Office talk: Have your say
We want your views on what makes the perfect global office.
Who are your role models, how do you navigate through the maze of technology and how can you achieve a glowing annual staff review?
Have your say about Global Office. CNN's Becky Anderson may read the best e-mails on air.
March 29 , April 6 , April 21
May 10 , May 25 , June 3
June 11, July 2, July 19,
August 16
I never thought of it this way, but after reading your article (Corporate Psychopaths at Large) I really thought you were talking about my old boss. On top of everything, she was an alcoholic too, making the paranoia and mood swings even worse. After working with her, there is no way I think I will ever put myself in a position to be around someone like that.
Rob, Gainesville, FL
I worked for a corporate psychopath for almost two years and had to leave recently after medical advice to quit my job. After three months, I am still on two different medications and unable to work. This person shared all the character traits described and was so incredibly charming, that after applying for employment insurance on medical certification, they could not believe this was the same man I described after speaking to him.
And as well, he sent a signed statement indicating that he had provided an excellent work environment and anything I said had to be untruths. They actually believed him and it became an I said/he said situation. I had to provide corroboration from other staff members to get my claim! I advise anyone who is enduring this to get out before they suffer irreparable damage mentally and physically.
Anne, Sherwood Park, Alberta
I definitely was a victim of a corporate psychopath. Fortunately, I was smart enough to jump ship. Unfortunately, I had to endure the abuse for three years prior to being in a good position to move on. Abuse consisted of false fraud accusations and general slanderous remarks. I was even investigated by the company and had to answer to these false accusations with a lawyer present. I believe that I was targeted because I was participated in a highly visible company leadership training program.
Chuck, Philadelphia
Absolutely there are psychos in the the work place. There has always been that one percent of the people I work with that seem to have a psychotic desire to tear the people down around to make themselves look better. This is a real issue that I feel deserves some serious attention. There have been companies I have worked for in the past, where I believe the percentage was much higher than one percent. After all these psychotic characteristics are what a lot of corporations are looking for (unfortunately). There is a fine line between ambition and psychosis, and in Corporate America, much finer than we would like to believe.
Jack, Longview
I was working for a law firm in DC for about 10 years when the firm hired a new Paralegal Manager. She immediately set out to drive out anyone with tenure, and made it her mission to make the lives of her senior paralegals a living hell. It was clear she was earning her bonus for paring her staff budget at the expense of people (with families) who'd worked hard for the firm for many years, and yet she didn't care. When word got out, a lot of us were recruited by other firms looking for experienced paralegals. Our old firm suffered because of it's short-sighted goal of cutting our department's budget. Cold-hearted doesn't even begin to describe my experience -- she tried to drive me out halfway through my pregnancy knowing I was the main bread-winner and our family's sole source of access to health insurance.
K. Murphy, Kensington, MD
During the course of my 34 years in industry, I have worked with many different personality types. While none of the traits that you've listed are admirable qualities, I doubt that the test criteria given in this article would truly hold up to a clinical definition of the term psychopath. I disagree with the label. It seems to suggest that the behavior is something the individual can't control -- as if to say they can't help it, they were born with this illness.
Even so, I agree these personalities can make the workday quite miserable for their co-workers and direct reports; Sadly, experience tells me that upper management is far removed from these kinds of events, and does little to keep these individuals in check; they may in fact encourage the behaviors. Often, managers that are aware of an abusive employee will justify and defend the behavior, or mumble something about how they are trying to salvage the abusive manager (bury their head in the sand, while the abuse continues).
As a result, morale takes a nosedive; Creativity is stifled and organizations lose good employees rather than deal with the situation.
Paul Lautrup, Kalamazoo, MI
More than anything else energy and perseverance are required for entrepreneurial success (Mr Hotmail seeks new challenges). Energy to start, and to start over again, and perseverance to see it through. The myth of the brilliant idea is overrated -- it's about implementation.
Carl Sommerholt, Stockholm, Sweden
I have had to use technical support, and I never get my problems resolved due to the company's outsourcing the jobs to India. (Outsourcing fires Indian IT boom) I can't understand what they are saying to me. It is costing us American jobs with poor results and I don't like it one bit. I wouldn't like it even if I got good results. It isn't fair to American workers sending our jobs overseas when we need the work here and it is strictly for corporate greed for making money. It is a disgrace and I don't like it!
Bill Clark, Sheridan, AR
I have watched my coworkers deplete from hundreds to a handful within a year. All because the company decided to outsource to India. But, the main issue is that the company hasn't realized that they are getting what they paid for. They might be saving millions on employee overhead, but we are losing customers on a daily basis due to the fact that the India personnel can't speak English well enough to understand them on the phone (No matter how many times they have gone through "accent training"). Every time someone leaves the company, they are not replaced by a willing US citizen, but another Indian. I have friends in the IT industry who are living with their parents because there are no good jobs out there anymore, they have all gone to India and it's disheartening... What happened to the American Dream?? It seems to have become the Indian dream now...
Missi, West Palm Beach
I have a staff of 10 software quality analysts in Hyderabad that complement my larger staff here in the US. The greatest challenge we face, and I believe most others will face is transfer of business knowledge, US business customs and regulations and knowledge specific to a complex business organization. In addition, the small things we almost intuitively know, such as zip codes are things for which there is no contextual comparison in India. I hear a lot about cultural differences, though I have encountered no real disconnects. A good approach is to know they exist, learn what they are, and decide which you can manage and which you need to manage away. Those relating to family and faith need to be managed and honored, others related to hierarchy customs or attitudes toward women in positions of authority, are ones that should be managed away. Overall my experience is positive. But to build the trust and over come the culture gap I have had to spend 50 percent of my time on the ground in India since initiating the project. It's been worth it.
Judy Hallstrom, St. Petersburg, FL
