Workplace Mobbing vs. Workplace Bullying: Understanding the Distinction

Abstract

Targeted victims of workplace mobbing experience severe harm to their professional reputations and undergo traumatic personal sufferings. However, few people, including targeted victims, know what workplace mobbing is. This paper seeks to address the gaps in public awareness and U.S. legislation regarding workplace mobbing, using examples from academia. The paper adopts a structural approach to identify ten distinctive patterns that differentiate workplace mobbing from workplace bullying. These patterns include deliberate intent, procedure, duration, consequences, covert tactics used, unanimity among perpetrators, characteristics of targets and the perpetrators, and various violence patterns and white-collar crime elements. The paper recognizes mobbing targets as potential victims of violence and white-collar crime. The paper encourages the institutionalization of mobbing research and invites further exploration in the field. Furthermore, leaders are called on to urgently respond by reforming policies and establishing anti-mobbing legislation.