In the workplace, the quality of a supervisor has a significant impact on employees’ workload, performance, and emotions, especially the immediate supervisor. A recent study has found that if the immediate supervisor is not good, the work intensity faced by employees will significantly increase. This finding could potentially have far-reaching implications for global occupational health and productivity.
According to City St George’s, University of London, work-related stress, depression, and anxiety lead to millions of lost workdays worldwide each year. Work intensity is considered a major factor contributing to this issue. Deterioration in mental health and occupational burnout not only decreases workers’ productivity but also adds to the burden on healthcare systems.
Professor Hans Frankort from the School of Business at the University leading the study explained that work intensity does not simply refer to the length of time spent working, but rather the level of effort or energy employees need to invest during a given work period. It not only determines job satisfaction but also has significant implications for occupational health.
In this study, researchers analyzed employee data from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey and the 2015 and 2018 American Working Conditions Surveys. The key findings include:
– Team members who rate their immediate supervisor’s quality higher tend to have lower work intensity. This is because supervisors can effectively shield employees from various sources of pressure, such as unreasonable deadlines. The quality of the immediate supervisor is evaluated through employees’ overall ratings of superior characteristics, encompassing feelings of respect, recognition, support, feedback, and developmental opportunities.
– Managers typically experience higher work intensity compared to non-managers. However, when subordinates rate their immediate supervisor’s quality one standard deviation higher, the reduction in work intensity is 70% greater than the difference in work intensity between managers and non-managers.
– Work intensity is directly influenced by supervisors, rather than the organization. This relationship between supervisor quality and work intensity still holds for employees who have experienced changes in supervisors within the same company. This pattern is more pronounced in small or private organizations and environments lacking employee representation mechanisms (including unions).
– The same pattern persists regardless of employees’ personality types or individual skill levels.
Frankort emphasized that continuous engagement in high-intensity work can lead to physical and mental fatigue. When combined with long working hours, it can result in exhaustion and harm to mental and physical health.
He suggested that while some professions inherently require more frequent high-intensity work than others, managers should be aware of the associated risks and provide additional resources, encourage employees to take regular breaks, and ensure they have sufficient vacation time.
He stated that this study highlights the importance of enhancing training to help managers better identify work intensity, ultimately aiding more individuals in avoiding mental health issues and maintaining normal work routines.
These research findings were published in the journal “Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society.”
In addition to identifying employees’ work intensity and providing assistance, supervisors should also prioritize caring for and showing concern for their employees. Prior studies have shown that when employees feel undervalued, they may retaliate against supervisors through intentional absenteeism and other forms of work slowdown.
(Extended reading: Supervisors, Pay Attention! Employees who feel undervalued tend to engage in work slowdown.)