Bad bosses can damage your health …
‘Bad bosses can damage your health.’
The headline jumped from the page, immediately catching my attention. I had always known that working for a poor leader can be frustrating, or worse still, painful for those at the receiving end of their ineptitude. Now, an increasing body of research suggests that prolonged exposure to them can lead to negative and lasting health impacts. I came across this particular headline, which referred to a study by a Swedish team of researchers published in the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Journal and found a strong link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease and heart attacks among more than 3,000 employed men. [1]
Who would have guessed it, eh?
All the times that I have heard people saying things like ‘my boss makes me sick’: turns out they were right! And the findings of this research indicate that the harmful effects of poor leadership may be cumulative - the risk goes up the longer an employee worked for the same company. In the words of the lead author of the study, Anna Nyberg, a psychologist at Karolinska Institute’s Department of Public Health Sciences in Stockholm, when it comes heart problems, ‘If you have a good boss, you have at least a 20 percent lower risk and if you stay with your boss for four years, you have at least a 39 percent lower risk of heart disease.’ So, working for a bad boss for prolonged periods is bad for your health. We put health warnings on cigarette packs; maybe it is time to start labelling these bad bosses.
Okay, on the face of it, heart failure might seem like an extreme consequence resulting from bad leadership and it is easy to discount such studies as scaremongering. Actually, when I once mentioned this particular piece of research to a group of managers on a leadership programme, I was virtually laughed out of the room and many of those in attendance were quick to pooh-pooh the findings; damn lies and ridiculous statistics generated by people in woolly jumpers was the thrust of the argument against these relatively dramatic findings. Isn’t it funny how quickly some people will discount solid evidence, or shoot the messenger just because it runs contrary to what they would like to believe?
What constitutes a bad boss?
One of the challenges when discussing the ‘bad boss syndrome’ is the fact that the definition of a ‘bad boss’ varies from person to person, and there is no one-size-fits-all definition. Before I continue, I would like to make it absolutely clear that I want to be fair and balanced towards all managers because having been one myself I know all too well that they do make easy targets for criticism; it is hard for managers to win sometimes – particularly in challenging times like these. Actually, when it comes to the blame game they are like sitting ducks, the proverbial fish in a barrel you might even say. So, my definition of a ‘bad boss’ is not someone who fails to keep the few grumblers, found in every business, happy; a couple of dissatisfied employees does not the bad boss make. Nor are they managers who do not meet all of the expectations of their employees all of the time. That is clearly an impossible task. They are also not those who get things wrong occasionally, or who are forced to take difficult decisions due to factors which employees do not understand.
So, ‘bad bosses’ - to me at least - are individuals who continually and consistently underperform, displaying repetitive patterns of destructive behaviours. For them, getting it wrong is the rule not the exception and whilst there is naturally a scale of severity in terms of bad bosses, all of them negatively influence performance to some degree. They can and do take many forms, and their destructive behaviors are manifested in different ways along a scale of severity in terms of mild to severe negative impacts. In my experience, bad bosses generally fall into two categories: those who ‘deflate’ employees and those who are ‘toxic. Based on those categories, here are some of the most common types of bad bosses:
Deflating Bosses
Dark Clouds: Bosses who vary wildly in mood from one day to the next, and usually the prevailing mood is ‘low’. These bosses tend to be lousy at their jobs and cannot inspire or engage their people.
Damp Squibs: A boss so uninspiring that working for them is equivalent to being hit in the face with a wet fish every day. They are often control freaks too who cannot trust their employees to do their jobs so they micromanage them to death.
Toxic Bosses
Egotists: Those for whom it’s all about me, me, me. These guys are often those who say one thing to your face and another behind your back. They are scaly snakes.
The Bully: Those who use intimidation and fear to get what they want. They can use overtly aggressive behaviours, or they can be passive-aggressive. These are the most damaging in my experience as they create an environment of distrust and fear.
This is far from an exhaustive list, and whatever their type, bad bosses can cause significant harm to employees; and they are not few and far between in my experience, although they may range in severity in terms of negative impact. The extent of the bad boss problem is difficult to quantify because, as mentioned, what constitutes a bad boss is open to some debate. However, one study conducted by Dr. Anthony Erickson and Dr. Ben Shaw from the Faculty of Business, Technology, and Sustainable Development at Bond University in Australia sought to measure the nature of poor leadership in organisations. From over 700 respondents, about one-third rated their bosses as failures. While this figure does not signify that all leaders were bad bosses to the same degree, it does highlight the extent of the problem [2]. According to a study by Gallup, a staggering 75% of employees who voluntarily leave their jobs do so because of their bosses.[3] This turnover can be incredibly costly for businesses, as they have to spend time and resources recruiting and training new employees.
The effects of bad bosses
Whatever their prevalence, bad bosses can have both short-term and long-term effects on employees. Short-term effects can include increased stress levels, anxiety, and depression. Employees may experience physical symptoms such as headaches, stomach problems, and sleep disturbances. Long-term effects can include chronic health problems such as heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Here are some snippets of research to confirm these negative impacts:
Lower Engagement and Productivity
Bad bosses can negatively impact employee engagement, which can lead to lower productivity. A study by the Harvard Business Review found that disengaged employees cost their organisations between $450 and $550 billion each year[4]. When employees don't feel valued or respected, they're less likely to be invested in their work and may not perform at their best. Low morale and engagement can lead to lower productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher turnover rates. According to another Gallup study, employees who work for bad bosses are 50% more likely to leave their jobs than those who work for good bosses. This can lead to significant costs for the business, such as recruitment and training expenses. [5]
Increased stress and burnout
Bad bosses can also contribute to increased stress and burnout among employees. When employees feel constantly pressured or micromanaged, it can take a toll on their mental and physical health. This can lead to decreased productivity, increased absenteeism, and higher healthcare costs for the business. According to a study by the American Psychological Association, employees who work for bad bosses are more likely to experience chronic stress, which can lead to a variety of health problems. This can cost businesses up to $300 billion per year in healthcare and missed workdays. [6]
Decreased innovation and creativity.
When employees feel stifled or unsupported, they're less likely to take risks and come up with new ideas. This can lead to decreased innovation and creativity, which can be a major disadvantage in today's rapidly changing business environment. According to a study by the Center for Creative Leadership, employees who work for bad bosses are less likely to engage in creative problem-solving and are more likely to stick to conventional solutions. This can limit the organisation's ability to adapt and grow. [7]
Damage to reputation and brand
Bad bosses can also damage the organisation's reputation and brand. When employees are mistreated or disrespected, they may speak out publicly or leave negative reviews online. This can lead to a loss of customers and damage to the organisation's image. According to a study by CareerBuilder, 37% of employees who have had a bad boss have shared their experiences on social media or online review sites. [8] This can be particularly damaging for businesses in industries where customer service and reputation are critical.
The cost of bad bosses to a business is significant, both in terms of lost productivity and financial costs. It's crucial for companies to prioritise developing and promoting good bosses and creating a positive work culture that values employees' well-being and development. Bad bosses, particularly those at the severe end of the scale sitting further up the corporate ladder, can be extremely destructive. On occasion, they might well make the numbers look good, so the collateral damage they cause gets swept under the carpet but that doesn’t mean there aren’t hidden costs attached to these characters. Although those costs may not always be easy to pinpoint, they are far from inconsequential when you factor in the aggregated expenses of reduced engagement, lost productivity, higher employee turnover (particularly the talented ones), increased recruitment costs, damaged customer relations and so on.
I believe that if more time was devoted to quantifying the costs of bad bosses, the findings might well cause heart palpitations within the finance department.
Thanks for reading!
If you’re interested in the topic of bad bosses, I have expanded on this and related topics in my book, 'The Impostor Leaders’. Click on the image to the left to purchase the book on Amazon, or if you'd like a signed copy, you can purchase one directly on this site via our products page.References
[1] Nyberg, A., et al. (2012). Managerial leadership is associated with myocardial infarction mortality rates among men. Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
[2] Erickson, A., & Shaw, B. (2019). The nature of poor leadership in organizations: A survey study. Journal of Business and Psychology
[3] Gallup. (2017). State of the American workplace.
[4] Harvard Business Review Analytic Services. (2017). The impact of employee engagement on performance. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/resources/pdfs/comm/achievers/hbr_achievers_report_sep13.pdf
[5] Gallup. (2015). State of the American Manager: Analytics and advice for leaders. Retrieved from https://www.gallup.com/workplace/238085/state-american-manager-report-2017.aspx
[6] American Psychological Association. (2017). Bad bosses are bad for your health. https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/03/bad-bosses (retrieved 2020)
[7] Center for Creative Leadership. (2009). How leaders foster creativity and innovation: Five key takeaways.
[8] CareerBuilder. (2019). Bad bosses still plaguing US workers, according to new CareerBuilder survey. Retrieved from https://www.careerbuilder.com/share/aboutus/pressreleasesdetail.aspx?id=pr1018&sd=10%2f1%2f2018&ed=12%2f31%2f2018