Consider this: When I wrote The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book in 2005, the book revealed that 70 percent of people do not handle conflict and stress effectively at work, just 36 percent understand their emotions as they happen and only 15 percent of people feel respected and valued at work.

According to a recent study published in Human Resource Executive magazine, a third of U.S. employees waste at least 20 hours of work time each month complaining about their bosses. Lost productivity from employees who are dissatisfied with their bosses results in the loss of $360 billion each year for U.S corporations, according to Gallup Poll. If there’s one hard truth the Gallup Poll has taught these corporations in the past decade, it’s that people may join companies, but they will leave bosses.

No one influences an employee’s morale and productivity more than his or her supervisor. It’s that simple. Yet, as common as this knowledge may seem, it clearly hasn’t been enough to change the way managers and organizations treat people. Few companies recognize the degree to which managers are the vessels of a company’s culture, and even fewer work diligently to ensure their vessels hold the knowledge and skills that motivate employees to perform, feel satisfied and love their jobs.

In the days of a strong dollar, bulging tech bubble and robust housing market, people working for a bad boss had options. Careers were mobile, and talent was in short supply. It was a snap to pack up and leave. But nowadays, things are decidedly different. Jobs are scarce, and the prudent worker stays put, even if he or she is working under what I like to call the seagull manager.

The roots of seagull management can be traced back to the days when “micromanager” was the worst non-expletive you could utter behind your boss’ back. Managers’ fear of this label has grown so intense, they keep their distance from employees, assuming a good boss is one who spends as little time as possible breathing down people’s necks.