Nasty bosses could be the death of you

CHICAGO - That nasty boss in the window office could be slowly killing you.

Researchers in Finland have found in a study of British workers that those who felt they were being treated fairly had a much lower incidence of heart disease, the leading cause of death in Western society.

"Most people care deeply about just treatment by authorities," study author Mika Kivimaki of the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health wrote in this week's Archives of Internal Medicine. "Lack of justice may be a source of oppression, deprivation and stress."

People consider that they are being treated fairly at work when they believe their supervisor considers their viewpoint, shares information about decision-making and treats individuals fairly and in a truthful manner, the study said.

The researchers tracked the 10-year incidence of heart disease in more than 6400 male civil servants in London who had been polled on their perceived level of justice and injustice in the workplace.

"In men who perceived a high level of justice, the risk of coronary heart disease was 30 per cent lower than among those who perceived a low or an intermediate level of justice," the researchers said.

That finding was not accounted for by other risk factors, from age and wealth to cholesterol levels, alcohol consumption and physical activity, the authors said.

So next time your manager gives you stress, take a deep breath and consider looking for a new job - for your health's sake.

Rania Sedhom, a labour and employment lawyer with Meyer Suozzi English & Klein in New York, said a parallel study in the United States could find even more dramatic results because of the longer American work day.

- REUTERS