Zerohedge recently posted an article about an academic paper which investigated how people-who-are-easily-triggered integrate into the workplace.
As you may already know, they make terrible employees. The kindest thing that can be said about them is that they squander resources pursuing some kind of utopia they cannot articulate a priori and other workers walk on eggshells around them.
Less kindly, they seem to have a huge need for attention and "self actualization". They insist on running the show and jerking everybody around according to their second-by-second emotional-state.
Zerohedge kindly pointed to where the paper was posted on Scribd, a service that posts academic papers.
Apparently, the paper triggered somebody and is no longer available.
Go figure.
For now, the paper can be found HERE
The person with the perpetual chip on their shoulder is an emotional time bomb waiting to go off. Worse yet, they are so unstable that you can never know for sure what will set them off today or tomorrow or any other time.
ReplyDeleteWhat this indicates is a cry for not only attention but 'validation' of themselves personally. The problem is that they generally do not accomplish much or at least are not consistent enough to merit the kind of accolades they crave. They have project execution 'ADHD' and flit from one thing to the next never establishing any trend of positive worth.
These people are the results of participation trophy sports and activities where everyone is a winner, except that everyone knows that the really capable ones ARE WINNERS and thus the jealousy and insecurity is borne out of the mixed messages these people grow up with.
The solution is simple and yet, difficult without question. Do not compromise. Do not make do. Work for excellence and stellar achievement. Encourage all you know to do the same. Avoid excuses and those who use them to excess. People with values and core beliefs do not trade in excuses anyways.
Avoid anyone who cannot exhibit these standards and you will avoid the eggshell in the workplace problem.
I've heard several stories of problems with people like this; it is why many companies are hiring older people if they apply because it is hard to know which younger people will be trouble.
ReplyDeleteI have heard particularly bad stories about militant vegans and feminists who try to make everybody they work with follow their tenets.
Having worked around one of these types, the kindest thing is to fire their asses. They are a drag on the company and the people around them. And good riddance!
ReplyDelete