, UK and is currently pursuing a Doctor of Education in Distance Education from Athabasca University . Her doctoral research examines leadership loneliness in the Alberta public service and the design of an online learning intervention to support public sector leaders.

Her research interests include leader loneliness, workplace bullying and mobbing, workplace training, and narrative inquiry. Adiah has taught academic writing and communications at universities in Pakistan and Canada for over 15 years, including at the University of Alberta and Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS). At Government of Alberta, she holds expertise in strategic planning and performance reporting, Plain Language, editing and proofreading, stakeholder engagement, and group facilitation.

   

Debanjan Borthakur, University of Toronto Department of Psychology

Debanjan Borthakur is a psychology and neuroscience researcher with a master's degree from McMaster University and a PhD in progress at the University of Toronto, where he studies human-AI interaction. His work also examines the intersection of social psychology and health psychology. Debanjan is an advocate for psychological well-being in workplaces, a member of the academic parity movement, and a director in the Canadian Institute of Workplace Harassment and Violence (Charity). He also teaches a course instructor while completing his doctorate at the University of Toronto.

Michelle De Agostini , Osgoode Hall Law School

Michelle De Agostini is a library worker and former prison librarian with a Masters of Library and Information Studies from the University of Alberta. Michelle is passionate about prison abolition, accessibility, and social justice, and pursuing an LL.M. in Constitutional Law at Osgoode Hall Law School to strengthen her advocacy. 

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Published

2026-07-31

How to Cite

Crockett, L., Afraz, A., Borthakur, D., & De Agostini , M. (2026). A Trauma-Informed Model for Addressing Workplace Mobbing. Journal of Workplace Mobbing, 2(1). Retrieved from https://journalofworkplacemobbing.org/index.php/jwm/article/view/1070

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 1 (2026):

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Articles

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Copyright (c) 2026 Linda Crockett, Adiah Afraz , Debanjan Borthakur, Michelle De Agostini

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.