Mobbing: Group Exclusion and Psychological Harassment

Thoughts or comments? Send us a text! One quiet pattern can wreck a workplace or a school community without ever looking like “bullying” on the surface: mobbing. We’re talking about systematic group exclusion, subtle psychological harassment, and the kind of coordinated cold shoulder that makes a capable person start asking, “Am I imagining this?” I’m joined by Alicia Laszewski, a marketing and culture leader who lived through mobbing at work while her daughter faced a similar pile-on in high school, and she’s turning that experience into a practical playbook for change.  We dig into how mobbing works in real life: being left out of key meetings, having your responsibilities quietly reassigned, watching praise happen in private but never in public, and realizing there’s usually one instigator driving the group dynamic. We also unpack why bystanders freeze, how fear keeps people compliant, and why HR, managers, and school administrators often struggle to respond when the behavior is “too subtle to prove.” Along the way, we connect the dots to the bystander effect, the Queen Bee dynamic, and the way social media group chats can multiply harm fast.  This conversation also gets honest about the cost: anxiety, shame, and PTSD-like symptoms that can follow you into future relationships and jobs. We talk about support options, why taking a break to protect your mental health is not weakness, and why lasting solutions have to come from leadership training, clear policies, and the courage to have uncomfortable conversations early. Alicia shares her upcoming book Stop the Mobbing, her work through Kind Ethos, and where to connect.  If this helped you name something you’ve seen or lived, share the episode with a friend or colleague. You can find Alicia HERE https://kindethos.com/ Support the show BUY ME A COFFEE or SUPPORT ALFIE'S TREAT STASH Learn more about my book, Nature Knows: Grow and Thrive through the Wisdom of Plants HERE. Comments about this episode? Suggestions for a future episode? Email me directly at [email protected].  Want to be a guest on No Shrinking Violets Podcast for Women? Send Mary Rothwell a message on PodMatch, here: https://www.podmatch.com/hostdetailpreview/noshrinkingviolets Follow me on Facebook and Instagram, and check out my website!