Bad managers have a lot to answer for, with poor leadership increasing the risk of heart disease among employees, new research indicates.
A team of Swedish researchers tracked the health of over 3,000 employed men aged between 19 and 70. The men’s heart health was checked regularly and their occupational health records were then matched with national registry data on hospital admissions and death from ischaemic heart disease.
All of the participants were also asked to rate the leadership style of their senior managers. Good leadership skills included consideration for individuals, the clear setting of goals for staff, good communication and feedback, successfully managing change and delegating properly.
The staff were monitored for almost 10 years and during that time, there were 74 cases of fatal and non-fatal heart attack, acute angina or death from ischaemic heart disease.
The study found that the more competent staff ranked their senior managers to be, the lower the risk of a serious heart problem or death among lower ranking employees. However the reverse was also true, with the link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease strengthening the longer an employee worked for the same company.
A team of Swedish researchers tracked the health of over 3,000 employed men aged between 19 and 70. The men’s heart health was checked regularly and their occupational health records were then matched with national registry data on hospital admissions and death from ischaemic heart disease.
All of the participants were also asked to rate the leadership style of their senior managers. Good leadership skills included consideration for individuals, the clear setting of goals for staff, good communication and feedback, successfully managing change and delegating properly.
The staff were monitored for almost 10 years and during that time, there were 74 cases of fatal and non-fatal heart attack, acute angina or death from ischaemic heart disease.
The study found that the more competent staff ranked their senior managers to be, the lower the risk of a serious heart problem or death among lower ranking employees. However the reverse was also true, with the link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease strengthening the longer an employee worked for the same company.
“This suggests that the effect of leadership could be cumulative,” the researchers said.
The results stood irrespective of educational attainment, social class, income, workload, lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise, and other risk factors for heart disease such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
The researchers said that if a direct cause and effect is confirmed, then the behaviour of managers should be targeted in a bid to stave off serious heart disease among less senior employees.
“One could speculate that a present and active manager providing structure, information and support, counteracts destructive processes in work groups, thereby promoting regenerative rather than stress-related physiological processes in employees,” they added.
Details of these findings are published in the journal, Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
(For more information on heart disease, see… http://www.heart.ie)
(by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com)
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