Your boss can damage your heart

A study published yesterday in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine is the first to establish a clear link between a bosses management style and the cardiovascular health of employees over time.

Swedish researchers recruited 3122 working men and followed them up over 10 years. In that time 74 of the participants had heart attacks or angina. All required hospitalisation and some were fatal. Employees who reported their bosses as passive, uncommunicative and inconsiderate were more likely to suffer cardiovascular disease. A good boss led to a 20% lower risk of heart attacks and staying with the same boss for four years led to a 39% lower risk.

The participants averaged 42 years of age at the start of the study, were highly educated, slightly overweight and most did not exercise regularly.