I work for a sociopath. He is entertaining, persuasive, an expert in all areas, but he is also arrogant, domineering, a manipulator, a liar, and operates on paranoia.

His agenda is self-serving yet his position is the general manager. He has one personal confidant for all company decisions. This one individual is a young, inexperienced and an attractive women. She also has one agenda and that is to move to the top at all cost.

His paranoia absorbs most of his time as he listen in on telephone calls and reviews emails or watch employees activities in the office. The other part of the time is spent behind closed doors with the young female confidant. It is believed they spend the time collaborating how to terminate their next victim.

The working conditions are not acceptable yet many of us have worked together for years and formed friendships. We also work for a company with goods benefits and a decent salary. That is very hard to replace. What are the safest options for us to stop the bullying without risking being fired?

The last few who complained managed to bring some attention to Human Resources, however, the hired a coach who worked with the GM, befriended him, and basically told the employees we need to give him a chance.
Ellen B

Rob Yeung from Management Issues.com says:

Unfortunately, this is one of the most frustrating scenarios found in the workplace.

At first glance, you have three options:

1. Remain with the status quo.. Lay low, absorb the pain, and remain uncomfortable.
2. Go over his head. He's the general manager, not the CEO. In other words, he reports to somebody. Perhaps pressure could be brought to bear from above.

However, I don't recommend either of these first two options. I recommend option three:

3. Rethink your HR strategy. When HR brought in the coach, they did what they thought was right. Unfortunately, you're still experiencing the problem! So first things first, document every incident, writing only what you observe, not what you interpret.

You say he listens in on telephone calls - this is too general. What calls does he listen in on and when does he do it? You say he's a manipulating liar. How? What happened?

Identify the specific behaviours of each incident. Example: "He raised his voice" instead of "he got upset”.

Here's the key. Maintain professionalism and squelch all emotional display
Once the specifics have been collected, arrange them in an formal document, not just a collection of notes. Then, those who feel this man's behaviours are unacceptable should act as one and go see HR.

Here's the key: The group must maintain professionalism and squelch all emotional display. They must show total concern for the company's well-being, and above all, they must not make threats. Think of it as a low-key mass mutiny.

In short, don't demand or threaten. You create the best chances for change if, as a group, you express your loyalty to the company, provide specific examples of intolerable behaviour, and state that you're afraid of retaliation for doing so.