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Unfair bosses can send their employees' 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's Buckinghamshire Chilterns University College.
"There was both a statistically and clinically significant elevation
during the time people had the boss they didn't like," says Fieldman, a
psychologist and psychotherapist. "People who work with bosses they've
really hated constantly for years would probably be quite vulnerable to
heart disease because of the elevation of blood pressure in the
long-term."
Large studies, such as the "Whitehall study", 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' long-term health.
Working manner
At the start of the study, 28 female healthcare assistants rated their
supervisors' 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 "unfair" 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 New Scientist print edition
in January 2002.
Perceptions about a boss's interpersonal fairness had the most impact
on employees' blood pressure, Fieldman told New Scientist: "It was
the key thing that really upset people. If someone gets a promotion over
you and you feel they are not as good - your blood would probably
boil."
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: "Stress isn't the only culprit -
obesity and high salt intake also play a role."
Journal reference: Occupational and Environmental Medicine (vol
60, p 468)
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