Is my boss hard done by?

[handbagfettish]

My boss thinks he is hard done by. He owns the company - manages about 6 plus weeks holiday a year (not including Christmas and New Year and bank holidays), however, probably leaves the house at 7.30 and is home roughly the same time every night (except Friday when he will be home earlier). He doesn't do weekends normally or take any work home. He thinks he is very hard worked, however, he does no housework, childcare, cooking etc. I have tried to tell him that he is really lucky and that most people who go home at that time still have a million things to do - who is being unreasonable?

He has the extra stress of being fully responsible for the company and its employees so probably doesn't switch off when he's not at work.

As a business owner, he makes his own bed...….so can't complain. If he isn't happy with the situation, there is only he who can do anything about it.
To moan to employees like this is crass as employees can't control the situation so much.
Sounds like he needs to develop some people skills. I can recommend a consultant I've seen in action!

no he seems to do less that a lot of people given his hours and holiday

No one is being unreasonable. Different people find different things hard. Unless the boss is incredibly lucky, it’s likely they go home or go on holiday and still think about the business or the staff or turnover or VAT.

No one is being unreasonable as such but whilst we all have stress the stress of not having any control over the situation is the most damaging stress.

If you can do something about it - take time off if you want to, change your work pattern etc then, even if you don't do those things the stress is less damaging because you can. It's like having a safety net on a high wire - you don't want to use it but being there makes life safer.

You can't determine how stressful someone else will find any given scenario though.

A few years ago I did a presentation to about 100 health professionals including consultants.

I also got my daughter to ring the hairdresser's for an appointment for me as I found making phone calls stressful

A business owner never stops working, or worrying. Those 6 weeks holidays will probably be spent speaking to suppliers, clients, sorting last minute hitches out, sorting money out at the bank etc. You can never truly switch off.