Mobbing – The New Paradigm. What Needs to Change in Practice?

04.05.2026

Matylda is the HR Head at a pharmaceutical company. Until now, the topic of mobbing did not occupy her mind. Of course, she made sure that a “prohibition of mobbing” was included in the work regulations. At her request, the IT department also launched a special email inbox where employees can report their problems. However, no “serious” complaint has ever been received. For Matylda, this was proof that the problem did not exist.

Recently, however, Agnieszka – an HRBP – began to successively disrupt Matylda’s peace. For the second time, she scheduled a meeting to talk about a conflict between Zosia, a drug registration specialist, and her manager, Jacek.

For several months, Zosia has been regularly reporting reservations regarding Jacek’s behavior. She claims that she is constantly criticized by him. Several times she heard that it was unknown by what miracle she got this job and that she was only fit for dismissal. During one of the nervous meetings, Jacek even told her to write a resignation from her contract. He announced that he would hide it in a drawer and submit it to HR if Zosia continued to “annoy” him.

Zosia also reported that recently Jacek organized a team brainstorming session regarding a new project, to which he invited everyone except her. Then, in front of the entire team, he stated that Zosia had intentionally ignored the meeting. He summed it up with the words: Think about whether you are riding further with us or getting off at the “unemployment office” station.

Agnieszka was clearly concerned. Matylda, we must monitor this. Set up an explanatory commission and maybe send Jacek to some training. When these new regulations on mobbing come in, it will be quite a row!

Matylda was surprised. She had not heard before about planned changes in the law, so she immediately started looking for information. It turned out that the topic of new anti-mobbing regulations is widely commented on the Internet.

Matylda analyzed the draft of changes. A red light immediately went off in her head. Is our company ready for this?

New regulations on mobbing – what will the changes consist of?

Although the Internet is indeed “buzzing” about the announced new regulations, most sources focus on the change of the definition of mobbing itself and the ranges of compensation for persons affected by this phenomenon.

The essence of these changes, however, lies elsewhere. It consists of shifting the focus to the employer and the obligation resting on them to ensure safety at work for employees.

It is important that the company acts actively, and not only reacts when a problem appears.

Until now, many companies acted reactively. That is, only when “something” happened in the company, someone reported a problem to HR or wrote a formal complaint.

The new approach assumes something more. The employer will have to not only react but also actively and constantly counteract mobbing. In addition, they must effectively detect this phenomenon in their structures, adequately eliminate it, and support persons who have experienced it.

Although in the case of larger employers the planned regulations explicitly provide for the obligation to introduce a written anti-mobbing procedure, it is not just about a document “for the drawer.”

Counteracting mobbing will apply to all companies, regardless of their size, and will have to be permanent and truly effective. It is not about individual actions (e.g., appointing an anti-mobbing commission as a result of an employee’s complaint) but about a whole system of actions that will naturally function in the company every day.

What does “counteracting mobbing” mean in practice?

First, clear rules.

The company should have a real, and not a “paper,” anti-mobbing policy. One that will raise employees’ awareness in a simple way of what mobbing is, provide practical examples, and explain the threats and consequences (including for the mobber). It is about a document written in simple language. For people, and not for the drawer.

Employees should know how company procedures work in practice.

Ensure that employees have familiarized themselves with the procedure and understand how it works. Organize training during which employees will learn how to apply the procedure in practice, through which channels to report irregularities, and how such situations will be explained. Give employees space to ask bothering questions.

Include the procedure in the onboarding process. So that new employees know from the beginning what behaviors are not tolerated in the company.

Second, communication.

A once-introduced procedure and one training session are not enough for all employees to remember anti-mobbing good practices every day.

Ensure that employees remember the applicable procedure. Regularly (e.g., 1-2 times a year) organize meetings with employees during which you will remind employees of the most important rules. These do not have to be dry lectures! You can offer employees a periodic review of the procedure, e.g., in the form of e-learning.

Conduct training regularly to be sure that employees still know the rules.

Constantly communicate among employees the company’s lack of consent for any mobbing activities. These can be periodic information bulletins, short posts on the intranet, or email communication.

Third, education.

It is worth investing in raising the competencies of employees, especially management staff. This specifically concerns “soft” skills, such as management, shaping relations, communication (including intergenerational), or team building.

In this regard, training, social skills training, webinars with experts, or case studies workshops will be very valuable. The appropriate form will usually depend on the specificity of the organization. But the overarching goal is here – constant instilling of awareness of what behaviors are undesirable in the company and how to react to them.

Fourth, monitoring of the situation.

Do not wait for a fire to break out.

Anonymous surveys or exit interviews will allow you to keep your finger on the pulse and catch potential flashpoints in advance.

Fifth, reacting.

Ensure that employee reports are actually analyzed and considered. Of course, it is not about appointing an external explanatory commission for every report.

It is, however, about employees not being afraid to share their concerns. And at the same time, not having the conviction that their report will begin and end its course in a binder in the HR department.

Because a lack of reaction is always a risk for the organization.

Summary:

Planned new regulations shift the burden of responsibility to the employer. It is not enough to react to complaints; one will have to actively and constantly counteract mobbing.

“Paper” procedures are not enough. A real and effective system of preventive actions counts: clear rules, communication, education, and monitoring of the situation in the company.

A lack of reports does not mean a lack of problems. Key is the early catching of signals and building safe communication channels.