You're Not the Boss of My Health!

As the holiday season approaches, we're starting to dust off some of our favorite festive movies. On the top of that list is "Christmas Vacation," a National Lampoon classic starring Chevy Chase as bumbling everyman Clark Griswold. Clark puts up with classic heart-rate pumping holiday stressors like trying to set up the best Christmas light display in the neighborhood, nagging in-laws, and a cousin who parks his mobile home on the front lawn. He manages to take it all in stride until one person sets him off–his boss.

Mr. Shirley forgets Clark's name, doesn't recognize the work he's done, and as a final insult, instead of giving Clark his anticipated Christmas bonus, he signs him up for a jelly of the month club.  

Clark doesn't have a heart attack, but it sure looked like his blood pressure was on the rise. If only he would have known about a new study by Swedish researches that has found "workers' risks for angina, heart attack and death rose along with the reported incompetence of their bosses." Hm. Sounds like our other favorite fictional workers, the cast of "The Office," might also be at risk!

Researchers studied a group of men over several years who rated their bosses for competence. They found that the more competent the bosses were, the greater the chance the men had of avoiding heart disease. If you're like Clark, you probably have enough on your plate this time of year. If your boss is adding to your troubles, perhaps you can arrange to have a nice calm talk with him or her. At the very least, you can avoid the jelly of the month club. If you're in a new job (or an old one!) with a tough boss, how are you handling it?