So You Hired a Psychopath - Now What?
January 2, 2008
Hi, Thanks for visiting. Here's a free gift. It's an ebook to help you start your own viral marketing campaign and drive tons of traffic to your website or blog.
Do you have a psychopath working in your business? Contrary to popular belief, not all psychopaths are serial killers. And while this is good news, the bad news is there’s millions of psychopaths out there, and they cause havoc and misery wherever they go.
And many do turn up in business - especially in management because they often possess some of the qualities that are desirable in managers. But, unfortunately they also possess some qualities that are not desirable in anyone.
And believe me, if you care about your business, you do not want to hire a psychopath. In fact, you want to keep them out of your life at all costs.
So How Much Damage Can A Psychopath Cause To Your Business?
How long is a piece of string? I’ve read stories where “the victims of psychopaths” have been forced to leave their job and even contemplated suicide. So you could wind up with an extremely unhappy workforce and also lose a lot of staff.
I know of businesses who have been financially scammed by psychopaths and I even know of one long established company who almost had their business stolen from them by a psychopath who worked for them.
So How Do You Spot a Psychopath In Your Organisation?
In a nutshell - it’s extremely difficult. And I’ve come across a few psychopaths over the years. I’ve hired a pyschopath before and I’ve even been in a relationship with one, even though I’ve studied psychology. Often, they’re so proficient they can even deceive the experts.
Here’s a few things to look out for though:
1) Psychopaths will lie about anything and everything. The trouble is, they lie all the time, from the silliest lies you could think of, to the really outrageous stuff, so it’s difficult to spot. If you suspect you have a pyschopath working for you - ask a few questions when you suspect they could be telling a lie and you might be surprised at what you find.
For example - I had a psychopath working for me. One day, she started telling me a story about how she was captured by the IRA and shot in the knee. She showed no emotion at all as she told the story. So, I asked if I could see her scar? She didn’t have a lot of choice here, as she was wearing a skirt. Well - there was no scar there at all, but she was pointing at a spot on her knee saying “It’s there - can you see it?”
It was unbelievable. Psychopaths just don’t know when to stop lying. So if you continue to question them - they will often carry on lying until well after the point that it is obvious to any sane human being that what they are saying is untrue. Or else they will try to dominate the conversation, switching rapidly to another topic when they are caught out.
2) Do you have a lot of staff going off sick with stress and often never returning? They may have become victims of a workplace psychopath. The trouble is, they may never tell you what the problem is, because psychopaths are extremely proficient at having everyone else bar their victims believe that they’re the good guy and making the victim look bad.
They will deliberately befriend (use) someone in a high up position, whilst kicking down anyone else who gets in their way. So you need to have a policy for reporting these types of problem, and you need to investigate thoroughly when they arise.
The victim will usually be extremely distressed by the whole situation and show a lot of emotion - be it sadness, or anger, whilst the psychopath remains calm when confronted.
You see, psychopaths don’t really feel any emotion - especially not for those who they have hurt. But, they know that “normal” people do, and they’ll take full advantage of this - often deliberately saying or doing things to arouse emotions in the victim - to make them look unbalanced.
Now, for effect, they will sometimes display emotion and even throw in the odd caring comment - but this is extremely superficial and they won’t be able to keep it up for long - especially if you ask a lot of questions. And if they sense something isn’t working - they will switch to a different emotion in split seconds - eg. from upset, or hurt to anger.
And psychopaths are usually well aware of the “one time” rule. They will make sure they have evidence of one time when they helped their victim, to discredit their story.
3) Watch their reactions when they hear sad news - eg. of a terrible tragedy occurring in the news, another member of staff who has had a bereavement etc. Listen to their tone of voice and facial expressions. Beyond the odd cursory comment and flimsy attempt to display sadness or pity for the victim, they won’t show any emotion at all.
Drag them into a conversation about it. Talk about how awful those affected must feel and they will come unstuck, because psychopaths don’t have feelings for others and they will be unable to empathise or talk about such feelings in a meaningful way.
Or, deliberately leave a disturbing newspaper picture on a desk within their view and observe their reaction when they see it. “Normal” people will not be able to hide their emotions when seeing the picture - in fact, some won’t be able to look at it at all, and will deliberately avoid it. The psychopath will be able to look at an horrific image without displaying any emotion at all.
4) If you do catch a psychopath out when they’ve lied - and you can actually get them to admit it, they won’t show any remorse (they don’t feel any). Again, if they do - it won’t be genuine, and this will soon be obvious upon further questioning.
At this point, a good technique to use is to try to show no emotion at all when you’re questioning them - no matter what the subject. This can be effective in unnerving a psychopath but do be careful as they will also feel threatened. They could even use physical violence and at the very least, you are likely to become their new victim, though you may not realise it until it’s too late.
5) Psychopaths will often use false flattery frequently and they’re likely to direct it at their chosen ally. But, their facial expressions don’t usually match what they’re saying.
This may be you, if you are the boss. Our psychopath at work did this to me often - usually whilst I was working with my back turned to her. So I got into the habit of turning round very quickly and unexpectedly, just in time to catch the malevolent looks she gave me as she spoke!
So, Wouldn’t It Be Better to Avoid Hiring a Psychopath to Begin With?
That would be the obvious thing to do. The trouble is, it’s not so easy - but here are a few things to look out for:
a) They’re usually extremely charming and interview well. And they’ll seem knowledgable about their line of work, but often, this knowledge is not deep at all. So do probe a little further with your interview questions to suss out whether they really do know their stuff.
b) By the end of the interview, they’ll have you believing they’re the modern day equivalent of Cinderella’s Fairy Godmother. There is no limit to what they can do. They’ll go over and above the call of duty, and completely transform your organisation. And they will - but not in the way you’re hoping.
You can always get them to give you examples of times when they went the extra mile for previous employers. The trouble is, psychopaths are proficient liars and they’ll lie about anything and everything. So, you’re best course of action would be to call an ex employer for a telephone reference.
Now, nobody is going to come right out and say they hired a pyschopath. But you might be interested in what you unearth. However, be warned - if a psychopath has been sussed by a previous employer, they’re going to try to manipulate you into not getting a reference to begin with. And, you should avoid being duped - no matter what they say about their former employer.
So Do You Fire Them Or Try To Help Them?
You have to let them go and here’s why:
a) Psychopaths are not curable - they don’t want to be cured and they will never ever feel any remorse - no matter how much harm they cause. The only person they’re liable to feel sorry for is themself. And do not try to kid yourself that you can save them somehow - it’s very sad, but you can’t.
b) They don’t care who they harm. And they are certainly not your friend, even if they seem to be. In fact, as soon as you are no longer useful to them - you’ll probably become their next victim. Their loyalty will switch according to their needs.
For example, I was once the victim of a psychopath who caused me all kinds of grief. And as soon as they realised I might be in a position to expose them - they tried to “befriend me” and pin all the blame on one of their former allies. I didn’t fall for it and neither should you.
This is just a brief guide to psychopaths in the workplace and if you’re worried about the effect of having a psychopath working in your organisation, you should check out some of these resources, including Snakes in Suits.
And one last thing - even when you’re firing them, do not let your workplace psychopath know that you know they’re a psychopath. You can’t prove it, and they can and will use it against you.
Have you ever hired a psychopath. How did you handle it? Or are they still causing havoc in your business right now? Please share.
Share This
Comments
12 Responses to “So You Hired a Psychopath - Now What?”
Got something to say?
That’s an excellent article. I’ve seen so many of those things and it really got me thinking about people I’ve worked for and with over the years.
The thing I liked the most is the emotion element. It’s so subtle. I even got worried about myself! But felt relaxed once you suggested putting a newspaper article with something horrible on it.
I will look at some horrible stuff, but there’s loads I can’t face - especially stuff affecting kids. The Madeline McCann story is something I can’t face - the thought of what’s happened just sickens me.
But I’ve worked with people who act just like you describe. And I’ve noticed the difference when they’re no longer there to wreak their havoc.
You really have to look at the whole picture, not just certain parts. For example - people in certain professions - eg. doctors, nurses, firefighters and paramedics need to numb their feelings when they’re dealing with distressful situations, or they wouldn’t be able to do their jobs.
And people who are depressed often numb their feelings too.
Now, you mention being able to look at some horrific pictures. That’s different to looking at them without feeling anything. And even if you tried to hide your feelings, a trained professional, or someone who knew a lot about body language would be able to pick up on that.
The Madeleine McCann story is terrible isn’t it? I try to keep myself up to date with what is going on, but it’s difficult to think about it and try not to imagine the horror she may be going through, or have gone through. And I think that is what many people can’t bring themselves to think about.
As for people at work - many people will have worked with psychopaths, but the sad fact is, most of them are so devious, they get away with it. And as you say, you notice a big difference once they’re no longer there.
I’ve dealt with pyschopaths in the business setting. My last position is one reason I went back to working for myself my boss was nuts unfortunately no one in a higher position would do anything about it.
Reading though your list made me think of the essay How to swim with sharks by Voltaire Costeau. It’s an excellent essay. Have you read it?
I once volunteered for a very very sick woman. I don’t know if she was a psychopath–I know she was Paranoid, but she was very damaging.
The group I was working with told me she’d just been passed off by another group and that they didn’t really know much about her, but I thought that it wouldn’t be so bad. She had some health problems and needed someone to clean for her (which I’m good at).
She started calling me at home to talk about her problems…I’m 99% sure she lied to me about a number of things, but I’m not even sure how many. I caught her lying to her doctor on the phone and she verbally assaulted me for being disrespectful and a child of Satan when I asked her why she was lying to the doctor. Told me to pray for forgiveness.
I did it for about 2 months until it was just too much. I was sad because she was honestly sick and physically unable to do her own cleaning. Adult diapers are particularly heavy. But I just couldn’t stick with it.
She had no friends, not surprisingly, so I really don’t know what happened with her. At least she didn’t call back after I cut it off.
(Micah told me to stop after 2 weeks, he was sure she was a psycho/sociopath.)
I don’t recall reading Swimming With Sharks, but I just read an excerpt now - and have put it on my to do pile.
Mrs M - that woman definitely sounds psycho. Blaming others when one is caught lying is bad enough - but calling you the child of Satan was despicable.
It was crazy stuff. I only wish I’d known some way to get her some good psychiatric counseling…but she didn’t think there was anything wrong with her, mentally.
I read an article recently about psychopaths who have had counselling, been in support groups etc. And many of them claimed that they found it beneficial as it taught them better ways, to lie, hurt, deceive and cheat people. So your lady could have wound up being even worse.
Hi Catherine,
Gosh, so many of the symptoms you list are very similar to drug addicts…could there be a correlation?
For many years, we didn’t drug test, but the day we decided to, we lost half of our people. We were so naive. It shocked us when we found out that those we had trusted so much, were the biggest addicts. Scary!
I could imagine how drug addicts could sound similar to psychopaths. I only did a short stint in the drug and alcohol unit, during my nurse training. And I have to say, the drug addicts made the alcoholics seem like saints.
I suppose many of them will do anything to get their fix, even if that means cheating, lying and stealing.
Hi Catherine,
Some of our employees just told us they would not be able to pass the test, whereas others took “something” to try and pass, but the tests came back “diluted”. The lab told me that was the same as failing the test.
When people are addicted to drugs, (and you hear stories every day about them), they will go as far as give up their children, just to get a “fix”.
In the states, a lot of the burglaries are due to drug addicts trying to get money for more of their favorite illegal substance(s). It’s sad, but I’m not sure what the average person can do to stop it, except to vote for elected officials who “promise” to fix the problem.
And there’s so many reasons for not employing a drug addict - they’re more likely to steal from you, they’re a health and safety risk and they’d take more time off work.
[...] several years later? Who will you give the gift of a sincere compliment to today - your spouse, your staff, a colleague, or even a stranger? Please share your thoughts and stories in the comments [...]