`My boss is the worst' is a common peeve. Turns out that it is indeed quite common.

Employees across the globe, including India, feel that bosses are ineffective and lack empathy, or even the leadership skills, a survey says.

"About 68 per cent want to change their job only because of their manager's attitude, 34 per cent don't consider their manager to be effective at his or her job and only 40 per cent reported that their boss never damages their self-esteem," says talent management firm DDI in its latest report, `Lessons for Leaders from the People Who Matter'.

Two out of every five respondents (39 per cent) revealed that they had left a job primarily because of their leader, while a 55 percent said they had considered leaving a job because of the leader.

Only 56 per cent of the employees said that their current leader helps them to be more productive.

The survey was conducted in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, China, India, Germany and South East Asia (Malaysia, Philippines and Singapore), covering over 1,250 full-time employees in non-management positions.

When asked if they feel motivated to give their best to their leader, 37 per cent employees said "only sometimes" or "never". This feeling affects the turnover, the report says.

Interestingly, more men than women felt they could be a more effective leader than their current boss (53 per cent vs 34 per cent).

"When asked if their leader handles workplace conflict effectively, 42 per cent of employees surveyed responded either `only sometimes' or `never'," the report adds.

Again, 35 per cent felt their leader listens to their work-related concerns only sometimes or never.

The survey also found that 60 per cent felt that their boss at least "sometimes" damages their self-esteem.

And here is an interesting difference between male and female perceptions: Men were found to be twice as likely as women (32 per cent versus 17 per cent) to say that their leader's actions damage the self-esteem.