Are bad bosses killing you?

Found this insightful article, just published in the G&M yesterday. Quite an article illustrating the detrimental effect of what a bad boss can do to an employee personally, mentally and physically. This reminds me of the Ph.D., which, by definition, hinges on the selection of a good supervisor with the successful outcome of your Ph.D. solely depends on how much your supervisor knows and what she or he can contribute to your research. A supervisor acting like an outsider, oblivious to your research, is one whom can shorten your life faster than the chain-smoking hobby which you would otherwise not take. The path towards a Ph.D. is full of impediments and pitfalls. Walking down the wrong one you may just as well not waste four years of your life pursuing the intangible goal.

Of course, the real successful ones are the ones to treasure and bow to, but how many are these, and what is the typical percentage of failure? I have personally witnessed too many examples of Ph.D.'s gone wrong, and I just pray to God that the decision which I'm about to make is the rightful one and one which I shall walk until the leeway opens. Cheers!

Are bad bosses killing you?

TAVIA GRANT

Globe and Mail Update

November 25, 2008 at 3:33 PM EST

Bad bosses aren't just annoying. They may also boost the chances of employees having heart attacks, a study finds.

The longer an employee works for a leader who is inconsiderate and uncommunicative, the greater the risk of developing heart disease, according to the Swedish study of 3,122 male workers published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine journal.

In fact, someone who has worked for a bad boss for at least four years raises the risk of heart disease by 64 per cent, said Anna Nyberg, the study's lead researcher and a psychologist at Karolinska Institute's Department of Public Health Sciences in Stockholm.

A good boss, conversely, lowers the risk of a heart attack.

The study claimed to be the first to show evidence of the link between managerial behaviour and heart disease among employees.

Previous research has shown lousy leadership can cause increased depression and mental illness among staff.

To help be better bosses, managers must clearly explain goals so that employees understand what they are supposed to do, Ms. Nyberg said.

“We haven't done this [study] to put blame on managers but to find a way to enhance the work environment. Managers are just as stressed as employees,” she added.

Nonetheless “bosses who are inconsiderate and who don't respect or appreciate the time and energy that their employees put into their job or who don't clearly define how the employee's efforts contribute to the company are causing a great deal of stress within their team,” said Canadian workplace specialist Beverly Beuermann-King in a release.

“Our stress reactions build over time and can go from the good to the bad, to the very ugly. We can start out by working harder to please, but after a while we can't keep up that pace and we start to have headaches, neck pain, stomach upset, restless sleep or we become tense and less patient,” Ms. Beuermann-King said.

Eventually, it can spiral into health problems such as insomnia and depression and, for some people, the increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.

“Providing structure, information and support can absolutely counteract this stress and help employees find the right strategies to deal with today's work pressures,” Ms. Beuermann-King said.