BOSS DISTRUST: A majority of US workers do not think their bosses are honest, said a survey released last week, and one in four would fire their boss if they could.

Only four in ten workers would take their bosses' jobs if offered, according to the survey conducted for Adecco Group North America, part of Zurich-based Adecco Group, a human resources and placement company.

Two-thirds of workers, however, would not change anything about their relationship with their boss, the survey found.

It found 53 percent of workers do not think their boss is honest, a similar number do not think their boss is fair or patient and two-thirds do not think their boss is loyal.

A quarter say they believe their boss is dishonest about their job security, and 28 percent would lay off or fire their boss if given the opportunity, it said.

By a wide margin of 89 percent, workers think their relationship with the boss is important for job satisfaction, the survey found.

The online study was conducted for Adecco by Harris Interactive October 6 to 8, 2009. Harris interviewed a nationwide sample of 2,081 US adults, 1,147 of whom were employed full- or part-time.

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BONUS CUTS: More than half of US companies are reducing bonuses, and nearly half are scaling back on raises in an effort to cut costs in a tough recession, according to research released yesterday. A third of companies are cutting back on employee health care benefits, and a third also are cutting back on stock options and other equity-based compensation to trim costs, according to a survey of chief financial officers and senior comptrollers by Grant Thornton LLP, an accounting firm.

Cutting back on bonuses was cited by 55 percent, and 42 percent are giving smaller raises, it said.