Employees, especially when new to their positions, often need guidance to be successful in their work. However, too much direction can be less like helpful and constructive feedback and more like micromanagement.
This, in turn, can have a negative impact on an employee’s work performance and mental health, and they may begin to feel less confident in the work they produce.
Below, eight members of Young Entrepreneur Council offered advice on what to do as an employee if you feel like you’re being micromanaged at work.
Young Entrepreneur Council members share what you can do if you feel you’re being micromanaged.
Photos courtesy of the individual members.
1. Talk It Out
There is nothing wrong with or any reason to fear discussing this kind of topic. After all, improving the way people work is in the company’s best interests, and your manager may even respect you more for bringing it up. Respectfully share your thoughts and how you think you could be more productive. It’s important to put it in terms of how the company benefits by changing a certain approach. Talk in positive terms; don’t focus too much on the problem, but on the solution. Be objective and professional when discussing this matter. More often than not, a straightforward and honest conversation is just what’s needed to change something for good—and companies now more than ever value this kind of employee. – Riccardo Conte, Virtus Flow
2. Speak Up
Often, managers don’t even realize they’re micromanaging. They may just have a strong Type A personality and find it extremely difficult to delegate. If that’s the case, communicating with them to reassure them of your abilities can help tremendously. Also, the employee should work with their boss to set a progress check-in schedule and ensure there is a process in place for communicating, asking questions, getting approvals and so on. Many managers are afraid to give up control, but with the right processes and open communication, they can learn to trust their employees. – Jonathan Prichard, MattressInsider.com
3. Self-Reflect
There are a variety of reasons why leadership micromanages. One of the most common is fear of losing control over projects. When micromanaging trickles down, it typically stems from a lack of trust and respect. It might be tempting to approach the micromanager, but the first best step is to actually take an honest look at yourself. Analyze your work ethic. Ask yourself if there are legitimate reasons why your manager feels the need to watch and critique your every move. Do you remember to fix previously addressed mistakes? Is showing up late and being unpredictable a long-standing habit? After you’ve done your best to understand the situation, it’s time to (re)build trust and respect. Make sure you also understand expectations and make adjustments if and when necessary.- Blair Thomas, eMerchantBroker
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4. Communicate Progress Clearly
If you feel like you’re being micromanaged by your boss, try to communicate your performance and progress as clearly as you can. Whether this is during meetings or through emails, it’s important that your boss knows you’re capable of completing your work tasks without their constant check-ins. Micromanagers are less likely to interfere when they have no questions to ask or nothing to wonder about. By communicating where you’re at performance-wise, you give them the information they need upfront. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms
5. Reiterate Your Understanding
Feeling like someone’s looking over your shoulder is distressing and actually leads to poorer performance. As hard as it can be, I suggest that you communicate the following with your boss. One, reiterate that you understand the goal and work that you’re supposed to do. And two, politely request that you have some time to work on the job on your own. Give your boss a specific date and time in the near future when you’ll give them a full update. Let them know that, very soon, you’ll come back to them for feedback and guidance, but that you would do a better job if you had a crack at it on your own or that you’re excited to stretch your wings. Being communicative and creating a timeline will remove some of your boss’s fears. And when you do well, you’ll build trust and flexibility. – Syed Balkhi, WPBeginner
6. Ask For Expectations In Writing
Sometimes I think managers default to micromanaging when they haven’t taken the time to really think through the expectations of the role and feel like they need to be involved in everything. Ask for more clarity around expectations and what you have decision-making power over and what you do not. If your manager isn’t willing to do that, then the next thing you should do is find a different job. Life is too short to work with people who don’t trust you to do the job they hired you to do. – Kelsey Raymond, Influence & Co.
7. Share Your Preferred Collaboration Method
Employees who feel as though they’re being micromanaged at work often have the ability to change their situation. Many times, micromanagers don’t even realize they’re coming across this way—they think they are trying to be “helpful” or a “leader.” To address this misunderstanding, begin by identifying another way in which the manager’s directives could have been phrased or executed. Having a solid example of your preferred method of collaboration at work will help you better communicate your needs. Next, when the manager does something that seems like micromanaging, bring up why this behavior hurts your productivity and then offer the example of your preferred collaboration style. – Richard Fong, ProcessingCard.com
8. Try Overcommunicating
Micromanaging is never good, but often we can feel micromanaged when we are just getting more feedback than we are used to. If you feel stifled due to micromanagement, I would first give your manager the benefit of the doubt, especially if you have just started at the company or just entered into a new role. Perhaps your manager is particularly invested in this project or maybe they don’t realize that they’re micromanaging. Try overcommunicating with your manager before bringing up the micromanagement. However much you think you should communicate, double or triple that. Try to update your manager before they come to you. If that doesn’t work, schedule a one-on-one meeting and be honest about how their management style has affected you. If you can’t persuade them, move on. – Reuben Yonatan, GetVoIP
