If you are concerned that you have an employee that is helping themselves to products or money from your business, you can look at their personality traits to see if your concerns are warranted. Thieves often feel entitlement and as if the rules don’t apply to them. They are opportunistic, manipulative, deceptive and selfish to start with. Is my employee a thief? Here are the personality traits to look for.
1. Opportunistic – Thieves are opportunistic people. They are always looking out for opportunities they can use to their advantage. They exploit others to get what they want and are always looking for a way to twist a situation to benefit themselves – even if it hurts or harms someone else. They are selfish and have no empathy for the people they might harm while pursuing opportunities to steal.
2. Loners – Many thieves seem to be misunderstood by others and have trouble fitting in. They feel a sense of isolation or emotional distance from others that gives them the ability to be opportunistic without guilt.
3. Manipulative – They can easily talk their way out of seemingly anything. They manipulate people and situations to serve their own interests. They are often charming and charismatic as part of their manipulative demeanor.
4. Adaptable – They can adjust and adapt to a variety of situations because they don’t get attached to people or things. This adaptability also helps them in identifying opportunities to exploit situations or other people.
5. Self-Preservation – Thieves have a strong sense of self-preservation. While they are opportunistic in many ways, they are also cautious about their own personal safety and wellbeing. They are good at looking out for their own interests and cope well when under pressure.
Some of these qualities might sound like good things, like being adaptable. When taken together, these traits equate to a person who lies on the fly, thinks well on their feet, is very convincing and able to bend and twist situations to their best interest. These are the characteristics of a thief. If you have an employee who exhibits all or most of these traits, that is a person that you’ll want to watch closely. If you need a workplace investigation to help uncover the source of theft in your workplace, call Bulldog PI. Our workplace investigations can help you get the truth you need.
