YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SAY NO TO BULLIES TOOLBOX YOUNG PROFESSIONALS SAY NO TO BULLIES TOOLBOX | Page 10

“Young professionals! Say no to bullies!!!” should be remembered that the victim is capable of disarming the mobber if the conditions favourable to mobbing are avoided. 6. If the negative actions escalate and our interventions have not yet been made, or have not been successful, we should take notes of the experienced mobbing practices, i.e. when and where they took places, by whom they were witnessed, what was said and in what manner. Such notes may be very useful for future references as after some time we may not be able to remember the details and be less credible. 7. Resolving conflicts – it may happen that mobbing results from conflicts which are treated as an excuse for harassing, blaming and tormenting a particular person. Conflict situations should be treated seriously, talked over, and resolved as soon as possible so that negative behaviours cannot escalate. If we are unable to cope with a particular situation, we should ask our colleagues, or employer for help. 8. Looking for support – when the cases of mobbing occur, it is very important not be secluded from colleagues as they may help by talking to the vicitim, informing the employer, and reacting in different ways. It should be remembered that the mobber will use any possible occasion to blame the victim for the situation. The mobber will convince the people around that it is the victim who is sick, quarrelsome, and disturbed. Isolating from others will only exacerbate mobber’s attitude and actions. The support for the victim is another important aspect. After an act of mobbing has taken place, it is important to ask the victim if such acts happened earlier, and if he/she needs any help. The victim is to have the sense of support and awareness that he/she has not been left alone. What is more, if we are approached by anybody who claims to have been harassed, we should spare some time to listen to hear him/her out attentively. We should not advise, or reassure the person, but after hearing the story we should try to come up with any potential solutions. One of the most important things for the victims is the sense of being supported and not being left alone! 9. Assertive behaviours help to react in an appropriate way. If all the behaviours mentioned above are combined and used in the case of acts of mobbing it is very likely that the mobber will be discouraged and abandon his intentions. Additionally, it may be expected that the victim’s expenses will be much lower than in the case of acts of mobbing committed behind closed doors. It must be remembered though that even a singular negative behaviour should not take place and is unacceptable and should cause our reaction. If we believe that our dignity, or somebody’s dignity is violated, we must react, otherwise we may not achieve anything. 3. Discrimination and sexual harassment Definitions Discrimination is a very broad term that covers uneven, harmful and unjust treatment of particular people in terms of their belonging to a particular social group (men / women, the disabled, the elderly, homosexuals / heterosexuals etc.). As in the case of mobbing, the regulations considering discrimination may vary in different countries. As the phenomenon of discrimination is broad and multi-layered, and more common than mobbing (most of us discriminate without realizing it), it is important to understand how it occurs. Being familiar with this mechanism may help us to eliminate discrimination in our and other people’s acting. 10 'Informational and workshop guide for mobbing, discrimination and sexual harassment'