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Workplace Health – Nasty Boss Can Kill You
The office environment is a relatively safe environment in which to work. There are not many of the dangers associated with manual labour, agriculture, manufacturing or mining. However, working in an office is not necessarily good for the heart. Working in a stressful office, under incompetent management, can actually increase your risk heart disease and heart attack.
Research carried out in Sweden has shown that people that worked in companies where bosses made them feel undervalued and unsupported where more likely to develop fatal heart conditions. Furthermore, the problem is accumulative over time – the longer you work for a tyrant, the greater the risks of developing heart disease.
The main reason for this is that poor management increases an employees stress levels and heart pressure, which in turn increases risk of heart disease. Short periods of high blood pressure are normal, however prolonged high blood pressure starts to have ill effects on the body.
The recent research was carried out by Stockholm University, and studied men of working age (17 to 70) in the Stockholm area, over a period of approximately 10 years. Employee heart health was monitored at the end of the study period, and each employee was questioned about their working conditions. There was a direct correlation between stressful conditions brought on by poor management with increase in heart disease.
The employees who rated senior managers to be the most incompetent had a 25% higher risk of a serious heart problem. Furthermore, other factors did not affect this trend – differing educational attainment, social class, income, workload, lifestyle factors (smoking and exercise), and other risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, where not as important as an incompetent boss.
“This limited, male-only study suggests that a good, clear working relationship with your manager may help to protect against heart disease. Feeling undervalued and unsupported can cause stress, which often leads to unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, eating a poor diet, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise – adding to your risk of developing heart problems. Being fit and active can give you the double benefit of busting work stress and boosting your heart health at the same time.” Cathy Ross, British Heart Foundation.
However, the unfortunate truth is that there is often little that a person can do about the way that the boss behaves. Many managers would consider their approach to be essential to “get the best out of staff” and to “keep order in the work place”. But at what cost the the health of the innocent, hard workign employes.
If you work in a stressful environment, it is essential to learn to releive that stress through hobbies and activities. Martial arts clubs are possibly one of the best ways to reduce stress after work.
Resources: Karolinska Institutet
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