Bad management, bad tempers

Bad management causes more people to lose their temper at work than any other reason, according to a survey by online careers site Monster.

Almost four out of ten of the 12,000 respondents across Europe said that poor management was the issue that makes them most angry about their jobs.

A lack of career opportunity was the second most common reason, cited by three out of ten people, while almost a quarter said that not being valued at work makes them angry. Only seven per cent highlight an excessive workload.

The survey also reveals significant national differences over what annoys people most at work.

The Danes appear to be the least tolerant of their managers, with more than half (56 per cent) saying that bad management made them angry. Next in line are workers in the Netherlands (49 per cent), Luxembourg (47 per cent) and the UK (46 per cent).

The Mediterranean temperament, in contrast, appears to be more upset by being under-appreciated. More than four out of ten Italians (42 per cent) and a similar proportion of Spaniards (39 per cent) say that this is the major cause of job-related anger.

Finland has the highest proportion of people who feel angry because they think their career path is stunted, with more than four out of ten (43 per cent) citing this as an issue.

The Moster survey is the latest to reveal a growing gulf between employees and their management. A poll carried out last year by Mercer Human Resource Consulting found that fewer than four out of ten employees trust their management and less than half believe their organisation is well managed. Another study found that most people who resign from their jobs are not moving for money or career progress but because they are sick of their immediate boss.