Loved by the boss but not colleagues

PEOPLE with obsessive compulsive personality disorder are often highly valued by their bosses, as they are reliable and their standard of work is high.

But it can be virtually impossible to work with, or under, them; they are also difficult to live with. About 5 per cent of the population has this personality disorder, and it is more common in men. These are the characteristics that can identify them. The people affected . . .

NEED to keep everything in order and under control.

OBSESSIVELY check their work, worrying it’s not good enough.

SET unfeasibly high standards for themselves and others.

BEHAVE judgmentally towards other people.

THINK their way is the best way of making things happen. STRUGGLE to adapt or change. WORRY that they, or others, might make mistakes.

EXPECT catastrophes if things aren’t perfect.

FIND taking criticism very difficult.

FIND it difficult to spend money on themselves or others.

HAVE a tendency to hang on to items with no obvious value.

These people are perfectionists to an extreme degree, getting very upset if things aren’t done in exactly the right way, often insisting on things being done again and again.

They are rarely late, usually arriving excessively early.

They are often workaholics and sacrifice relationships. They struggle to relax even at home, with rigid, inflexible routines — they can be preoccupied with cleanliness and symmetry — and can be difficult to live with. They dislike unpredictable things or any sense of loss of control.