So, can it be proven just how much a bad boss can affect a working environment? A study from Florida State University and scheduled for publication in Fall of 2007 in Leadership Quarterly has attempted to quantify exactly that.
According to this study 40 per cent of workers in the business world think they work for bad bosses. As for what constitutes a bad boss, they have a variety of answers.
- 39 per cent said their managers failed to keep promises.
- 37 per cent said their bosses did not give them the credit they deserved.
- 31 per cent indicated their supervisor gave them "the silent treatment."
- 27 per cent reported negative comments from their management.
- 24 per cent claimed their bosses invaded their privacy.
- 23 per cent stated that their supervisor blamed them or other workers to cover up personal mistakes.
What does all this mean? It means that companies loose qualified employees due to incompetent and bad management. In short, it means that bad managers cost corporations money.
At the same time, other studies have indicated that bosses who try to create a positive work environment, and who do the opposite of those things listed above, have better workers. In addition, these employees are more than willing to work extra hours or go the extra mile for these supervisors.