Real life horrible bosses are costing the UK economy a 40 million days of work each year, according to new research from Monster.co.uk.
27 percent of UK workers said they have taken time off work in the past year due to their boss and 12 percent have missed five or more days in the past 12 months.
Shockingly, one in eight (12 percent) of the UK workforce say that they have been bullied by their boss whilst one in ten (9 percent) say their boss has made them suffer from stress. A further nine percent went as far as to say they are scared of them.
This is perhaps the reason that 41 percent of UK workers say they’ve left a job solely because of their boss – and 15 percent say they have left more than one.
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Eleven per cent of workers would describe their boss as ‘horrible’ whilst 10 percent say they are mean – just 17 percent say their boss has ever treated them to lunch. Many simply don’t think their boss is up to the job – a quarter of working adults (25 percent) describe theirs as either ‘terrible’ or ‘below standard’.
Top five things Brits dislike about their boss:
They are unorganised 19 percent
They don’t help me progress 15 percent
They never give praise 13 percent
They don’t pay me fairly 13 percent
They are lazy 12 percent
The West Midlands was found to be the place where workers are most likely to describe their boss as horrible – 22 percent. The South West is home to the fewest horrible bosses, with just seven per cent being described as such.
However, it isn’t all bad – over half (52%) say their boss is friendly and one in five (20 percent) describe them as generous.
Andrew Sumner, Managing Director of Monster.co.uk in the UK and Ireland, explained: “Bosses have a significant impact on the happiness of staff – in many cases, workers are just as motivated to work for their managers as they are for the company. However, we were surprised to see just how many days of work are being missed due to horrible bosses each year.
As the job market continues to improve, businesses and bosses need to ensure they are aware of the importance of staff having a positive relationship with their managers, and that they are doing all they can to ensure their team members feel valued for the work they are doing. This will not only make for a happier workforce, but also ensures that the best talent isn’t tempted to move to other opportunities.”
Steff joined the HRreview editorial team in November 2014. A former event coordinator and manager, Steff has spent several years working in online journalism. She is a graduate of Middlessex University with a BA in Television Production and will complete a Master's degree in Journalism from the University of Westminster in the summer of 2015.
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