Occasionally you may come across a person who is loved by senior management but hated by subordinates. If this describes someone working in your business, you have a problem.
In independent studies, researchers Tim Field and Dr Robert Hare found “serial bullies” share many of the same traits as psychopaths. A key indicator of these problem people is their workplace Jekyll and Hyde reputations caused by their inability to interact well with other staff members.
To their managers, Jekyll and Hyde staff members will be gracious, courteous and willing to please. That’s how they advance their careers and status. However, they will micro-manage their teams and are highly likely to threaten or intimidate their subordinates because in the minds of these serial bullies, subordinates aren’t important.
What Are The Signs Of A Jekyll And Hyde Personality?
The CV of a Jekyll and Hyde will often be impressive because they know how to manipulate their managers. However there will be frequent job changes.
Other signs include:
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Qualifications that are challenging to check
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Difficulties contacting referees or an inability to supply referee details
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Unexplained gaps in their CVs
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A love of taking charge and managing everything themselves
If they hold management positions, Jekyll and Hyde personalities will often have teams with high levels of sick leave and/or staff turnover.
How Do You Prevent A Jekyll And Hyde Taking Hold Of Your Business?
If you don’t have a Jekyll and Hyde personality working for you now, it’s only a matter of time before you do. But you can do things to minimise the impact they could have on your organisation. For example:
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Depending on their position in your organisation, you could decentralise decision making so they can’t micro-manage their team or department.
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Develop a culture of honesty and open communication so Jekyll and Hyde behaviours are more likely to be recognised and reported.
Always Have Processes In Place
If you have solid recruitment processes, you will often be able to recognise a Jekyll and Hyde personality before they join your team. Once they have infiltrated your business, processes must be followed to exit that person otherwise you risk prosecution by Fair Work.
End2End Business Solutions can help you manage every aspect of an employee’s time with your organisation. So if you need to recruit more staff, transform poor performance or prepare an exit strategy for a problem employee, help is only a phone call away. Call 02 8977 4002.