Americans still prefer male bosses, but not by much

There’s a reason they still call it “working for the man”: Americans continue to prefer male bosses to female ones.

But the male edge is now the slimmest it's ever been. When pollster Gallup first began asking the question in 1953, 66% of Americans wanted Don Draper compared with the 5% looking for a female boss.

Now, male managers get 32% of the vote while female ones get 22%. Nearly half of people (including the majority of men) surveyed said they don’t care about the gender of their higher-ups.

But women –- especially ones older than 50 –- are much more opinionated. More women (39%) would like to report to a man than those (27%) who would rather have a woman in charge.

The gender of current bosses may have influenced the responses, Gallup said. Currently, 56% of Americans have a man at the helm while 30% are led by a woman. Thirteen percent said they have no boss.

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Photo: Female managers are catching up to men in American preferences. Though few would probably want one like Miranda Priestly, the tyrannical (and fictional) editor from the movie "The Devil Wears Prada." Credit: Barry Wetcher / 20th Century Fox

Employees satisfied with co-workers, unhappy with benefits

Your co-workers probably like you and your boss just fine –- it’s their pay and benefits they’re peeved about, according to a new Gallup survey.

Three in 10 employees are dissatisfied with the health insurance offered by their boss. The same amount also wish they earned more money.

Compensation issues in general leave workers disgruntled -– 26% are unhappy with their promotion chances, 28% want better retirement benefits and 34% say there’s too much stress at work.

Blame the nation’s unemployment problem, Gallup says. Compared with 90% job satisfaction before the recession, just 83% of workers are currently content.

Employees are likely enduring less favorable work conditions in order to avoid the dismal job market, while employers are cutting costs by scaling back salaries, promotions and benefits, Gallup said.

Still, compared with the fallout of the dot-com bubble a decade ago, workers are more satisfied overall. The study, which was conducted in mid-August, found that 72% are completely satisfied with the physical safety conditions at work.

The majority of employees are also pleased with their co-workers, their bosses and their work schedule.

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Photo: Most U.S. workers are more satisfied with their bosses than Ron Livingston, right, in 20th Century Fox's "Office Space." Credit: Van RedinPhoto

Does fantasy football affect workplace productivity?

Football teams are gearing up for the start of the season, as are more than 21 million U.S. workers in fantasy sports leagues. But bosses shouldn’t be alarmed, according to one employment consultancy.

Employees may spend as much as nine hours a week perfecting their fantasy drafts before the National Football League kickoff on Sept. 8, said Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. The impact on workplace productivity, however, will be minimal, the firm said.

Challenger actually suggests that employers encourage company leagues to boost morale and output, claiming that “in the long run, this may lead to increased employee retention.” Other research has found that fantasy sports boost camaraderie among employees and networking.

More than 70 million free and paid leagues operate in the U.S. and Canada, with the average player belonging to more than two, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Assn. Membership has spiked 60% in the past four years to 32 million players – with 80% of them involved in football.

And of all full-time workers in the U.S., 19% are fantasy sports players.

A Challenger survey last year found that most fantasy participants didn’t find playing in a league to be very distracting. On a scale of one to 10, where one represented no influence on productivity, nearly 70% of players chose four or below.

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Photo: New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (28) is tripped up by Oakland Raiders cornerback Walter McFadden (22). The Saints will play the Green Bay Packers during the regular season kickoff on Sept. 8. Credit: Cary Edmondson / US Presswire

Do fantasy sports affect workplace productivity?

Football teams are gearing up for the start of the season, as are more than 21 million U.S. workers in fantasy sports leagues. But bosses shouldn’t be alarmed, according to one employment consultancy.

Employees may spend as much as nine hours a week perfecting their fantasy drafts before the National Football League kickoff on Sept. 8, said Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. The impact on workplace productivity, however, will be minimal, the firm said.

Challenger actually suggests that employers encourage company leagues to boost morale and output, claiming that “in the long run, this may lead to increased employee retention.” Other research has found that fantasy sports boost camaraderie among employees and networking.

More than 70 million free and paid leagues operate in the U.S. and Canada, with the average player belonging to more than two, according to the Fantasy Sports Trade Assn. Membership has spiked 60% in the past four years to 32 million players – with 80% of them involved in football.

And of all full-time workers in the U.S., 19% are fantasy sports players.

A Challenger survey last year found that most fantasy participants didn’t find playing in a league to be very distracting. On a scale of one to 10, where one represented no influence on productivity, nearly 70% of players chose four or below.

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Best study ever: Wasting time online boosts worker productivity

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-- Tiffany Hsu

Photo: New Orleans Saints running back Mark Ingram (28) is tripped up by Oakland Raiders cornerback Walter McFadden (22). The Saints will play the Green Bay Packers during the regular season kickoff on Sept. 8. Credit: Cary Edmondson / US Presswire

Best study ever: Wasting time online boosts worker productivity

Spending time online updating your Facebook page, clicking through I Can Has Cheezburger and ogling Robert Pattinson may rot your brain, but new research suggest that it could also make you more productive at work.

“Browsing the Internet serves an important restorative function,” according to a report from the National University of Singapore.

So-called cyberloafing can refresh workers mentally after long periods of work, researchers said at the annual meeting of the Academy of Management in San Antonio this week.

Surfing the Web is even better for productivity than talking or texting with friends or sending personal emails, the study found.

And smart bosses would stop snooping, researchers said: Excessive Internet monitoring and surveillance only makes employees do it more, they said.

Now, if only someone will discover that napping, playing cards and watching "Jersey Shore" also boosts productivity ...

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Answering Questions on Leadership

Adam Bryant, who conducts interviews with chief executives and other leaders for Corner Office, a weekly feature in the Sunday Business section and on nytimes.com, will be answering questions posed online today on Quora, a site devoted to curating knowledge collaboratively. Mr. Bryant, a deputy national editor whose previous assignments included coverage of the auto and airline industries, will field questions from 3 to 4 p.m. Eastern time. It is the last of three weekly sessions on Quora featuring Times staff members. Read more >>