Loud, crude bosses

Bad management is a leading cause of anger in the workplace making it more stressful rather than 'zestful'.

If organisations are run by people who act like the boss but think like dodos, employees are bound to feel frustrated and irritated.

That's the consensus among readers and psychiatrists who agreed that anger was a major bone of contention at the workplace.

According to research conducted by the Marlin Company and Yale School of Management, nearly one in four of all employees suffers chronic anger on the job. Workplace anger is also on the upswing, because many people feel betrayed by their employers.

Dr Padmaraju Varrey, senior psychiatrist at New Medical Centre Specialty Hospital — Abu Dhabi, said: "If workers are faced with bosses who are not knowledgeable and encouraging, then the stress levels amongst workers are bound to go high and result in depression or even culminate in suicides."

If bosses are not cooperative, employees feel stressed and burdened, he added. This affects their health as they fail to express these feelings. The situation becomes worse when managers are not equipped to handle their responsibilities.

In a study by Dr Cameron Anderson at the University of California — Berkeley, it was observed that people were regarded as leaders on the basis of their 'loudership' and not competence.

He conducted a research wherein a group of undergraduate students were asked to solve math problems, to ascertain their level of competence. It was found that people who gave in their answers first, regardless of whether they were right, were automatically considered as leaders.

But sometimes, the more important criterion is to be able to supervise confidently.

Ritesh Talwar, a Gulf News reader and Sharjah resident, said: "Bosses may sometimes get overbearing, but if they were not assertive, then meeting deadlines would always be taken for granted!"

There are also times when overbearing managers are the straw that breaks the camel's back. Vikas Mulchandani, a sound engineer based in Dubai, said: "My former boss didn't know the technicalities of my department, yet she always managed to get her way because of her influential nature. It used to be very frustrating."

Leadership should be about making smart decisions so people will want to follow you, he added.