Your boss can be a matter of life-or-death.
Seriously.
Swedish researchers at the Stress Research Institute in Stockholm studied 3,100 men over the course of 10 years. The men who reported having bosses they didn’t respect were 60 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack or another life-threatening cardiac condition, according to the Institute's report published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
That’s probably the most staggering statistic regarding bad bosses out there, as no company wants to be (indirectly) responsible for causing heart attacks. However, we found seven more that show the negative effect a bad boss can cause, and how important having good bosses is.
1. Three-out-of-four employees report their boss is the worst and most stressful part of their job.
Most people’s lives are worse off because they have a boss that stresses them out. Imagine how much happier – and more productive – people would be if they had outstanding bosses.
2. The average organization is 50% as productive as it should be, thanks to less-than-optimal leadership practices.
*Source: The Ken Blanchard Companies
This stat proves something we all inherently know – bad bosses kill productivity and ultimately lead to organizations not fulfilling their potential.
3. 86% of companies say developing new leaders is an “urgent” need.
*Source: Deloitte University Press
Clearly, companies would much prefer to grow managers internally, as opposed to hiring externally.
4. 85% of executives are not confident in their leadership pipelines.
*Source: Development Dimensions International
But here’s the rub – companies aren’t doing a good job of turning their individual contributors into managers.
5. 65% of employees say they’d take a new boss over a pay raise.
People care about more than money. What they also want is a boss they respect, who keeps them engaged.
6. 51% of managers are disengaged with their job. An additional 14% are actively disengaged.
That means a mere 35 percent of bosses are actively engaged with their job! No wonder there are so many bad bosses out there, many don’t even have the desire to be great.
7. 87% of companies say they don’t do an excellent job developing leaders at all levels.
This makes sense, considering the rest of the statistics. This is probably because most organizations have yet to figure out the “secret sauce” to developing managers.
8. Employees who have managers they didn’t like were 60% more likely to suffer a heart attack.
*Source: Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
Ultimately, not surprising. It just shows that the people you select to be managers at your organization have a tremendous impact on your employees’ professional – and personal – lives.
Want to ensure you have great bosses at your organization? Download our free ebook for actionable tips on how to do exactly that.
Topics: Learner engagement
Related articles