Be straight with your boss to relieve stress
By siliconindia   |   Friday, 15 January 2010, 14:51 IST
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Be straight with your boss to relieve stress
Bangalore: If you want to work tension free and without thinking much about your managers, you need to tell your boss what you really think of them, as it will be good for your health and also help managers to improve, according to a research. According to the study presented at a conference of the British Psychological Society, firms should even be encouraged to let employees regularly rate their line managers, to produce "happy, healthy, stress-free employees. Researchers split a group of 150 managers into two groups, one of which received training and feedback from some 500 staff on their management skills while the other bosses did not. Study stated that when managers received feedback from their staff, they were more likely to change their management style and subsequently be seen as more effective line managers. According to Expert Emma Donaldson-Feilder, employees benefit as it allows them to let off steam. The consequences of stress are pervasive; those under stress may experience psychological symptoms, such as anxiety or depression, physiological symptoms, such as palpitations or raised blood pressure and cognitive symptoms such as reduced mental capacity. "Stress is a significant cause of sickness absence and this puts pressure on those left behind to run the business, creating a cycle of uncomfortable pressure with costs to the individual and to the company," said Donaldson-Fielder. Donaldson-Fielder and her colleagues are developing a number of resources, including a questionnaire that staff can use to rate their line manager and learning materials for managers, which will be available free online. "Without holding a mirror up to a person, they can have blind spots about how they come across and if they think they are already good enough, why should they change," said Donaldson-Fielder.

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