Cranky Bosses Are Bad Business

According to a new study, bosses in a bad mood are bad for business.

Fredric Paul, Contributor

July 31, 2007

1 Min Read

According to a new study, bosses in a bad mood are bad for business.

Apparently, unhappy bosses lead to more employee turnover and other behaviour problems among employees.

And US News & World Report blogger Justin Ewers suggests that these results are of special interest to smaller companies, "who tend to have more control over their work environments than managers at larger companies."Not surprising, really, but it could be news to the legions of bosses who rule with bluster and anger.

You can download the entire paper, "Why Does Affect Matter in Organizations?" published in Academy of Management Perspectives, here. But I can't say I recommend it. It's kind of dense and academic.

Here's what you need to know, courtesy of Mr. Ewers:

"The evidence is overwhelming," the authors write. "Expressing positive emotions and moods tends to enhance performance at individual, group, and organizational levels." Employee moods, they find, affect just about everything anyone does at workjob performance, decision making, creativity, turnover, teamwork, negotiations, and leadership.

So there you have it. Be nice and your business will do better.

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