Despite the fact that the issue of mobbing and bossing in Latvia is being discussed more frequently and loudly, these phenomena still remain part of many work collectives, writes LA.lv, telling the story of a woman who became a victim of mobbing and worked for four and a half years at a well-known educational institution in Latvia with a Christian orientation.
Even in schools that appear exemplary and well-maintained from the outside, things can happen inside that are hard to believe. Teachers and staff face disrespect, sudden and unexplained decisions, as well as serious violations of working conditions that affect both the school atmosphere and the physical and emotional well-being of employees.
The interviewee shared that she left the school precisely because of mobbing. She worked as a teacher and librarian. The humiliations she experienced left such deep emotional scars that the woman does not even want to list this workplace on her CV.
According to her, the lack of transparency in the administration's decisions was particularly noticeable. For example, without explanation, one of her classes, where she taught about five lessons a week, was taken away from her.
“Without any warnings that I was doing something wrong, I was simply presented with the fact. At first, they said that a letter from parents had supposedly arrived. When I asked to see it, they refused. Later, it turned out that a teacher close to the school administration had been hired, and my hours were transferred to her,” the former employee recounted.
The woman recalls a particularly painful incident when she was publicly humiliated in front of her students. “I taught an elective for high school students. The lesson took place early in the morning, at eight, and many students did not come. Therefore, it was difficult to assess their knowledge. We agreed with the administration that there would be a test at the end of the year so that grades could be assigned. But on the day of the test, the school principal, shouting at the entire class, publicly accused me of overstepping my authority, even though everything had been agreed upon.”
After this incident, the woman wanted to leave but stayed — and, as she says now, made a mistake. Soon, new episodes followed, leaving psychological trauma.
When asked if other colleagues experienced mobbing, she answered affirmatively — many simply quit suddenly. Notably, the names of people who have not worked there for a long time are still published on the school's website.
The woman also recalls manifestations of disrespect even regarding the physical working environment. “I also performed the functions of a librarian. One day, the administration decided to demolish a wall in the reading room, and I found out about it only after everything was done. I was not there that day. When I returned, my work area and personal belongings were covered in dust, and the books were nowhere to be found. It was an outrageous disrespect.”
There was another case: “Not far from the library, there was a teachers' restroom that was supposed to be renovated. The toilet was removed and placed in the reading room, where it stood for several months. Moreover, it was an old, defective toilet that was supposed to be thrown away. Of course, everyone who entered the library, especially the students, laughed at this.”
The last straw was the situation with a maintenance worker who, according to the woman, systematically made inappropriate jokes, whistled at her, and once poked her in the buttocks with a long stick. He also sent her offensive videos and provocative photos. The administration did not respond to complaints.
Later, the woman learned that this same worker had hit a student in the face — on April 11 of this year. But the administration “covered up” the incident. “When I asked why he was not immediately fired, I was told that he had only received two reprimands retroactively,” the former employee recounts.
According to her, this person had special privileges: free lunches, the ability to bring friends onto school grounds during the workday. “He was close to the administration,” she claims.
When her patience ran out, the woman demanded that one of them — either she or he — leave. But she was told that it was impossible to fire him because, as it turned out, another assistant was working illegally at the school, whose salary was funneled through this same employee.
“So everyone knew he was working there, but they didn’t know it was illegal. I was shocked — everything is done illegally, and no one hides it.”
The woman decided to share her experience to urge others not to remain silent and to not tolerate such behavior. “You need to seek help. No one deserves to be humiliated at a job where they spend most of their life.”
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