Bad bosses may damage your heart

Feeling undervalued can cause stress

Inconsiderate bosses not only make work stressful, they may also increase the risk of heart disease for their employees, experts believe.

A Swedish team found a strong link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease and heart attacks among more than 3,000 employed men.

And the effect may be cumulative - the risk went up the longer an employee worked for the same company.

The study is published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine. [and here]

Stressful environment

Experts said that feeling undervalued and unsupported at work can cause stress, which often fosters unhealthy behaviours, such as smoking, that can lead to heart disease.

Previous work has shown that unfair bosses can drive up their employees' blood pressure, and persistent high blood pressure can increase heart disease risk.

For the latest study, researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Stockholm University tracked the heart health of the male employees, aged between 19 and 70 and working in the Stockholm area, over a period of nearly a decade.

During this time 74 cases of fatal and non-fatal heart attack or acute angina, or death from ischaemic heart disease, occurred.

All the participants were asked to rate the leadership style of their senior managers on competencies such as how clearly they set out goals for their staff and how good they were at communicating and giving feedback.

Feeling undervalued and unsupported can cause stress, which often leads to unhealthy behaviours...adding to your risk of developing heart problems Cathy Ross of the British Heart Foundation

The staff who deemed their senior managers to be the least competent had a 25% higher risk of a serious heart problem.

And those working for what was classed as a long time - four years or more - had a 64% higher risk.

The findings held true, regardless of educational attainment, social class, income, workload, lifestyle factors, such as smoking and exercise, and other risk factors for heart disease, such as high blood pressure and diabetes.

The researchers, which included experts from University College London in the UK and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, said that if a direct cause and effect was confirmed, then managers' behaviour should be targeted in a bid to stave off serious heart disease among less senior employees.

They said managers should give employees clear work objectives and sufficient power in relation to their responsibilities.

Cathy Ross, cardiac nurse for the British Heart Foundation, said: "This limited, male-only study suggests that a good, clear working relationship with your manager may help to protect against heart disease.

"Feeling undervalued and unsupported can cause stress, which often leads to unhealthy behaviours such as smoking, eating a poor diet, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough exercise - adding to your risk of developing heart problems.

"Being fit and active can give you the double benefit of busting work stress and boosting your heart health at the same time."

- wong chee tat :)

Singapore Oct manufacturing slides, outlook gloomy

Singapore Oct manufacturing slides, outlook gloomy
Reuters
Reuters - Wednesday, November 26

By Neil Chatterjee


SINGAPORE, Nov 26 - Singapore's factory output fell a larger-than-expected 12.7 percent in October from September after seasonal adjustments, as electronics and drugs output slid, suggesting recession extended into the fourth quarter.

Indeed, analysts said the manufacturing sector, which accounts for about a quarter of Singapore's trade-dependent economy, was facing tougher times ahead with the global outlook deteriorating quickly and demand weakening in key export markets.

From a year earlier, factory output fell 12.6 percent, the Economic Development Board said.

"The poor October manufacturing data marks a bad start for the fourth-quarter gross domestic product for Singapore, and manufacturing is likely to continue reprising its role as the main drag on growth in that quarter," said Alvin Liew at Standard Chartered.

"The risk to our full-year 2008 GDP of 3 percent is clearly on the downside due to the manufacturing outlook. This should be negative for the Singapore dollar."

Singapore slipped into recession after the economy contracted in for two consecutive quarters -- the second and the third -- a common definition for recession.

The central bank, which sets monetary policy by managing the Singapore dollar against a secret basket of currencies, eased policy in October to a neutral bias for the dollar, to head off a financial storm that has pushed the economy into recession.

The Singapore dollar stood at 1.5105 versus the U.S. dollar by 0603 GMT, from 1.5100 before the data.

The central bank says it has no plans to change policy before a review scheduled in April, though economists think it still might loosen policy before then as growth weakens and inflation cools.

The government, which is trying to diversify away from manufacturing into service industries such as finance and tourism, has said the economy could contract next year and is planning an expansionary budget in January to give it a boost.

"The good news is that the government is responding reasonably aggressively but sadly it can do little to avoid the recession continuing for a few months yet," said Robert Prior-Wandesforde, economist at HSBC.

The monthly manufacturing data follows a better-than-expected rise of 7 percent in September when drug output jumped. Drugs production is volatile, but economists say demand for pricier drugs has weakened as consumers cut medical spending.

"Pharmaceuticals explain much of the collapse in production...it is worth stressing that the most worrying aspect of recent Singapore data has been signs of weakness in services," added Prior-Wandesforde.

Electronics, which account for about a third of output, fell 14 percent in October from a year ago. Drug production, which accounts for about a fifth of the total, slumped 31.2 percent.


- wong chee tat :)

Prajna-paramita Hrdaya Sutram (The Heart Sutra)

- wong chee tat :)