Here they are:
1. “Maybe you should leave?” – systematic pressure on the employee to quit
2. “We are just evaluating your work” – when artificial fault-finding begins
3. “No one wants to work with you anymore” – isolating the employee from the team
4. Public humiliation, insults, and name-calling in front of colleagues
5. Removal of work tools, blocking access, and leaving “without work”
6. Explanation after explanation, sanction after sanction – when control becomes a means of pressure
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7. The employer knows what is happening but does nothing – responsibility for tolerated psychological violence.
The TOP list below is not a formal statistical ranking. It is a summary of recurring behavior patterns found in publicly published decisions of the Labor Disputes Commission (LDC) and courts.
1. Systematic insults, name-calling, and public humiliation
This is one of the easiest forms of psychological violence to recognize, but not always the easiest to prove.
In a 2026 case reviewed by the Klaipėda LDC, the company director repeatedly attacked an employee, called her degrading names, took her phone and threw it into the trash, and asked why she was still working at the company. The employee provided audio recordings of conversations, witness statements, and medical data about health problems caused by stress.
The LDC found psychological violence and awarded the employee 1,000 EUR in non-pecuniary damages.
Klaipėda LDC decision of May 19, 2026, No. DGKS-3997, labor case No. APS-103-9516/2026.
In another 2026 case, the LDC recognized psychological violence in a manager’s communication when an employee was called “disabled,” “stupid,” “fool,” “abnormal.” The employee was awarded 250 EUR in non-pecuniary damages.
Alytus LDC decision of February 3, 2026, No. DGKS-835.
2. Threats of dismissal and pressure to agree to contract termination
The mere proposal to terminate the employment contract by mutual agreement is not psychological violence. However, the situation is viewed differently when threats, punishment, and targeted pressure begin after the employee refuses.
In a 2026 Alytus LDC case, an employee refused the employer’s proposal to terminate the contract by mutual agreement. After refusal, the manager began threatening dismissal for gross violations of work duties, searching for alleged offenses, changing work schedules, and accusing the employee of theft.
The LDC found this was not lawful work organization – it was psychological pressure aimed at forcing the employee to resign. The employee was awarded 2,000 EUR in non-pecuniary damages.
Alytus LDC decision of February 3, 2026, No. DGKS-878, labor cases No. APS-111-2243/2026 and APS-108-1782/2026.
3. Artificial creation of work violations and unfounded accusations
The employer has the right to investigate possible violations of work duties. However, this right cannot be used as a tool to deal with an unwanted employee.
Signs of psychological violence may appear when:
- violations are sought only after the employee refuses to leave the job;
- no responsibility is applied for similar behavior by other employees;
- the employee is unjustly accused of theft, dishonesty, or professional incompetence;
- requests for explanations are used not to clarify circumstances but to intimidate the employee;
- disproportionately many sanctions are imposed in a short time to create a formal basis for dismissal.
The Vilnius Regional Court in one case found that the employee was unlawfully given three disciplinary penalties over four months, and the employer’s actions were long-term and systematic. The court recognized that intensive psychological violence was used against the employee.
4. Employee isolation and separation from the team
Mobbing does not necessarily manifest in loud conflicts. Sometimes it is carried out quietly:
- stopping greetings with the employee;
- not answering their questions;
- not inviting them to meetings;
- not providing information necessary for work;
- turning the team against a specific person;
- publicly ignoring or mocking the employee.
In a review of Lithuanian court practice, employee exclusion from others, not greeting, ignoring, humiliation in front of colleagues, and withholding information are identified as classic manifestations of psychological pressure.
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However, it is important to assess not just one failed conversation but the entire situation: the duration of actions, repetition, intentionality, and whether one employee was treated differently from others.
5. Removal of work tools, excessive control, and degrading “work evaluation”
Psychological violence can also be behavior disguised as legitimate management measures at first glance.
In a case reviewed by the Vilnius Regional Court, an employee was suspended from regular work, seated in a meeting room, had work tools taken away, and was given no tasks for a week. He alone was forbidden to use the scanner and copier, even to take a sheet of paper.
Later, the employee was assigned lower qualification tasks with unjustifiably short deadlines, was filmed in front of colleagues, and a commission of the same colleagues was formed to evaluate his daily work.
The court upheld the decision stating long-term, systematic, and intensive psychological violence.
Vilnius Regional Court ruling of May 27, 2013, civil case No. 2A-1929-590/2013.
6. Disconnection of work access, unjustified absences, and sanctions not provided for in the Labor Code
Disconnection of work tools or electronic access can be lawful, for example, after employment ends or for objective security needs. However, the situation is viewed completely differently when access is disconnected at the employer’s demand while the employee is expected to perform work functions.
In a 2026 Vilnius LDC case, a pregnant employee requested to work remotely. The employer deactivated her work accounts and access without prior warning, marked absences, demanded explanations, decided on a gross violation of work duties, and imposed a “reprimand” not provided for in the Labor Code.
The LDC found that these measures collectively pushed the employee into a helpless position and were used to force contract termination by mutual agreement. The employee was awarded 500 EUR in non-pecuniary damages.
Vilnius LDC decision of May 28, 2026, No. DGKS-4381, labor case No. APS-113-8094/2026.
7. Degrading and unsafe working conditions and long-term employer inaction
Psychological violence can manifest not only in words. Conscious maintenance of degrading, unsafe, or health-damaging conditions, especially when requests are ignored for a long time, can also be significant.
In a 2026 Panevėžys LDC case, an employee worked in a dusty environment, on a broken chair taped with adhesive tape, near unsafe glass shelves and electrical extension cords. There was no rest area or first aid kit at the workplace. The employer did not address the problems for a long time.
The LDC found that the employer created a work environment where the employee experienced psychological violence and health impairment and awarded 700 EUR in non-pecuniary damages.
Panevėžys LDC decision of March 17, 2026, No. DGKS-2405, labor case No. APS-101-4711/2026.
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