Luckily, most people in the workplace are only haunted by the machinations of bad bosses and difficult coworkers. But in some cases, a company may have an extra burden to contend with—paranormal activity. Some people go to work at a job that is scary because of both the living and the dead and in those cases, these haunted workplaces are often studied by paranormal investigators.
For over four years, Premiere Paranormal Research—a group of ghost hunters located in Missouri—has conducted paranormal investigations in several haunted workplaces. And according to founder Cassiopia Demars, many business owners with Halloween fever will call paranormal investigators this month—although their motives may not always be related to ghostly concerns.
“There are business owners that call us and say, ‘I don’t believe in any of this crap, but if everybody keeps saying we’re haunted and if you come and confirm that it’s true, then maybe we can get some publicity from that,’” she said.
In fact, Demars says that some businesses will actually go to great lengths to invent paranormal activities in order to reap the financial benefits of being haunted.
“We always check for rigged items because you never know if someone’s creating their own secret haunted house to just freak people out or if it’s genuinely haunted,” said Demars. “People get very creative these days with trying to make their business haunted.”
If the Premiere Paranormal Research team finds that a business owner is trying to manufacture a haunting, the ghost hunters will leave the premises immediately. Otherwise, the researchers begin their investigation process—which, despite what people may see on television and in the movies, is quite scientific. Unlike other paranormal investigators, Demars says that her team does not use psychics or mediums to conduct their research of the unexplained in a haunted location. Instead the group’s investigations are based entirely on whatever evidence they can see, hear, and document. For example, members of the team will measure the temperature of a location (because fluctuations may be an indicator of paranormal activity), as well as set up cameras and tape recorders that may capture paranormal phenomena.
In addition, Premiere Paranormal Research collects detailed information from employees at a business in order to determine if the claims are legitimate—or if people are mistaking the natural for the supernatural. For example, some people may feel that there is an unknown presence around them at their job, but in actuality they are experiencing the effects of the electronic magnetic field around them—which can be triggered by things like an outlet or microwave.
Demars says she also asks for information about the people who claim to be experiencing paranormal phenomena and whether or not they have a history of mental illness.
“If your secretary is the only one thinking the business is haunted, but she’s schizophrenic and is taking medication every day, then that raises a question on our part about if it’s really a haunting or if it’s just her,” she said.
Is your workplace haunted?
Do you suspect that your workplace is haunted? Demars says that some ways that you can tell for sure include looking for the following signs: objects that move around when no one else is there, doors that open and close in a heavy manner, footsteps around you when you are the only one in the office, and voices that speak to you when you are alone.
In most cases, people who work in haunted locations find a way to deal with it. Demars says that the businesses owners who do not try to make a profit off of their hauntings actually ignore them entirely. In some cases, employees will just accept that ghosts are around them and actually interact with them as if they were otherworldly coworkers.
Part Two: Paranormal workplace investigations: Haunted or Halloween Hoax?
More Workplace Communication:
David Letterman and subordinate sex: Is it always wrong to sleep with the boss?
When bosses from hell attack
Job hunting and social networking: Why a job seeker should let it all hang out online
Should your private life affect your career?
Birthdays in the workplace
Subscribe via RSS or e-mail.
Comments