By Jane Han
Staff Reporter
No matter how much times have changed, it looks like the ``boss factor'' is still the most stressful for working men and women.
Online recruiter Career's survey of 1,470 workers showed Thursday that an overwhelming number of workers are emotionally strained because of interpersonal relationships, rather than the job itself.
Nearly 66 percent said their bosses give them a hard time by giving irrational orders (54 percent), evading responsibility (42 percent) and insulting them with foul language (30 percent).
Those who were troubled by awkward co-worker relationships said excessive competition and slandering were their biggest stress factors.
And this extra stress seems to impair their performance, as 58 percent said they lack enthusiasm, while 55 percent claim that they lose respect and trust for the other person.
``It's difficult not to run into interpersonal problems in the office since it's a shared community where so many people from different backgrounds merge,'' said Kim Ki-tae, the chief of Career. ``But it is important to relieve the negative feelings from time to time because an extended period of stressing out can take its toll on productivity,''
Experts say establishing an open line of communication with your boss is vital to keeping a healthy relationship.
``Knowing exactly what is expected of you will prevent unnecessary problems,'' said a vocational coach at Career, adding that one way to improve dialogue is to use ``I'' more than ``you.''
He says, instead of saying, ``You're giving me too much work,'' it's better to say, ``I may be feeling overloaded these days.''
``It's really not about what you say, but how you get your point across,'' he said.