Disabled Employees as A Vulnerable Group in the Labor Market and Mobbing: A Qualitative Research in Tokat Province

Out of the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups in the labor market, disabled employees make up one of the segments that is most exposed to mobbing in the workplace. In this study, we investigated mobbing processes against disabled employees and their effects on them. The research was conducted through faceto-face in-depth interviews with 10 disabled employees in the province of Tokat, between November 2019 and December 2020. The obtained data was analyzed using descriptive and content methods. We examined the characteristics of handicapped employees who had been victims of mobbing, the mobbing acts used against them, causes and types of mobbing and their effects on the victims. The findings show that disabled employees are subjected to acts of mobbing including scolding, mockery, shouting, humiliation, backbiting, overloading, disdain, and being given work below their qualifications. Negative prejudices and attitudes towards disability are among the causes of mobbing against disabled employees in the workplace. Mobbing affects the effective and equal participation of disabled people at work and hinders their permanent presence in the labor market. The psychological and physical health of disabled employees who are victims of mobbing worsen and their disability-related health problems deteriorate. Mobbing impairs the physical and mental health of disabled employees and reduces their productivity as well. Mobbing weakens and eventually breaks these people’s ties with the labor market and their working lives.