The stability and happiness in your marriage can be affected by someone other than your spouse, say researchers from Baylor University; your marriage can also be impacted by your boss.
An online survey of 280 full-time employees and their partners found that employees who worked for abusive supervisors — which the researchers defined as actions such as “tantrums, rudeness, public criticism and inconsiderate action” — were affected negatively in ways that impacted their marriages as well as the rest of their families.
“It may be that as supervisor abuse heightens tension in the relationship, the employee is less motivated or able to engage in positive interactions with the partner and other family members,” said study co-author Merideth Ferguson.
However, the researchers found that employees with children had greater family satisfaction. They also found that the longer the partner’s relationship, the less impact the abusive boss had on the family.
“These findings have important implications for organizations and their managers,” said study author Dawn Carlson. “The evidence highlights the need for organizations to send an unequivocal message to those in supervisory positions that these hostile and harmful behaviors will not be tolerated. Employers must take steps to prevent or stop the abuse and also to provide opportunities for subordinates to effectively manage the fallout of abuse and keep it from affecting their families. Abusive supervision is a workplace reality, and this research expands our understanding of how this stressor plays out in the employee’s life beyond the workplace.”
Source: Baylor University
Heather Rudow is a staff writer for Counseling Today. Email her at hrudow@counseling.org.
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