Few mark National Boss' Day in Oklahoma, nation

Meanwhile, in Oklahoma City, jeweler Valerie Naifeh's employees presented her with flowers, while Nona Merriman and co-workers honored their bosses at Children's Miracle Network Hospitals with bagels and doughnuts.

Sarah Sears, principal of S Design Inc., was surprised with a bottle of one of her favorite wines, while communications expert Kym Koch Thompson was lauded with kudos on Facebook, along with a huge mum and chocolate-covered strawberries.

The praised bosses were among the minority Tuesday, according to survey results released Monday by psychologist and author Michelle McQuaid.

In a recent online poll of 1,000 workers across the U.S., only 38 percent planned to thank their boss on National Boss' Day, McQuaid found. Forty-two percent said their bosses don't work very hard, nearly 20 percent said their supervisors have little or no integrity, and only 38 percent described them as “great.”

Moreover, some 70 percent of respondents said they'd be happier at work if they got along better with their bosses, pollsters found. Thirty-one percent feel uninspired and unappreciated by their bosses, and close to 15 percent feel miserable, bored and lonely.

Oklahoma natives Gayle Roberts and Glenda Crider aren't surprised with the findings, having put up with respective bad bosses. Roberts' old boss constantly would check his watch while she was discussing concerns with him. “His body language was clearly saying ‘I don't have time for you!'” she said.

Crider said a former spiteful boss stationed her at a non-ergonomic desk that led to a hand disability that forced her early retirement.

McQuaid said such poor management is triggered by the bosses' various fears.

For example, “controlling bosses fear something bad may happen and they won't be able to cope,” she said. “Meanwhile, lazy bosses are afraid they may lose something important, so they do as little as possible.”