Study Reveals That A Bad Boss Can Make Employees Sick

For 75% of Americans, bosses are a major cause of stress at work.

A Linkedin article published by Quartz magazine reveals that a bad boss can be as harmful to employees as passive smoking. The article also says that the longer you stay in a job working for someone who stresses you, the greater the damage is to your physical and mental health.

According to Quartz, data from the American Psychology Association shows that 75% of American workers believe their bosses are a major cause of stress at work. However, 59% of them would not leave the job.

Statistics show that employees get used to their jobs despite the fact that they are unhappy. This further complicates their process of resignation as they are no longer motivated to search for a healthier working environment which could improve their situation.

Worse than cigarettes

Researchers at the Harvard Business School and Stanford University in the United States gathered data from over 200 studies and found that stress at work can be as harmful to the health as the exposure to a considerable amount of smoke from other people’s cigarettes just like passive smoking.

The main reason for stress at work for most employees is the risk of losing their jobs. As a consequence, chances are that these employees are 50% more prone to health problems than their colleagues. Employees in a demanding job are expected to deliver more than they can give and this increases their chances of acute health problems by 35%.

Survival

In some cases, the problems with the bosses are merely a matter of affinity. However, there are many bosses like Miranda Priestly (from “The Devil Wears Prada”) in real life.

But how do you recognize whether you belong to the first category or the second?

Bad bosses are overly aggressive, narcissistic and even violent sometimes. They often say phrases like “We’ve always done it like”, “You can count yourself lucky to even have a job” and “This place is a mess when I’m not around.”

Given the present market conditions, it is not an easy decision to quit one’s job and start over entirely. This soon becomes a habit and the level of motivation sinks. Here are some simple strategies that can help you survive moments of professional crises:

1. Make a list of the day’s goals and strike the items off as you complete them. This feeling of having done something can help you move on.

2. Turn off your email and work phone over the weekend. This can help recharge your personal battery for a short while.