City Research Online

Abstract

How does boss quality relate to the work intensity of subordinates? Bridging research on the antecedents of work intensity and the consequences of boss quality, we analyze this relationship using data from the 2015 European Working Conditions Survey and longitudinal data from the 2015/2018 American Working Conditions Survey. In cross-sectional, pooled, and panel analyses, we find robust evidence of a negative association between boss quality and employee work intensity. This association is substantially more negative in contexts in which supervisory discretion is likely to be greater—particularly in organizations that are small, in the private sector, and without employee representation.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© 2026 The Author(s). Industrial Relations published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Regents of the University of California (RUC). This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HB Economic Theory H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Departments:	Bayes Business School Bayes Business School > Faculty of Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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