Micromanagement Could Hurt Your Business
When you start a business, it’s not uncommon to feel a little apprehensive about your employees getting the job done. The same happens when you transition to a remote work model. In both cases, a trust-based relationship will help you and your team stay in line with your business goals. Initially, wanting to micromanage your team can be the most natural reaction; however, there is more harm than good in that approach.
Micromanaging is quite common among small business owners, as they are likely to feel the need to continually monitor what their team is doing, for peace of mind. Although it is good to have checkpoints and specific controls in place to ensure things move along as expected —primarily when you work with remote teams— micromanaging can be very toxic for your business.
Here are some of the consequences of micromanaging:
Unmotivated Employees
Most employees will thrive in trust-based environments; knowing that they are considered reliable, helps them be more productive and loyal. In contrast, employees who feel like they are under consistent observation as they try to get their job done, are likely to feel unsatisfied, which affects their productivity and engagement.
Higher Turnover Rates
The pressure of knowing they are being monitored at all times, being asked for updates more than necessary, and overall not considered trust-worthy generates a negative work environment where people don’t feel appreciated or welcome. Employees who find themselves in this scenario are likely to look for other opportunities and leave their job quickly.
Frustration and Burnout
Business owners who adopt micromanagement into their work culture are likely to have too many things on their plate. In addition to working on their tasks, they are also looking over everyone else’s, sometimes reassigning those to themselves. As work builds up, micromanagers tend to realize they have more work than they can manage and end up feeling frustrated and burnt out, which affects productivity as well as their ability to focus on what indeed requires their attention.
