It's a given that we've all - without exception - had a terrible boss in our working lives. It might not as extreme as the events of the Horrible Bosses films, but an awful superior in the office can have a devastating impact.
In fact, according to a story first published on LinkedIn and then on Quartz, the long-term effects of a dickhead boss could be as bad for your health as smoking. Imagine that.
Naturally, like smoking, the longer you stay in a job working for a terrible manager, the bigger the toll on both your physical and mental health.
So, if you're suffering at the hands of a middle management jobsworth, you should probably get out and find a new job. But you probably won't.
In fact, according to the the American Psychological Association, 75 percent of US workers cite their boss as the biggest cause of stress at work but the majority (59 percent) of workers with a poor manager don't leave.
Rather, they suck it up and just put their heads down, even if they're being treated badly. That's because, even if they hate the person above them in the pecking order, most people still get comfortable with their jobs and find it hard to leave.
And fair enough - it's a dog eat dog world out there. But perhaps these latest findings will give people the push they need to push back.
Data from over 200 studies compiled by researchers from Harvard Business School and Stanford University found that common work stresses can have the same negative health effects on staff as exposure to substantial amounts of second-hand smoke.
Of course, the jobs market is tough right now, so we're not recommending you walk up to your boss, tell them to fuck off and storm out of the office in a blaze of self-righteous fury. Especially not before Christmas (but if you do, be sure to film it and send it to us).
That said, it's probably wise to quit if your horrible boss is truly a sociopath. They're the ones who are overly aggressive, narcissistic and even violent, according to the BBC. And if you find out you have one of those, maybe it's better to walk.
After all, life is short and should be fun. Why spend eight hours a day, five days a week being miserable? And if you're telling yourself it's for the money, think again, because you could get hit by a bus tomorrow. What good is any of it then?
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Words: Mischa Pearlman
Topics: World News, UK News, US News, Smoking