Years later, the German-Swedish psychologist Heinz Leymann, wrote a seminal paper in which he referred to a certain type of office behavior as "mobbing". This has been a very hot topic in Europe for some time now. Unfortunately, when Leymann's paper was translated into English, the word "mobbing" was usually replaced by either "bullying" or "psychoterror", both of which are misleading.

Tony Belak's article attempts to differentiate "mobbing" from "bullying". His language, especially considering the ferocity and long-term damage inflicted by "mobbing", is moderate and understated. He does not include any graphs or figures. That may be a pity: the statistics from Europe indicate that "mobbing" almost always results in the victim losing his or her job, and very frequently indeed involves long-term or permanent disability.

As a clear introduction to a poorly understood and very expensive workplace phenomenon, Belak's article is highly recommended to both managers and human resource personnel.