Workplace Mobbing

Mobbing odnosno zlostavljanje na radnome mjestu predstavlja neprijateljsku i neetičnu komunikaciju, koja je sustavno usmjerena od jednoga ili više pojedinaca prema, uglavnom, jednom pojedincu, koji je zbog mobbinga gurnut u poziciju u kojoj je bespomoćan ili se ne može obraniti te držan u njoj s pomoću stalnih zlostavljačkih (mobinških) aktivnosti. U članku je obrađeno nekoliko bitnih značajki zlostavljanja: ponašanja karakteristična za zlostavljača, organizacijski uzroci pojave, konflikt u poduzeću kao njegov povod, žrtva, izvanorganizacijski čimbenici njegova razvoja te posljedice zlostavljanja. Suvremeni poslovni svijet je kompleksan, dinamičan i promjenljiv te zahtijeva sve veću umješnost i sposobnost prilagodbe. Sukobi su dakako neizbježan dio svake organizacije, ali ih je menadžment dužan pravodobno prepoznati i njima upravljati radi sprječavanja štetnih posljedica za produktivnost i troškove poduzeća, radi zaštite zaposlenika te suzbijanja psihičkih i tjelesnih poremećaja koji nastaju psihičkim nasiljem i iskrivljenim oblikom ponašanja kakav je mobbing. On je problem suvremenog društva, nov i u nas nedostatno istražen oblik kršenja ljudskih prava. Zbiva se uglavnom na psihološkoj razini, negativno utječe na zdravlje i život, kvalitetu rada, proizvodnju i pružanje usluga, produktivnost i profitabilnost te značajno utječe na ekonomske gubitke u zajednici. Zlostavljanje na radnome mjestu treba rješavati multidisciplinarno: inicirajući zajedničke aktivnosti zaposlenika i uprave, uključujući medicinske stručnjake, pravnike, pa i društvenu zajednicu u cjelini. Što se u organizaciji više teži izvrsnosti koja se temelji na povjerenju i radnoj etici, to je veća vjerojatnost njegovog sprječavanja i rješavanja.Workplace mobbing is a hostile and unethical communication, systematically aimed from one or more individuals towards mostly one individual, who are forced into a helpless position and are held in it by constant bullying. This article describes some of the most important characteristics of mobbing: offensive behaviour, organizational and non-organizational causes of this behaviour, the victim, and the consequences. Modern business environment is complex, dynamic, volatile, and requires better ability to adjust. Constant changes are a part of organizational reality, but they also produce an ideal environment for all kinds of conflicts. Conflicts are inevitable in every organization, but the task of its management is to identify them and resolve before they affect the workforce, productivity, and costs. The idea is to avert psychological abuse and aberrant behaviour such as mobbing that may cause physical and mental disorders. Mobbing is a problem of the modern society; as a violation of human rights it is relatively new and unrecognised in Croatia. Abuse is mostly psychological; it affects the victim’s health and life, quality of work, productivity, profitability, and may lead to significant economic losses in the community. Mobbing can be averted by joint forces that would involve employees and management, medical and legal professionals, and even community as a whole. The more an organization pursues excellence based on trust and business ethics, the higher the probability that mobbing will be averted or stopped

Impact of posttraumatic stress disorder on sinonasal symptoms and quality of life in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis

Dražen Shejbal,1 Davor Vagic, 2 Siniša Stevanovic, 3 Elvira Koic, 4 Livije Kalogjera21Division of Otorhinolaryngology, Pakrac City Hospital, Pakrac, Croatia; 2Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Sisters of Mercy Hospital, Zagreb, Croatia; 3Division of Otorhinolaryngology, 4Division of Psychiatry, Virovitica General Hospital, Virovitica, CroatiaBackground: Severity of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), measured by disease-specific health-related quality-of-life questionnaires, is expected to increase in patients who also suffer from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Altered pain perception, sleep disorders, and fatigue may be associated with this comorbidity.Methods: Severity of CRS was compared between a group of 28 patients with CRS and a group of 28 patients with CRS and concomitant PTSD using different disease-specific and generic instruments, such as visual analog scale (VAS), Short Form-36 test (SF-36), and Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT 22).Results: SNOT-22 test showed significantly higher CRS severity in patients with CRS and PTSD, compared to patients with CRS without PTSD.Conclusion: Patients with less severe CRS, measured by objective outcome measures, due to the impact of comorbid PTSP, are classified as having severe rhinosinusitis, and are exposed to the risk of unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In patients with difficult-to-treat rhinosinusitis, diagnosis should be revised, and one item that should be evaluated is whether they suffer from PTSD.Keywords: posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic rhinosinusitis, quality of lif

A qualitative exploration of the Couvade syndrome in expectant fathers

The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the nature and duration of male partners somatic and psychological symptoms, across gestation and parturition, collectively called the Couvade syndrome. Fourteen men with expectant partners aged 19-48 years from diverse social and ethnic backgrounds were interviewed. The data was processed using qualitative analytical software WinMAX Professional and the emerging themes and sub-categories identified and analysed. The first was “Emotional Diversity in Response to Pregnancy”, that varied with time and other factors and also included mixed and polarised feelings such as excitement, pride, elation, worries, fears, shock and reluctance. The second was “Nature, Management and Duration of Symptoms”, which revealed the types and duration of physical and psychological symptoms experienced by men. Attempts at managing these were influenced by social and cultural factors. Physical symptoms were more common than psychological ones, and their time course demonstrated trends similar to those reported for the Couvade syndrome. Although the former were reported to their GPs, no definitive diagnosis was made despite medical investigations being performed. The third theme, “Explanatory Attempts for Symptoms” was influenced by cultural beliefs and conventions like religion, alternative medical beliefs or through the enlightenment by health care professionals in the process. Some participants were unable to find explanations for symptoms but some perceived that they were related in some way to the altered physiology of their female partners during pregnancy. These findings highlight the need for further research to acquire deeper insight into men’s experiences of, and responses to, pregnancy as a way of explaining the syndrome