BY: LIZ HARDIE
How do micromanagers affect the work ethic of their employees? After doing a specific job for several years, you would believe an employee would know what they are doing. Instead of having faith in your employee, you have a lack of trust, lack of morale and lack of motivation. The micromanager makes you doubt the work you are doing, even though it is correct, since it is the same as what you have been doing. Anytime you did not know what you were doing, you asked; so why would you do anything different now? Unfortunately moves are still questioned, why things are or are not done or why they and they just never seem to be satisfied with any work done or the answers given. Yet when you ask what you can improve on, a micromanager will never give you an answer.
When dealing with micromanagers, you will notice that the environment is extremely toxic. It is best to learn to shut off the nonsense and disregard the words said by the unkind. Overhearing those who are quick to hurt others, the unkind people in the office, having a grand time with their fake smiles and fake laughs. Yet as soon as people walk away they are gossiping or talking about them, never hearing kindness. Are you supposed to feel threatened or try to compete with that? Never. Working hard for where you get in life, you should not have to be fake, unkind or lose morals to be a “part” of a company. This is your decision, stay and continue to be mistreated, or leave the company.
Imagine this environment throughout your company. Not just one owner or one manager but with several owners, several managers, even co-workers think they can micromanage. Causing a breakdown in communication, a lack of work done because they are too busy picking at the work their employee is doing. In turn, their employees are 70% more likely to start looking for a job or to even quit their job. New hires see this and do not want to stay in the new position. A plan is nearly impossible, the micromanager does not communicate anything or must become involved when they don’t need to. This just leads to additional friction and time wasted because the micromanager could not just have trust that the employee hired can do the job.
If an owner is the micromanager, the issue is huge. Have an owner, manager and co-worker that micromanage, best of luck in your position. Not only will you have high turnover, but when someone does leave, especially if that employee has tenure and experience, you are losing knowledge. Micromanagers thrive when new employees are hired, they are lacking the knowledge that a former employee would have had. They feel that their actions, even unkind, are justified and that they are crucial to the training. This just adds more damage to the work place, as a micromanager will continue to criticize or belittle, even good employees, as they have to be looked at as a “manager”.
There is a huge difference between a hands on owner or manager and a micromanager. Hands on managers are very helpful, motivated, encouraging, well-trained and empowering. Micromanagers are the complete opposite as causing their employees continual annoyance, exercising power, restricting communication and growth and causing feelings of helplessness and a lack of confidence to their employees. Being kept in the loop at all times and being in control, about everything. If they find out they were not included, they become angry, upset, and confrontational. Micromanagers can and will damage your company, it is best to stop it well before it even starts. More micromanagers need to understand that they can still be respected as a manager by being kind and having trust in their employees, work alongside and listen, and not be an asshole.
“It doesn’t make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to to. We hire smart people so they can tell us what to do.” ― Steve Jobs