Team pressure. Psychological pressure - how to resist Pressure at work what to do

Problems in the team today it is not uncommon, despite numerous team building companies and organizations, full-time psychologists in almost every seedy firm that sells paper clips at retail, a general softening of morals of the 21st century. So, when joining a new team, every newcomer should be ready for mobbing or bullying in relation to himself just in case. These two words, which are unpleasant to the ear, are even less pleasant in the essence of the phenomena that are hidden behind them.

Mobbing It is customary to call the collective harassment of one employee by the majority of others or by a group of other employees, with the tacit consent of the rest who do not participate in the collective harassment.
bullying the same is the definition for individual bullying, when one bullies the other, and the rest do not participate.

The reasons for this behavior may be different. Very often, the most common envy becomes a factor pushing one person or a group of people to start a full-fledged company to squeeze someone out. The victims of this kind of aggression are the most successful and successful members of the team, in whose hands work is always argued, and each of their undertakings is accompanied by success. The boss is literally in love with such a person, and recently gave him a vacation ahead of everyone else, during which "this upstart" went to warm countries, along with his happy family, while the rest sat dejectedly in the winter office, poring over reports.

Should immediately Mark that the goal of aggression is always the purposeful extrusion of a person from a given group with the help of psychological attacks, although this goal may not be realized by the aggressors. It is likely that they consciously do not set any specific goals for themselves, they are just pleased to "pin this smart guy" or "put this snob in his place."

another reason can, of course, be ugly behavior on the part of the beginner himself. Many newcomers, as soon as they come to the company, begin to think of themselves as great experts in their field and, from the heights of their own exaggerated authority, try to steer local customs, work rules and attitudes that are more than one year old. Such people also receive a sharp rebuff, as a rule, immediately from most of their new colleagues. The demonstrative behavior of such people is often combined with arrogant arrogance and simply a unique talent to infuriate others by the very fact of their presence in the room. It may seem that such comrades are rare, but in fact one of them is easy to find in almost any company. They are eternal targets for psychological kicks from their colleagues, and, as a rule, they cannot even understand why they are so disliked.

Still gets toadies, newcomers who have just joined the team, and immediately determined for themselves that they will "work for the authorities." From the very first days, such people begin to fawn before their own boss, causing contemptuous glances of peers in the company. Of course, no one likes toadies, so it's not surprising that they are regularly attacked.

Another case - victim behavior, or as it is also called, the victim complex. This is a situation in which one employee begins to behave like a victim, which, if there is at least one potential aggressor in the team, inevitably leads to bullying, and if the complex is strong enough, then even to mobbing. Victim behavior is manifested in constant admiration for superiors, self-abasement in front of other employees, complaints about one's own life, one's own mediocrity, stupidity, disorder and weakness.

Manifestations at psychological pressure in a professional environment there can be many. So, the most common way of bullying is simple ridicule. Constant jokes, caustic remarks and comments that throw you off balance, and gradually pick a crack in your self-esteem.

It can also be different sabotage: hiding important information necessary for work, destroying important data on your computer, organizing deadlines for deadlines, ordinary sabotage, such as "accidentally" spilling coffee on a report that is ready for delivery, and so on. They try to put sticks in the wheels so that all responsibility lies solely with the outcast.

Another way- neglect in personal communication. An employee who is "squeezed out" from the team, with varying degrees of demonstrativeness, may not be invited to a birthday party, some kind of farewell party related to the retirement or dismissal of another employee, sometimes even to corporate parties.

Sometimes in mobbing, along with employees, the authorities also participate. Although, it would seem, if one of the employees does not like it, why not just fire him? But very often people act irrationally, hire someone they don't like, and then they themselves fight with him. Therefore, there is no point in waiting for mercy from others, there is no point in trying to "endure" and wait until they fall behind. You need to take some action on your own.

The best way to start fighting mobbing and bullying What you are exposed to at work is to read all of the above, recognize yourself in the described types and begin to take action to stop behaving like that. Stop being a victim, make yourself respected. This can be done with sharp retaliatory aggression, after which a long period of "siege" will follow - an emotional blockade and ignoring any attempts to tease you. Aggression is needed in order to show that you have not given up and put up with ridicule, but simply consider yourself above this, they got you and you are no longer involved in this. Saying it out loud is also a great idea. And, of course, stop behaving in a disgusting way, work on respect not only for yourself, but also for others. And try to cover up your own achievements, if you see that they cause black envy in weak hearts.

Direct psychological impact on a person is coercion. Forceful methods in this case are physical force, power, information or money. To resist this kind of pressure is quite difficult, because. it is very aggressive and undisguised.

The second type of aggressive pressure is humiliation. In such a situation, you will be influenced morally, humiliate your dignity, put pressure on your self-doubt.

Obsession - this kind of psychological pressure is based on trying to torture you. The person will influence you, but as soon as you try to clarify the situation, he will move on to extraneous topics. And when you relax, it will return to its original position.

The manipulator using the method of suggestion is most often an authority for the victim. The extreme degree of suggestion is hypnotic influence. In this case, a person practically cannot resist the aggressor.

The most rational way of psychological pressure is persuasion. The manipulator will urge you to listen to logic, appeal to reason. Especially subject to this method are people with developed thinking and a normal level of intelligence, because less intelligent individuals simply will not understand the logical chains of the manipulator.

How to resist psychological influence

To begin with, find out the true goals of the manipulator and begin to act in reverse. Do it carefully so that the enemy does not understand that you are doing it on purpose - explain the mistakes with misunderstanding or other problems. Most likely, the manipulator will leave you alone and look for a more "understanding" victim.

Learn to defend your point of view - this is necessary to gain respect in society. Most often, smart, but non-conflict and gentle people suffer from psychological pressure. Work on your self-confidence, remember that you are entitled to your own opinion.

If you notice that they are trying to influence you, try to remain calm - this is the first rule of invulnerability. The manipulator, failing to break through your "armor", will most likely retreat.

In conversation, try to use your common sense. The manipulator may make arguments that seem quite logical, but this is his own "truth". Try to look at everything from your point of view.

Effective methods to avoid pressure are ignoring and refusing. To all the efforts of the manipulator, firmly refuse, and you will quickly cease to interest him.

Psychological pressure is such a way of influencing a person in which it is possible to influence not only his actions and mode of action, but often even his way of thinking and opinion.

Psychological pressure is resorted to for various reasons. Often this is done because of a lack of real power in the person exerting pressure, or because of self-doubt. A person who possesses does not put pressure on others, but solves problems, trying to use direct and honest methods.

Psychological pressure not only "breaks" the victim and gives her a lot of anxiety and loss of an inner sense of security. This method of influence can also turn against the one who uses it - the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation provides for an article (Article 40 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) for those who exert insurmountable psychological pressure. The article provides for punishment for psychological pressure on a person, and at the same time is an acquittal for the victim of such influence - the justice of the Russian Federation considers pressure so powerful that it can drive a person to a crime against his will.

Thus, pressure in psychology is an extremely undesirable mode of action. It may seem that knowing how to put pressure on a person psychologically is great and effective, and it helps a lot in life to achieve your own goals. Many psychologists, especially those who specialize in business training, also think so. However, pressure remains an unhealthy strategy that can only bring temporary results, and in the long run only brings injury and suffering to those around you.

Knowing how to suppress a person psychologically is necessary first of all in order to be able to resist this pressure from others. Many people are familiar with this state in which, after being manipulated, they are forced to do something that is contrary to their inner beliefs. At the same time, they experience a lot of mixed negative emotions - from shame and anger to a literal split of the personality into two parts.

Types of psychological pressure

There are several types of psychological pressure, each of which requires special attention to its management and avoidance strategy. Here are the most common types of pressure, and then we'll talk about how to resist them.

The first of them, the most unpretentious and undisguised, is coercion. Coercion can, which has an imaginary or real superiority over its victim. It could be a boss threatening to fire you, or a gangster from a doorway threatening with a knife. Both of these are nothing but coercion.

Humiliation (or humiliation) is the second type of psychological pressure. For him, the manipulator gets personal, offends (probably even publicly), emphasizes the flaws that are painful for the victim: appearance, illness, marital status, etc. The lowest and most offensive words are selected that are designed to “crush” the victim of manipulation. How does it work for a manipulator, what does a humiliated person want to do for a person who has told him so much? It's very simple: after the sounded nasty things, the manipulator immediately offers a way by which the humiliated victim can rise in the eyes of society - to fulfill the proposed assignment.

The next method of pressure is avoidance. In this case, implicit manipulation is performed, and when the victim tries to clarify the situation, the manipulator waves it off indignantly. Thus, the victim of manipulation creates "cognitive dissonance" - an unpleasant feeling that she is doing something wrong. In an effort to get rid of this feeling, a person fulfills any requests of the manipulator.

Suggestion and persuasion are options for applying psychological pressure. At the same time, the manipulator must have some kind of influence on the victim: either have absolute authority in her eyes, or be a well-known person to her. Suggestion is more focused on emotions. The manipulator may use phrases like "Listen to me, I know for sure ...", or "Don't you trust my opinion ...", or "I only wish you well, therefore ...".

In this case, the psychological suppression of a person occurs, as it were, out of good intentions, as a result of which the victim adopts the imposed opinion and begins to consider it his own. Persuasion is characterized by rationalization, i.e., they try to inspire a person with something, using the arguments of logic, sometimes quite perverted. The number of arguments, both real and imaginary, reaches such a quantity that the victim's brain simply gets tired of perceiving the information critically and automatically agrees.

Gratitude required. This is a variant of long-term psychological pressure. The manipulator first renders the victim a service: one that was not asked for and that did not really cost him anything. He can regularly provide such imaginary "help" to the victim, rubbing himself into confidence. At the moment when the manipulator has something, the request “return the favor” comes into play. The request can become quite intrusive and turn into threats if the victim does not agree to the terms right away.

How to resist psychological pressure?

It should be understood that manipulators are not guided by a special list where it is written how to put pressure on a person psychologically. This means that the manipulator does not choose only one method of pressure - in life there may be the most sophisticated combinations of strategies that change in the course of exposure to the victim. These methods are chosen depending on the intuition and the degree of depravity of the manipulator, i.e., practically nothing limits his imagination.

In this regard, coping strategies must also be flexible. To know how to resist psychological pressure, you need to realize that it is being applied to you. Sometimes it is very difficult to do this: as already mentioned, there are a lot of ways to exert psychological pressure on a person and they can form the most unexpected combinations. Therefore, it is necessary to regularly ask yourself the question: am I doing this because I want to, or does someone else want it? If, when answering a question, you feel some fragmentation, splitting, if your motivation is dictated from the outside by a specific person, this is a sign that you are under pressure.

Psychological pressure can be defeated by resorting to a straightforward rebuff. However, this does not work for all manipulators, and not every victim can maintain a “fighting spirit”. A direct response implies that the victim, having realized his position, informs the manipulator that his demands are unrealistic or undesirable. For some manipulators, directness can be confusing and they admit defeat, but in many cases, the victim can be immediately entangled in a network of less obvious manipulations, accept the guilt imposed on her, and wallow in other people's ambitions even deeper.

Work on yourself and your self-esteem. It is no secret that it is easier to exert psychological pressure on a person if he is not confident in himself and his own abilities. It is almost impossible to reach a higher level of your life on your own, especially for a person who is already under pressure, therefore, in such situations, the intervention of a specialist is necessary.

The psychologist conducts trainings and practical classes on personal growth, and also helps people who have fallen under the influence of manipulators to realize their own goals and learn how to avoid pressure from outside. Especially the help of a specialist is required if the toxic environment covers the victim's immediate circle of friends - family or loved ones. A psychologist will teach you how to resist the psychological pressure of a husband or parents without destroying family ties.

Psychological pressure: protection against manipulation in several tricks

Psychological pressure is harder to recognize than overcome. If you know exactly who is exerting pressure on you and in what matters, a few simple defense techniques will help you. They may seem insignificant, but if you are aware of what and why you are using them, then they will work. Receptions against psychological pressure are as follows:

Create barriers. If you feel that an unpleasant conversation is starting, in which they will try to “crush” you, put various objects between you and the interlocutor. An ashtray, a chair, a cup, a mobile phone - any, even an insignificant, object on the way from the manipulator to you can become your mental "protection" and an obstacle to aggressive influence.
Take closed postures. Cross your legs, cross your arms, put your finger on your lips or eyebrows, prop your face with your palm. All these natural barriers that you create with your own body in the way of aggressive influence will help you think more critically in relation to what the interlocutor imputes to you. In addition, these poses give confidence.
Create mental barriers. Outline with your imagination a circle around you, stand up a dome or a wall, you can mentally place yourself in a spacesuit. Imagine that behind an imaginary barrier is your security zone, where no one can penetrate, no matter how hard they try.
Distract the attention of the manipulator. Move objects in front of him, perform various manipulations, cough, yawn, stretch: show any physical activity that will prevent the opponent from concentrating on what he is saying. The main thing is not to overdo it, because everything should look natural.
Present the interlocutor in a funny way. For example, mentally put a jester's hat on your important boss or make him a screaming penguin. As long as you are focused on creating a funny image, you will not have time to be afraid, which means you will have more opportunities to think about the incoming information and confront it.

These techniques will help you gain confidence and find a mental resource in order to resist the manipulator. can be used constantly, but they are not enough to constructively discuss a controversial subject and unconditionally regain an advantage in a situation.

How to get out of pressure?

Here are specific techniques that will allow you to lure the advantage to your side in a conflict situation:

Ask questions. The first question to ask when applying pressure is "Can I refuse this request?" Even if the opponent answers "Yes, but ...", you can already operate on this answer to explain your refusal. If the answer is no, a number of other questions should be asked. It is especially important during such an "interview" to monitor the reaction of the manipulator - his facial expressions or gestures. Often only a close look is enough to break the opponent's confidence. Clarifying questions that are not a direct confrontation, but help to identify “holes” in manipulation, can help in a situation of pressure. “Does it look like I don’t want to take responsibility?”, “Does it show that I’m afraid?”, “What should I be afraid of?”, “Do you think that I have no right to refuse?”, “Why are you so sure of what you're saying?" Such questions can confuse the manipulator and buy time for the next step.
Determine your opponent's strategy. How are they trying to break you? Maybe the manipulator refers to his experience or age? Take advantage of your experience and age. Referring to authorities? Question them or say that this figure is not authoritative in your specific dispute. Trying to put pressure on others? If they are present during the conversation in person, you can ask each of them why they support your opponent and not you. If the manipulator is trying to gain an advantage with a pace or a quick attack, take a break - say that you need to urgently move away. The main thing in any dispute is to take your time and be attentive to exactly how pressure is applied in order to find the weaknesses of this method.
Use your benefits. It is best to use the same strategies as your opponent - to find the support of third parties or authorities, your own merit or experience. However, do not overdo it: your task is to extinguish the conflict by balancing forces, and not provoke a new one by transferring the manipulator to the status of a victim.
Negotiate. Now that the manipulator's strategy has been reversed and he cannot unconditionally dictate his terms to you, you have an option that suits both of you equally. Offer compromise solutions. If it is possible to forever avoid contact with the manipulator, it is worth cutting off all the ends and no longer dealing with this person.

Remember that psychological pressure is a traumatic method of influence, and it is better not to resort to it unnecessarily. And if you can't handle the pressure on your own, don't be afraid to ask for help.

The processes of psychological pressure from colleagues and management, research on the topic of violence at work, scientists have been engaged since the mid-80s of the last century. The concepts of mobbing, bullying, bossing, staffing came to us from the West. In Russia, on the other hand, people are not accustomed to “making dirty linen in public,” and therefore the terms that reflect all aspects of psychological harassment in the workplace are not known to either Russian legislation or judicial practice in our country.

In life, each of us at least once found ourselves under pressure at work: your opinion was neglected, you were not allowed to make a single independent decision without the consent of the management, achievements were easily depreciated in front of colleagues, etc. For many, work ruined their lives. And imagine how many "great" opportunities there are to survive objectionable employees from the company, without even resorting to complex legal and administrative procedures. And you can also shift part of your work to colleagues, and what is harmful and how dangerous is such a pathology in interpersonal relationships for the company? And what can be done to remedy the situation? Let's take a look and analyze the most common situations.

Gender factor in team management

In personnel management, a female leader pays more attention to the psychological climate in the team, relations between employees, differs from a male leader in greater sensitivity to subordinates. But a woman tends to be more receptive to criticism, biased towards ongoing processes and people, which does not allow her to behave constructively. It is excessive emotionality that is considered a serious drawback of the female management model.

The style of male leadership is strongly influenced by stereotypes, according to which a man must be harsh, adamant, demanding and even sometimes unfair, if, as he believes, this is required by the interests of the cause. Aggression in men often manifests itself when they do not want to show their sensitivity. Instead of showing sympathy and helping, a man may, not wanting to show his weakness, show unjustified aggression. It is believed that the rigid male model of management is much more effective. Psychologists say that the stereotypes of a “good manager” and a “typical man” largely coincide. But scientists have found that the behavior of a leader who achieves success also includes traits that are characteristic primarily of "female" behavior. A good leader must be goal-oriented and able to defend his opinion (masculine traits), and he must also be able to communicate with people and appreciate them at their true worth (feminine qualities).

Wars within the team

In world practice, there is already a fairly large number of studies on psychological pressure and discrimination against employees. So, in 2003, the American organization that studies the problem of harassment in the workplace, The Workplace Bullying & Trauma Institute, conducted a study, according to which it became known that women are the most often victims of psychological pressure (80 percent). Gender characteristics also determine who becomes the initiator and who is a participant in psychological pressure. If the object of pressure is a woman, then the aggressors are more often men (54%) than women (respectively 46%). With regard to male “victims”, the situation is more definite – male colleagues are more likely to be ready to assert themselves at the expense of rivals – in 72 percent of cases. Men use their official position, while women tend to use their informal contacts within the company to organize the persecution of the “victim”. Men are more likely than women to threaten with dismissal and do not hesitate to insult. Women, on the other hand, tend to boycott the object of persecution, spread rumors and gossip.

Situation one. All against one

Every three months, a new employee comes to the established team of one of the departments of ZAO R. After the third dismissal, the head of the personnel department, noticing this state of affairs, conducted an exit interview with the resigning person. It turned out that the department has its own set of unspoken rules and guidelines and its own informal leader - lead manager Elena A. And if a newcomer does not meet certain standards, then he immediately sets the team against himself. And the male leader sits in a separate office and does not see anything or maybe does not want to see it.

Solution option. The team has its own informal leader - this is a woman who sets her own rules in the department and competes in a number of cases with the male boss. In this situation, the following actions can be taken: firstly, offer the manager to move to the same office with his subordinates. Then, under the boss, the informal leader will have to behave more restrainedly and the psychological pressure on newcomers will be reduced. Secondly, as a solution, you can propose to the head of the department to distribute job responsibilities among the employees of the department in such a way as to remove the “problem” vacant unit from the staff list.

Situation two. Office terrorists

Have you ever described your work to your boss every minute or listened to instructions from him on what to do, and at the level of individual actions, and not tasks or subtasks, your work was sharply criticized without specific explanations and suggestions, etc.? If yes, then this means that your boss is an office terrorist or a micromanager *. This behavior is based on a lack of trust, because the micromanager believes that no one else can do the job or do it as well as himself. Therefore, micromanagers do not delegate responsibility, and if they do, they subsequently carefully and to the smallest detail check the progress of work and the results obtained. The micromanager rejects any initiatives of employees. The main message of a working relationship is “The boss is always right!”. Micromanagement demoralizes and limits the personal development of employees and promotes the dismissal of the most promising ones. The subordinate of the micromanager simply closes in on himself, emotionally and intellectually withdraws from the work process, becomes inactive. As a rule, micromanagement interferes with the boss himself - his career growth quickly gets bogged down in the routine.

It is important to distinguish between intrusion and support and participation, although most micromanagers sincerely believe that their management style is the best, and they do not even understand the damage they are doing to people, themselves and work processes.

Solution options. In this situation, it can be proposed to evaluate the work of the micromanager using the 360-degree method. This procedure in a gentle mode will help the micromanager to see himself from the outside, to find out how employees perceive and evaluate his behavior. There is another option for influencing the micromanager - transferring him to another position or limiting his impact on the team with his activities (for this, it is necessary to expand the powers of his deputy). Also look for a suitable candidate within the company, ready to replace the micromanager if necessary.

Irina Zykova,

PhD in Law, Leading Legal Counsel of FIOKAN (Moscow):

“Often, getting into a situation of psychological pressure from the boss, the employee sooner or later prefers to change his job “of his own” will, without waiting for the negative wording in the work book. But is this always the only possible course of action? Generally recognized norms and principles of international law are an integral part of the legal system of the Russian Federation, and there are already precedents for applications by Russian citizens to the European Court of Human Rights on similar circumstances (see, for example, the judgment of 30 July 2009 in the case of Danilenkov and Others v. the Russian Federation)* *. Indirect reflection of these provisions is also contained in Russian legislation - Article 2 of the Labor Code establishes one of the basic principles of the legal regulation of labor relations - ensuring the right of workers to protect their dignity during the period of employment.

One of the main forms of protection of violated rights is judicial, but here it must be remembered that, in accordance with the Code of Civil Procedure, each party must prove the circumstances to which it refers as the basis for its claims and objections (paragraph 1. article 56 Code of Civil Procedure of the Russian Federation). In other words, the employee needs to prove that he was psychologically affected and that he was harmed by this impact. It is possible to prove your negative psychological state by conducting a psychological examination, but how to prove the cause of such a state seems very difficult, but not impossible - this requires an appropriate expert opinion. At the same time, it must be remembered that the court decision will be based on an analysis of the positions of both parties, and a situation is not ruled out when the employee may be wrong.”

Situation three. The strongest survives

In one large trading company, an atmosphere of competition is maintained, and the management, mostly male, observes employees from the outside, without delving into the processes within the team. There, psychological pressure is just a good way to defend privileges, starting with a comfortable workplace in the office, an attractive project at work, and ending with trips on interesting business trips. All means were used: regular denunciations, open confrontation and all sorts of "fake" situations. As a result, the work became a game of survival and staff turnover began.

Solution option. Everyone knows that "the fish rots from the head." You must first change the process of communication and personnel management at the top level. The personnel department will have to operate with numbers and present them to the company's management. To do this, it is necessary to evaluate the costs of finding the necessary employees both in terms of time and in monetary terms, indicate in the report what risks the company bears, losing highly professional employees. It is also possible to offer the management to "change players on the field" - to rotate personnel in the company, since personnel stagnation is especially dangerous. All this will help reduce the intensity of passions and show the true capabilities of each employee.

Alena Prikhodko,

candidate of psychological sciences, psychologist (Moscow):

“The reason for any conflicts, in principle, is the clash of opposing points of view and the unwillingness of the parties to make concessions. Such unconstructive behavior often leads to aggressive behavior. Aggression can be both direct - "in the face", and indirect - "behind the eyes". Direct aggression, as a rule, is emotional - a person let off steam, freed himself from overwhelming feelings and calmed down. While indirect aggression is manifested consciously, and moreover, instrumentally, using resources. According to gender studies of emotional socialization, women are more aggressive than men, only their aggression is manifested at the verbal level and, as a rule, indirectly. However, there is evidence that emotions reflect the status of a person in a group, which means that a female boss acquires the right to express the emotion of the boss - anger and show aggression directly. The social role greatly affects the emotional sphere, and if the field of activity is associated with "male" professions, then it also affects the development of masculine traits in women.

Situation four. Execution cannot be pardoned

In a manufacturing company where most of the employees are men, including near-retirement age, a young and energetic male manager was hired as the head of the unit. Half a year has passed, and the workers who worked half their lives at the enterprise began to get sick often, and one even ended up in the hospital with a heart attack. As it turned out, a new team of employees, who came along with the head, spread the rumor that the company was going to be updated and the “old men” would be demoted or fired as redundant.

Solution option. It is worth remembering that any change is a fear of the uncertainty of the future. If the tasks of top management do not include a radical renewal of the company's team, then it is important to talk with old employees and tell in detail about all the changes in the company, clarifying the prospects for almost each of them. Only open information will stop the spread of rumors and gossip.

Situation five. Women's confrontation

The women's team with a woman leader for several years lived in perfect harmony. But it so happened that the former leader left for family reasons to live abroad, and a new one was invited in her place, from outside. There was strong resistance among employees to the newly appointed boss. Any orders were ignored by subordinates, duties were performed formally.

Solution option. In women's groups, where the leader is also a woman, the highest level of psychological harassment and conflict situations occurs. In this case, the new leader can be advised to honestly tell all employees that their behavior complicates her life, creates a non-working environment, and interferes with the performance of official duties. Such a provocative approach can dramatically improve the attitude of most employees towards the new leader.

Serious violations in the behavior of employees is not a problem of individual people, to a greater extent, it is a serious problem of the whole company. Update the company's personnel policy, improve the management skills of the management, and most importantly - always keep your finger on the pulse - be aware of all the processes taking place in the company.

* A micromanager is a leader whose management style leads to a decrease in the efficiency of a department or company, in which excessive control over subordinates is carried out, feedback and delegation of authority are ignored.

** The crux of the matter. In 2001, members of the dockers' trade union of the Kaliningrad port filed a complaint with the European Court, alleging that their rights to freedom of association and freedom from discrimination had been violated. On the part of the port management, unbearable conditions were created for employees - members of the trade union: working conditions were worsened (brigades were disbanded, qualified dockers were transferred to unskilled work, etc.), wages were reduced, unbearable psychological conditions were created at workplaces. On 30 July 2009 the Court decided to pay each applicant EUR 2,500 in respect of non-pecuniary damage.