Why having a nice boss may be bad for you

Workers whose bosses held their hands through difficult times were more likely to be unhappy than those who were left to sort out their problems themselves, researchers found.

While having a supportive line manager was generally a positive thing, the study discovered it actually hindered staff who had become ‘emotionally exhausted’.

Emotional exhaustion – the first stage of burnout where people feel drained of their emotional resources – can be driven by many factors including problems managing work flow or hours.

The research found emotionally exhausted workers were happier and recovered from their problems more quickly if they were forced to come up with their own action plan.