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We know that everything to do with work is especially stressful right now, and we hate to throw a new dilemma into the mix, but there's a disturbing debate currently taking place: Job insecurity is supposedly causing an epidemic of sucking up to the boss. But is brown-nosing in the office a good idea—or not?

While praising a superior's stupid decisions may be bad for business, meaning that "yea-sayers" shouldn't actually remain employed, studies have shown that ingratiation and spontaneous compliments work in people's favor and may even accelerate one's rise to the top. A research team at the University of Texas, for example, found that lavishing praise on a CEO and doing him/her various "personal favors" increased the likelihood of being appointed to a corporate board by 64 percent.

So, go ahead: Tell the CEO of the company that it's totally worth buying a new corporate jet and redecorating his office. You weren't that attached to your final shred of self respect anyway, right?

Workers "sucking up" is bad for business say experts [Reuters]