Bad bosses increase their employees’ chance of heart attack – here’s how to beat them

Six common types of toxic boss and how to handle them

Working for an unreasonable boss can cause health problems, including increasing employees' risk of heart disease and heart attack (John Moore/Getty Images)

Working for an unreasonable boss can cause health problems, including increasing employees' risk of heart disease and heart attack. One study in Sweden ranked heart problems against employee’s faith in the competence of their bosses and found the two correlated: the more the employee respected their boss, the less likely they were to suffer problems. What’s more, the likelihood of heart issues increased the longer the employee stayed with the company.

The best way to deal with a bad boss may simply be to leave and get a new job – though that’s not always possible. Instead, the most successful people have learned to manage their emotions to stay calm and in control. TalentSmart, which provides emotional intelligent test and training for Fortune 500 companies, found that 90 per cent of the highest performing employees manage their emotions around their boss's temperament to stay calm.

Travis Bradberry, co-founder of TalentSmart, has identified six common types of bad bosses and the strategies that successful people employ to work effectively with them:

The Inappropriate Buddy chooses favourites and creates divisions (REUTERS/Patrick T. Fallon)

The Inappropriate Buddy

This is the boss who’s too friendly, and not in the fun, team-building sort of way. His office quickly becomes The Office.

Bradberry says: “The most important thing to do with this type of boss is to learn to set firm boundaries. Don’t allow his position to intimidate you.”

Micromanagers pay too much attention to small details

The Micromanager

This is the boss who makes you feel as if you are under constant surveillance.

Bradberry says: “Successful people appeal to micromanagers by proving themselves to be flexible, competent, and disciplined while staying in constant communication.”

The Tyrant resorts to Machiavellian tactics

The Tyrant

This is the boss whose primary concern is maintaining power, and he will coerce and intimidate others to do so.

Bradberry says: “Present your ideas in a way that allows him to take partial credit. The tyrant can then maintain his ego without having to shut down your idea.”

The Incompetent may not have been at the company very long

The Incompetent

This boss holds a position beyond his capabilities.

Bradberry says: Swallow your pride and share your experience and knowledge - you’ll become his ally and confidant.

The Robot boss doesn't like to make a decision without data

The Robot

This boss makes decisions based on the numbers.

Bradberry says: “You need to speak his language. When you have an idea, make certain you have the data to back it up.”

The Visionary boss jumps from one idea to the next

The Visionary

This boss is an innovator who struggles to pin down the details.

Bradberry says: “Be quick to funnel the ideas down into something smaller and more practical.”

Seagull bosses only interact with their bosses in short bursts, leaving a mess

The Seagull

This boss swoops in and tries to change the course of a project without knowing the facts, creating mess.

Bradberry says: “A group approach works best with seagulls. Get the entire team to sit down with him and explain that his abrupt approach to solving problems makes it extremely difficult for everyone to perform at their best.”