by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: December 14, 2009

Information hoarders are insecure about their jobs and have adapted by refusing to give up facts about how they do their work. It is an emotional and behavioral process that can be severe and highly destructive in a rapidly changing workplace. In one example, an information hoarder has managed to cement him or herself into what they think is a permanent job, by having a "poison pill" to administer if they are threatened with firing or layoff. In another aspect, an information hoarder is a highly effective worker who is over worked and simply does not have time to summarize their job so that a new person can step right in and do it. In the worst aspect, the hoarder is covering for terrible work by refusing to talk about it. If there are no visible or detectable problems, the worker can remain in a destructive process for some time.

Believe it or not, the Employee Assistance Programs at most companies are not just there to label and stigmatize. They are also set up to help managers and supervisors to resolve minor behavioral, ethical, policy and emotional issues. The personnel departments have a host of ways to help both the hoarding employee and the supervisor to identify and resolve issues that are causing insecurity and inability to communicate in acceptable ways. 

At any rate, no job is that secure these days that some information hoarding does not become part of the process of being, or feeling valuable to a corporation that might let a person go at any time. Who is truly responsible for, or doing  the information hoarding?;  Would a complete work stoppage occur if the employee leaves, becomes ill, or dies? Are there indications that the job is not being performed well?  Is the individual being asked for personal and internal thought processes that make them more excellent than others in the same job? Is the individual being required, on the sly, to train an individual who is in competition for the same or a better job, but is not yet qualified?

If the supervisor or management is uninvolved, difficult to deal with, or slacking off on their own job, then a person is left in the dark about how to complete reports, summarize information, or otherwise communicate. An employee who has a complex report dumped on their desk at the last minute, with no explanation has no time to do their normal work and the extra workload, too. This is not hoarding, it is the consequence

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