Unfair bosses can send their employees鈥� blood pressure soaring to levels that significantly increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, reveals newly published research by UK scientists.
The study focused on healthcare assistants who worked for two different bosses. For those who only liked one of their managers, their blood pressure jumped when working for the disliked boss.
The average rise (15 mmHg systolic and 7 mmHg diastolic) significantly exceeds the rise known to increase the risk of coronary heart disease by a sixth and the risk of stroke by a third, says George Fieldman, a member of the team at the UK鈥檚 Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College.
Advertisement
鈥淭here was both a statistically and clinically significant elevation during the time people had the boss they didn鈥檛 like,鈥� says Fieldman, a psychologist and psychotherapist. 鈥淧eople who work with bosses they鈥檝e really hated constantly for years would probably be quite vulnerable to heart disease because of the elevation of blood pressure in the long-term.鈥�
Large studies, such as the 鈥淲hitehall study鈥�, have already shown that people who work at the bottom of an organisational hierarchy are much more likely to develop coronary heart disease. But the new research suggests that the relationship between the employee and boss may be pivotal in employees鈥� long-term health.
Working manner
At the start of the study, 28 female healthcare assistants rated their supervisors鈥� interpersonal style using a questionnaire. Thirteen of the workers were supervised by two different people on different days. One supervisor was perceived to have a favourable working manner, while the other was considered 鈥渦nfair鈥� by employees. Assistants in the control group worked with either one supervisor or two whose working manner was perceived similarly.
Blood pressure (BP) measurements were taken every 30 minutes for 12 hours over three working days. Assistants who had two similarly perceived supervisors showed a difference between bosses of just 3 mmHg systolic BP and no change in diastolic BP.
However, there were dramatic differences in BP between days when employees worked for the boss they dreaded and the one they liked. Systolic BP climbed from an average of 114 to 129 mmHg when people worked for the difficult boss and diastolic BP rose from 75 to 82 mmHg. Early results from the study were reported by 快猫短视频 print edition in January 2002.
Perceptions about a boss鈥檚 interpersonal fairness had the most impact on employees鈥� blood pressure, Fieldman told 快猫短视频: 鈥淚t was the key thing that really upset people. If someone gets a promotion over you and you feel they are not as good 鈥� your blood would probably boil.鈥�
Belinda Linden, head of medical information at the British Heart Foundation, agrees health problems can arise if people are constantly stressed at work, or home. But she adds: 鈥淪tress isn鈥檛 the only culprit 鈥� obesity and high salt intake also play a role.鈥�
Journal reference: Occupational and Environmental Medicine (vol 60, p 468)