Micromanagement can be defined as a particular behaviour that managers tend to showcase when they closely observe the work of their team members and try to be overly-controlling. Though some might think this approach works well for their team, the truth is, micromanaging is demotivating and destroys teamwork.
Micromanaging damages employee trust and it’s very common for managers to fall into the habit of it without knowing. So, here are a few signs that you are micromanaging your team and it’s disrupting your team’s efficiency.
As a manager, you need to look into yourself and see if you have this habit. Sometimes, managers tend to do this to their team and not even realise. They feel that they are monitoring the progress but in reality, they are doing more than just tracking and monitoring. One of the most common traits of people who micromanage is that they experience a strong urge to constantly ask their employees what they are working on and force them to give updates constantly.
In order to curb micromanagement, you can have a proper goal setting system in place where you can set goals for your team, add key results, keep track of their goal progress and evaluate their performance after they accomplish the goal.
Its a big sign you are a micromanager if you feel that everyone on their team is under-performing.
Most managers do that because they might have been really good at what they used to do and got promoted as a manager for the team that now does the same thing. They feel that their teammates also should perform at their pace, but fail to understand that different individuals have different pace of learning, implementing and executing the same process.
If you feel the same about your team and want them to deliver results as fast as you would do, then there is a fair chance that you’re already micromanaging your team.
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One of the simplest things that team members expect from their managers is respect and being included. Most managers go above and beyond to make their teammates feel included and motivated by listening to them and frequently asking them what they think. But there some managers who completely ignore the ideas of their team members and make them feel under-valued. If you think that asking your team for opinions would be a waste of time, then it’s time to evaluate your managerial style.
Most employees try to avoid micromanaging bosses because of the stress they put them through. Even if you’re working in a relatively smaller team, imagine being watched over and being judged for deviating from their methods of functioning. This annoys the employees and damages the trust that they have in their managers. So, they constantly try to avoid any situation with you that puts them through the stress and exhausts them.
If your employees are trying to avoid you constantly, then you should re-evaluate yourself!
Though in the beginning, it might seem like a good way to increase the pace at which employees work, it will soon be stuck in a rut and cause disengagement. Constant surveillance and criticism at work exhausts employees and leads to employee burnout. This practice can cause employees to decrease their overall productivity because of not being able to see the bigger picture.
Sometimes, employees become too dependent on micromanagement that they cannot solve a problem or take a decision on their own. They always need guidance and support from someone to function. Their innovation is reduced. If you are the only person who takes decisions and solves problems for your team, then understand that you’re micromanaging your team members.
Most micromanagers tend to think that making their team work for longer hours gives them longer time to learn and implement things. The truth is that this is one of the very common reasons for employee burnout and various mental health issues in employees.
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It is important to understand the boundaries before you demand your teammates to spend extra time from their day to work for you. Most of the times, the team that works for the longest hours isn’t the team that’s the most productive.
If you keep calculating the number of hours spent on something and number of hours that will be wasted if your employees take a break, then you should know that this is the worst kind of micromanaging. Some managers even send emails to finish lunch time faster and get back to work. This kind of behaviour not only stresses out employees but also causes them to quit work faster and find a better place to work for.
When you see any of these signs, pull yourself back and self-evaluate your behaviour towards your team.
If you really want to keep track of your employee progress from time to time without micromanaging them, then you should consider using a goal setting software or a performance management system that help you assign and monitor employee goals and evaluate their performance.
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