Overcoming Mobbing by Maureen Duffy & Len Sperry Summary

Overcoming Mobbing by Maureen Duffy and Len Sperry explores workplace mobbing—a systemic form of group aggression that erodes victims’ mental health and careers through prolonged humiliation, exclusion, and sabotage. The book distinguishes mobbing from bullying by emphasizing organizational involvement, provides recovery strategies for victims, and outlines prevention frameworks for employers.

This guide is essential for workplace abuse victims, HR professionals, managers, and mental health counselors. It equips individuals with tools to document abuse, rebuild self-esteem, and navigate legal recourse while offering organizations protocols to address toxic cultures.

Yes—readers praise its actionable recovery strategies, case studies, and clear distinction between mobbing and bullying. Reviewers note its value for both victims seeking validation and employers aiming to foster healthier workplaces.

Victims often experience PTSD, depression, and shattered self-worth due to gaslighting and social isolation. The book links prolonged mobbing to career derailment, financial instability, and suicidal ideation.

• Document incidents with dates/witnesses
• Secure legal/mental health support
• Reframe self-blame as organizational failure
• Rebuild identity through non-work relationships

Duffy and Sperry urge companies to:

1. Train managers to recognize early warning signs
2. Establish anonymous reporting channels
3. Penalize mobbing instigators, not victims
4. Conduct “psychological safety” audits quarterly

Examples include a teacher targeted by administrators for whistleblowing and a nurse ostracized after reporting safety violations. These show how institutions often protect aggressors over victims.

With remote work complicating team dynamics, the book’s hybrid workplace adaptation strategies help address digital mobbing through Slack/email. Its frameworks align with 2025 EEOC guidelines on systemic harassment.

Some reviewers argue it overemphasizes organizational solutions without addressing individual resilience. Others note limited guidance for small businesses lacking HR departments.

Duffy brings 25+ years as a workplace trauma psychologist, while co-author Len Sperry contributes organizational psychiatry expertise. Their research cites 200+ peer-reviewed studies on group aggression.

• “Mobbing isn’t interpersonal conflict—it’s organizational cancer.”
• “Recovery begins when victims stop internalizing institutional cruelty.”
• “Prevention requires dismantling systems that reward silence.”

The authors recommend The Bully-Free Workplace by Gary Namie and Emotional Survival for Law Enforcement by Kevin Gilmartin for sector-specific insights.