A micromanager is a manager who is intent on keeping a close eye on your work and is very adamant at controlling the subordinates work. A micromanager belongs to the old style managers class in this age of new management techniques. Even being a minute late to the work would earn you a stern stare from your manager.
Working with a micromanager can be very tiresome and to be more simple, difficult.
How to Work with a Micromanager
Tough to cope with and difficult to be satisfied. Such is the nature of a micromanager.
- The best way to deal with one is to quit the job. But, quitting may not be an option for everyone. It may become imperative that you deal with the situation. But, confronting your manager with it would not be advisable as this would have an impact in the long run.
- Like they say, “Be a Roman when in Rome”. It is best to follow the same policy with your intriguing manager. Identify his/her agenda and work accordingly.
- Working at someone else’s pace can prove to be very difficult for an employee. It is best to see the HR manager in case the situation gets out of control and possibly after much deliberation you might want to leave the job.
What are Characteristics of a Micromanager?
The moment you start working at a new workplace, it is always necessary to identify what sort of boss you are working with. Especially if you are being supervised by a micromanager you need to be extra careful. There are ways to identify a micromanager.
- The biggest problems that a micromanager has is lack of change. He/she would not change their work attitude no matter what. So, it becomes our responsibility to act accordingly as long as we are in the workplace.
- A micromanager would take the sole credit for an entire team’s work and would not hesitate to put the blame on the team or the subordinate for his/her own mistake.
- A micromanager would not back off from exhibiting raw power. He/she is known to assert their authority and do not like to be subordinated.
- The employee’s work is dictated by the micromanager. All the work patterns and concerning timelines are dictated by the manager paying no concern to the subordinate grievances.
- A micromanager expects to be constantly updated about the work the employee is performing and demand you report to them as regularly as possible.
- Micromanager might not respect the privacy of the employee and could be a problem to the organization.
Is Micromanaging a Form of Bullying?
Yes, micromanaging in most of the times is close to bullying. Managing a group of employees is very different than parenting where one has to take care of even the smallest of the requirements. It leads to a waste of time(resource), money(resource). On multiple fronts, it has proved to be inefficient and ineffective.
A micromanager enjoys supervising someone else’s paid job exhibiting a manner that he/she is being paid to do it.
