It is bad bosses rather than heavy workloads, unreasonable clients or a high-pressure environment that make workers the most miserable and stressed out, a British survey has suggested.
The poll of 2,330 workers by recruiter Monster found half blamed their boss for making their blood boil and causing the most anxiety at work.
Workload came next (22 per cent), followed by environment (12 per cent), commute (11 per cent) and clients (7 per cent).
Bad bosses and difficult colleagues created stressful situations and could have a dramatic effect on workers' morale, said Monster.
Nearly one in four bosses in the UK were thought of as bad or dreadful, it suggested, indicating that "there is a direct link between how employees view their bosses and how they feel about their jobs".
A total of 58 per cent of those polled said they had looked for another job simply because of their boss.
Whether facing the wrath of Sir Alan Sugar or dealing with a Basil Fawlty-style of management, it was important not to be afraid of the big bad boss and avoid suffering in silence, Monster stressed.
The challenge was to be proactive and look at what steps you could take to build mutual respect.
