Why some bosses yell: UGA study reveals truth behind workplace abuse

ATLANTA - Ever had a boss who seemed to think yelling was a competitive sport? Or one who belittled employees like it was an Olympic event? Turns out, you weren't imagining it. New research from the University of Georgia has uncovered that some bosses actually thrive on abusive behavior, according to UGA Today. 

What we know:

Szu-Han (Joanna) Lin, the W. Richard and Emily Acree Professor in Management at UGA's Terry College of Business, has been studying workplace abuse for two decades. 

Inspired partly by episodes of "Hell's Kitchen," where Gordon Ramsay yells at underlings, Lin decided to dig deeper. "I was watching season after season, and I thought, 'Huh? I wonder why he acts like that,'" Lin told UGA Today. 

The backstory:

The researchers surveyed 100 supervisors from various fields, and the bosses were surprisingly candid. Some admitted to yelling when overwhelmed, but others confessed to doing it to assert dominance or get employees to follow orders. Apparently, some bosses think they're starring in their own reality show.

In a follow-up study, 249 supervisors were surveyed daily for 15 days. The results? When bosses yelled out of burnout, they felt guilty. But when they yelled to boost performance or reinforce their power, they felt like they'd just won a gold medal in leadership.

What they're saying:

The study suggests that understanding these motivations can help shape leadership training. "It's important for leaders to recognize they may have motivations for acting abusively to help them find better leadership tools," Lin said.

Published in the Journal of Management, the study was co-authored by Emily Poulton, a doctoral graduate from UGA’s Terry College, and Russell Johnson.

What you can do:

If you have a boss that likes to yell, it's important that you handle it in an appropriate manner. Here are some tips from Monster.com on how to handle a yelling boss:

1. Stay calm and professional. Don't yell back no matter how tempting it might be.

2. Also avoid non-verbal reactions like eye-rolling and sighing loudly.

3. Acknowledge their feelings and express how it makes you feel using "I" statements.

4. Offer a solution or your assistance in resolving the issue.

5. Set boundaries. Let your boss know that you won't tolerate being yelled at, but you are willing to talk through an issue.

6. Go to Human Resources or that person's boss if the behavior continues or is threatening in any way.