Every manager knows there are certain employees who can be disruptive or even toxic. But they may be more than just annoying. They could have a psychiatric condition called a personality disorder (PD).
“Personality disorders are extremely common,” said Dr. Elizabeth Reade, a psychiatrist and medical director, Return to Work Services, with Homewood Health. “Various studies rank personality disorders as somewhere between one in 11 people in the general population to one in five.”
Employees with normal personalities cope and function well, show resilience, adapt to change, have the ability to endure frustrations and are able to regulate their emotions, she said. “They are, in short, mature.”
However, those with PDs don’t cope well and often don’t get along with colleagues and bosses. PD causes the affected person distress and impaired functioning and may also reduce the morale and productivity of their co-workers. “They may not see they have a problem,” said Reade. “They may blame others or consider themselves to be ‘unlucky.’ Their problems follow them from home to work, and from workplace to workplace.”
Reade gave examples of the more common ones:
- Obsessive Compulsive PD – picky, perfectionist, workaholic, rigid, controlling;
- Narcissistic PD – arrogant, self-promoting, lacks concern for others;
- Borderline PD – crisis-prone, emotionally fragile or stormy, chaotic;
- Paranoid PD – suspicious, distrustful, blaming, often feels slighted and persecuted;
- Antisocial PD – lacks conscience, empathy or remorse, uses others, dishonest, self-centred, breaks rules; and
- Passive Aggressive PD – quietly and indirectly mean, sarcastic, “forgets” to do tasks they dislike.
The bad news is that the traditional treatment for PD is long-term psychotherapy, which usually takes between three and seven years. The good news is that short-term group therapy can teach skills that improve an individual’s functioning and employability in terms of interpersonal skills, resiliency skills, conflict resolution, boundary setting, emotional regulation and work-focused cognitive behavioural therapy. Fortunately, many employees can access short-term group therapy through their employee family and assistance program.
Companies can also prevent a great deal of disruptive behaviour by optimizing their hiring practices. “Watch for gaps in employment or frequent brief employments,” said Reade. “Is the candidate always the only person let go when downsizings occur? Verify credentials and awards, use behavioural interview techniques and call references. You can learn a lot through a reference’s tone of voice.”
As well, Reade recommended that civility (sometimes called collaboration) be considered as a vital corporate value and that it becomes part of all job descriptions and performance evaluations, with exemplary employees receiving recognition and rewards.
Reade also spoke about strategies for reintegrating people who are returning to work after treatment. “Lateral moves on return to work can help especially if they need a fresh start or to save face,” she said.
“For people to return to work successfully they need the motivation to want to return to work, the skills to know how to function effectively interpersonally in the workplace and cope with stress, and the confidence, the belief, that they can succeed.”
Reade presented on this topic at the Toronto Mental Health Summit on Nov. 12, 2015, and at the Vancouver Mental Health Summit on Dec. 8, 2015.
All the articles from the event can be found in our special section: 2015 Mental Health Summit Coverage.