The study, to be published in science journal 'Occupational and Environmental Medicine', shows that staff whose managers have the worst leadership skills are more likely to develop heart disease than those with more competent bosses.

Lead researcher Anna Nyberg, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, said the link between bad management and bad health of staff held true irrespective of social class, income, workload, lifestyle factors such as smoking and exercise and other risk factors for heart disease.

Researchers tracking the health of 3,122 well-educated men, with an average age of 42, found that the higher senior managers were rated, the lower was the risk of a serious heart problem or death among their rank and file.

However, the link between poor leadership and the risk of serious heart disease strengthened the longer an employee worked for the same boss, the Daily Mail of Britain reported on Tuesday.

The study, which was over a period of ten years, suggests the effect of bad leadership could be cumulative. If a direct cause and effect is confirmed by further research then managers' behaviour should be targeted in a bid to stave off employee health problems, the study stressed.