Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Boss

It's hot. The economy stinks. And many bosses across the country seem to be caving under the pressure.

That's bad news for workers like Mike, a senior-level employee for a communications company in the Northeast.

Mike, who did not want his real name used for fear of reprimand, says his boss has always been a Machiavellian, arrogant and condescending jerk, but lately he's 10 times worse.

"He has no problem reminding me or anyone else that the economy is bad, we are losing clients, the job market is awful, hint-hint, and if we don't work our (butts) to the bone, not like we haven't been already, then trouble will begin," he says. The remarks, he says, are "vague enough to not be accountable, yet specific enough to be threatening and keep everyone on edge."

Marc Goormastic, the president of an executive search firm in Reno, Nev., tells of a CEO "threatening to throw a sales manager out of a second-story window because he hadn't made his quota of personal sales calls."

The behavior, he adds, "was totally unprofessional, and illegal."

I've been hearing lots of hair-raising stories lately about bosses who may have had a tendency to be mean but are now acting like full-blown Darth Vaders. Many workplace experts believe tough economic times and the constant drumbeat to do more with fewer people may be driving managers over to the dark side.

"Employers are definitely getting meaner," says Will Chen, managing editor of the career and personal finance blog Wise Bread. "I'm getting a lot of letters from readers complaining about negative behavior from their managers."

Here are recent some examples from Chen:

• Managers are especially snarky about granting sick leave or holiday pay.
• Employee reviews are more negative than usual, perhaps due to the fact that managers are paving the way for a justified firing (so they don't have to do a layoff).
• Employees are forced to do the work of two people without getting additional compensation.
• Unfortunately, many workers feel they have to stay and take the abuse because of the economy.

More than one-third of American workers feel pressure to keep working for a bad boss because of the sputtering economy, according to a recent survey from Lake Research.