Five ways to handle micromanagement

Having a micromanager as a boss can be a great source of frustration. Micromanagement is not only stressful but can impact your productivity and detract from the enjoyment of your day-to-day work life.  

Micromanagement can be defined as an overly controlling approach to supervision. Your manager will try to control every aspect of the work, no matter how small, leading employees to feel distrusted, disrespected and dissatisfied. This can end up negatively affecting employees' mental wellbeing and productivity, sometimes even compelling people to resign as a result. 

But it doesn’t have to be this way. Understanding the root cause of micromanagement can help you address it. Leah Lambart, career coach at Relaunch Me, says that with some careful attention and action, you can improve your work situation.  

Benefits of addressing and lessening micromanagement include increased trust, reduced stress, and stronger workplace relationships. More autonomy and trust can also translate to greater productivity. Read on for Leah’s top strategies for how to approach micromanagement with a controlling boss. 

Examples of micromanagement 

Micromanagement can take on many forms. It could look like your supervisor shadowing you at work to make sure you’re doing something correctly. It might be a manager asking for multiple check-ins on progress per day. Or it might be a team leader providing overly detailed instructions for something, then ensuring you do a task precisely to the letter.  

1. Understand the triggers of micromanagement

People may micromanage for a number of reasons and may not even realise they’re doing it, says Lambart. So, the first thing you should do is try to understand why they’re micromanaging you.

Lambart explains that your manager may lack confidence, be under stress or have had a previous employee situation where there were some trust issues.

“More often than not, it could be due to a personality trait. Often individuals with strong planning and organisational tendencies find it difficult to delegate. They find it hard to trust that someone else can do the job as well as them, or within the timeframe that they expect,” she says. 

It might be difficult, but if you try to understand the triggers for their micromanagement then you’ll be better equipped to deal with the situation.

2. Build trust

Trust is key to any healthy relationship, be it personal or professional. But when a micromanaging boss is concerned, it becomes crucial. As mentioned above, a common reason someone will micromanage their employees is because they struggle to trust them, regardless of whether they’ve done something to jeopardise this trust or not.

Lambart says, “Trust takes time to build, so you need to earn it by demonstrating to your manager that you’re on top of things, ensuring that tasks are completed on time and notifying them when there are delays.”

Keeping your manager informed about the progress of your work can do wonders for the situation. Lambart adds, “Sometimes building a personal relationship can also contribute to improving trust between two parties.” 

3. Open up dialogue about the situation

“Micromanagement can often have a very negative effect on employees, causing low morale, lack of confidence, stifled creativity and a general loss of independence and freedom,” says Lambart. But often managers don’t even realise how their behaviour is affecting their employees.

“If you feel that your boss’s micromanagement tendencies are impacting your ability to fulfil your role to the best of your ability, then it might pay to address the issue in a sensitive and discreet manner,” she says.

“You need to explain politely how their behaviour makes you feel and also have some specific examples on hand. You may also like to explain that you are more fulfilled at work when you feel empowered and can work independently.”

Done respectfully, having this conversation could really improve your situation.

4. Establish boundaries and expectations

“As part of the conversation above, it may be useful to establish further clarity on the role responsibilities and expectations of both parties so that there’s no misinterpretation,” Lambart advises.

What’s more, it’s a good idea to talk about your communication. “Establish clarity around expected communication time frames, methods and channels. If both parties are aware of what is expected in terms of communication, then there is less need for managers to be constantly checking in,” she says. 

5. Keep communication open

If all of these strategies help to reduce micromanagement, and you find your situation greatly improved, don’t become complacent. Continue to be proactive and talk to your boss, to make sure that they’re happy with your output and avoid things slipping back to how they were.

“If your manager wants to be informed regularly then set up a regular communication channel to keep them informed before they need to ask,” Lambart suggests. This could be in the form of a weekly or bi-weekly management report outlining the status of key tasks and deliverables.

If you are able to keep them up-to-date with specifics like timelines and resource requirements then there may be less need for them to be constantly looking over your shoulder.

Handling micromanagement at work 

If you’ve got an overly controlling boss, it helps to have an action plan for addressing the issue with them, so you can improve your workplace conditions. 

Step 1

Start by assessing what you think might be the triggers for them, whether it's performance-based, stress or their personality type.

Step 2

Have a conversation with your boss; it needn’t be a formal meeting. Don’t tell them they’re being a micromanager, rather broach the topic in a more indirect, benefit-focused way.

For example: “I really appreciate the guidance you’ve given me, and I think I’m ready to work with more autonomy now.” or “Thank you for being so thorough with your instructions, it’s a great foundation for me to take this on myself.” Or even: “Thank you for your feedback, it’s always appreciated, but do you mind if we cut check-ins down to once per day? I’d like to lock in and get a chunk of work done. I’ll call out if I need help.” 

Step 3

Make sure to check in with your boss now and then, so they aren’t triggered to start micromanaging again.  

When it comes to workplace relationships and dealing with micromanagement, you shouldn’t expect to change things overnight. But by establishing and maintaining open, honest communication, setting boundaries and understanding the drivers for your boss’s controlling tendencies, you can work toward improving your working relationship, which will benefit both you and your boss. 

FAQ

Why do some managers micromanage their employees? 

Micromanaging can give leaders a stronger sense of control. They may not trust someone else’s ability, have their own insecurities about work, or not know how to effectively delegate responsibility. Micromanaging is an example of poor leadership. 

What are some signs of being micromanaged? 

Examples of being micromanaged include a manager constantly checking and nitpicking your work, a supervisor not trusting or questioning your decisions, or a boss asking you to detail every minute of your day.  

How does micromanagement affect employee morale and productivity? 

Micromanagement can degrade employee confidence and morale, while hampering productivity by causing delays for checking or re-doing work. Employees can feel stressed, demoralised and demotivated by micromanagement. 

What can I do if micromanagement is making me feel stressed or demotivated? 

If micromanagement is affecting you negatively, try addressing the problem directly with your boss. Express how you’d prefer to be more autonomous. If it continues, speak to your HR manager, if you have one.  

Is micromanagement ever a good thing? 

Micromanagement can be beneficial for employees who are onboarding or undergoing training. It can be useful if a team is not reaching their goals or in complex or unfamiliar circumstances. 

How can I communicate my concerns about micromanagement to my boss? 

Set a meeting with your manager and ask express the need for more autonomy. Let them know you’re open to feedback and appreciate their guidance, but feel you can be more productive and motivated with fewer check-ins. Rather than use the term ‘micromanage’, focus on your own performance and provide specific examples of when you feel you could have been more productive or creative (for example) with more autonomy.  

What strategies can I use to gain my boss's trust and reduce micromanagement? 

Complete your work competently and show conscientiousness even when your boss isn’t monitoring your performance. Take the initiative with projects, deliver consistently good work, ask for feedback and provide timely updates, so your boss doesn’t have to ask. 

How can I stay professional while addressing a micromanaging boss? 

Stay professional by being compassionate and understanding and focusing on the positive outcomes of gaining more autonomy. Try not to take your boss’s actions personally; they may not even realise they’re micromanaging you.   

What should I do if my micromanaging boss doesn’t change their behaviour? 

If you’ve spoken to your boss and they are still micromanaging you, you can approach your HR department (if you have one) or another leader in your company, who may be able to intervene.  

Can micromanagement lead to career burnout? How can I prevent it? 

Being micromanaged can lead to burnout as it can cause a stressful workplace culture and even lead to missed targets and lower productivity. You can try to prevent being micromanaged by preempting your boss’s check-ins by providing regular progress reports, by delivering consistent work, and by requesting more autonomy and trust.  

How can teams work effectively despite micromanagement? 

Teams can schedule check-ins at regular, planned intervals, so they are not disruptive to work. They can set, and stick to, specific guidelines for doing things, so your boss’s expectations are easier to meet. Teams can also learn a micromanaging boss’s triggers and attempt to avoid them. 

What’s the difference between being hands-on and micromanaging? 

Being hands-on means physically helping to get the work done, being present and engaged in the work in a positive way. Micromanagement assumes employees aren’t capable of doing the work themselves, and a boss interfering where they’re not needed.  

What steps can HR take to address issues related to micromanagement? 

HR can speak with your manager and can help organise training, to help leaders learn more effective ways of managing their teams.  

How can employees encourage a more autonomous workplace culture? 

Employees can encourage a more autonomous culture by being reliable and consistent, by delivering work on time and of high quality, and by offering their manager progress reports regularly.  

What tools or techniques can help manage micromanagement tendencies in a team? 

Project management software tools can help teams visualise progress on a project so that there is no need for in-person check-ins. A daily five-minute meeting in the morning and in the afternoon can be a helpful workplace habit for teams to share any obstacles or updates.