Is a full-time polygraph examiner necessary?
In modern times, the use of a polygraph (“lie detector”) for screening job candidates or existing employees is becoming increasingly common. To implement this task and reduce testing costs, many companies hire an in-house polygraph examiner. However, this approach has both advantages and disadvantages.
The advantages of having a full-time polygraph examiner clearly include an overall reduction in the cost of polygraph testing. Simple calculations show that, for example, with a workload of 40 tests per month and a salary of 10,000 hryvnias, the cost of one polygraph test would be approximately 250 hryvnias per examination.
Despite the financial attractiveness of this approach, employing an in-house polygraph specialist (“lie detector” examiner) also has a number of significant drawbacks. Let us consider the main ones:
- Perhaps the main drawback is the so-called “integration of the polygraph examiner into the team,” which can clearly have a negative impact on the results of polygraph testing. By interacting with other employees of the company, the examiner may gradually develop personal sympathies or antipathies toward members of the staff. During testing, the polygraph examiner (especially if not sufficiently experienced) may even unconsciously “adjust” the test results toward either “exoneration” or “accusation,” depending on their personal attitude toward the individual being tested. This is understandable, since it is not easy to “accuse” someone of wrongdoing if a friendly relationship has already been established. Conversely, repeatedly hearing negative opinions about a person — even in a generalized form and without specific evidence — may lead the testing process to unintentionally turn into a search for confirmation of those negative impressions.
- An important factor that negatively affects the results of polygraph (“lie detector”) testing is the psychological phenomenon of professional burnout. The work of a polygraph examiner often involves solving complex tasks and making difficult, sometimes career-defining decisions. Among the many signs of emotional burnout, one can highlight a decline in professional motivation, when work gradually turns into a formal execution of job duties. This, in turn, leads to a deterioration in the quality of performance and reduces the overall reliability of the testing process.
In turn, engaging external specialists ensures an unbiased approach to performing the assigned tasks. In addition, it always remains possible to “test” polygraph examiners from different companies and schools, as it is clear that each specialist has their own preferred set of methodologies and an individual style of communication with the examinee. There is a common belief that anyone who has undergone appropriate training can conduct a polygraph examination. However, not everyone, due to personal qualities, is capable of obtaining the necessary information of interest to the client during an interview.
Thus, when making a decision about hiring an in-house polygraph examiner, it is important to understand all the advantages and disadvantages of this approach.