When given an outlet to express frustration, a third of study participants reported "lower feelings of injustice" and said they were "far less likely to still feel bitter" about their supervisor. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Must be that ol' black magic. A new study finds that one of the cheapest employee benefits also provides an outsized return, especially if the boss otherwise isn't nice to workers.
The Washington Post reports on a new study finding that the reward is all out of proportion to the technique when employees are provided a voodoo doll of the boss and allowed to take out their frustrations on the doll.
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Health and Safety Executive reports that the premise of the study is that, instead of letting staff brood over abusive bosses, building up stress and anxiety and letting the quality of their work go downhill, workers should be allowed to vent their frustrations on an inanimate object—a voodoo doll, to be precise.
Study participants were asked to think of an unpleasant or abusive workplace interaction with a supervisor or boss. Some participants were then allowed to exorcise their bad feelings about the event by sticking a voodoo doll named after the boss with pins, or using candles to burn it or pliers to pinch it. And the results were successful in more ways than one.
Not only did a third of the study's participants report "lower feelings of injustice" and say they were "far less likely to still feel bitter" about their supervisor, they did better on cognitive tests, too.
The Telegraph reports that Lindie Liang, an assistant professor of Lazaridis School of Business and Economics at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario Canada and one of the study's authors, says, "As weird as it sounds, yes. We found a simple and harmless symbolic act of retaliation can make people feel like they're getting even and restoring their sense of fairness."
Although revenge is often viewed negatively, the researchers say the findings highlight "the largely overlooked benefit of retaliation from the victim's perspective."
And don't worry, bosses. It doesn't have to be a voodoo doll with your name on it. It could be a picture of you instead, given a place of honor on the office dartboard.
In a paper in the journal The Leadership Quarterly, the authors conclude: "These findings suggest that retaliation not only benefits individual victims, but may also benefit the organization as a whole, given that justice perceptions [sic[ is important for employee performance and well-being."
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Marlene Satter
Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.
