Is there a psychopath on your Finance staff?

Hear the word “psychopath” and you likely think of someone in a horror movie or prison. How about three offices down from yours? Scary thought: It’s estimated 1% of employees are “workplace psychopaths.”

Scarier thought: They could well be some of your best job applicants.

After all, on the surface they appear highly intelligent, sophisticated and highly motivated. Underneath they are manipulative and ruthless.

So could any of these damaging personalities be part of your Finance staff or in the other departments at your company?

Here’s what to watch for.

6 signs you have a problem personality

One or two of these personality traits on their own may not be anything to worry about. But if the following reads like a description of a specific employee, you could have trouble brewing:

1. Charming. Charm alone isn’t a problem. But do you have any charming employees who shun group meetings and only want to work one on one? Could be a sign.
2. Manipulative. Cheryl doesn’t flout company policies – she just bends them to her own advantage.
3. Parasitic. They’re credit hogs, even when it’s undeserved.
4. Lack of guilt. Tom gets caught stealing credit – again – from his co-worker in Payroll. And he isn’t the least bit sorry.
5. Pathological lying. This person can talk his or her way out of anything.
6. Erratic. Psychopaths only experience “primary” emotions: happy, sad and angry. And they may bounce from one to the other quickly.

Adapted from “Six ways to spot the workplace psychopath lurking in your office,” by Hazel Parry, at http://rawstory.com