The Covid-19 pandemic shook industries and their work structure to their very core. It led to an unexpected transition of the working conditions from an offline office space to a remote work from home setup.
This change has left a lot of employers disoriented which in turn has resulted in the rise of an unhealthy culture of micromanagement. This has caused high amounts of toxicity in the corporate work structure and therefore it is important to end it and find alternatives to formulate a healthy and positive work environment.
In 2020, with the uprising of the issue of micromanagement, there was also a spike in employee management software which served as an effective solution against the problem. Companies like Juntrax Solutions came up with employee management system that assisted admins and companies in creating a comfortable work environment for their employees with convenient and effective management.
Managing the entire office and employees in a remote setup highlighted numerous challenges that were dealt with in different ways by different companies and admins. It was seen as a tedious and difficult task by many managers and many struggled to find solutions to this problem.
You can also read : 5 Ways to overcome challenges of remote work
In this article, we will address these struggles and find ways that can reverse the trend of micromanagement…
Understanding Micromanagement Behaviour
Understanding and accepting the fact that micromanagement is occurring in an office space is the first step towards finding a solution to the issue. In a work environment, a person who is getting micromanaged realises its occurrence but the person who conducts this micromanagement often stays unaware of it or refuses to address it.
Such a scenario turns out to take a complicated form as it tests the slight difference between accepting mistakes to improve and demoralising to assert control. This scenario can easily be ignored by acknowledging the fact that the admin is micromanaging the employees and the workspace.
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To find out the occurrence of this scenario here are a few questions one can observe and assess :
- Do the managers pay attention to keeping a track of employees and the time they spend on their work?
- Do they infringe on tasks that do not mandate their time and involvement?
- When they appoint tasks to employees and focus on results?
- Do they overlook the challenges faced by their employees and force them to achieve the target results?
- Do they trust their team blindly and overlook their mistakes?
- Do they tend to make the employees rework every assignment and engage with the same task repeatedly?
- Are they confident in letting their team function independently?
These are some of the major questions that will help one assess whether or not the manager is micromanaging their team.
Why Does Remote Micromanagement Happen?
Remote micromanagement stems from a combination of psychological and organizational factors. Understanding these causes can help leaders address the issue effectively and create healthier work environments.
Psychological Factors
- Lack of Trust in Employees
Leaders micromanage because they doubt their team’s ability to work without constant supervision. They assume remote employees may misuse their freedom, which pushes them to monitor every task, update, and deadline closely. - Fear of Loss of Control in Remote Setups
Managers struggle with the shift from traditional office settings to remote work environments. They feel disconnected from day-to-day operations and compensate by clinging to control, often through excessive oversight and rigid processes. - Anxiety About Performance and Deliverables
Tight deadlines and high expectations can make managers nervous about their team’s performance. They try to prevent failures by watching every detail, leading to micromanagement. This anxiety is particularly common when managers feel accountable for outcomes they cannot directly influence.
Organizational Factors
- Poorly Defined Goals and KPIs
Teams perform poorly when objectives are unclear or key performance indicators (KPIs) are vague. Managers compensate by constantly checking progress, which leads to micromanagement. Clarity in goals prevents this reactive behavior. - Inadequate Training for Remote Leadership
Some managers lack the skills required to lead remote teams effectively. They fall back on micromanagement because they do not know how to foster trust, autonomy, or collaboration in virtual environments. - Over-Reliance on Monitoring Software
Many organizations implement tools to track employee activity, such as keystrokes or screen time. These tools, when misused, create an environment of distrust. Instead of improving productivity, they encourage managers to micromanage unnecessarily.
Strategies to curtail Micromanagement
Once it has been realized that toxic micromanagement is occurring in the office space, the next step is to curtail that. This can be done by incorporating an employee management system in the office. There are many employee management system like Juntrax that offer assistance in effective and swift management.
Some other ways in which micromanagement can be decreased are :
Training
Many studies have concluded that most HR managers lack the basic leadership skills required to support their employees. With the new mode of remote working, most managers are conscious of their employees’ dedication to their work and have little or no faith that their employees will invest their time and talent to provide productive work from home.
This lack of confidence impacts the entire team and creates a negative space which in turn leads to misunderstandings and low productivity.
It also impacts the manager’s confidence which is not healthy for the organisation or the manager in the long run. Therefore, companies need to recognise the need for training managers and conducting sessions to assist them in improving their leadership and managerial skills. This will ignite confidence in them which will help them in leading their team successfully and stop the occurrence of micromanagement.
Also read : Good Office Management Can Build Great Team Spirit!
The pandemic did not spare anyone, from mental health to technical difficulties, managers have also gone through a lot. It is important for companies to pay attention to the well-being and work satisfaction of their managers along with their employees.
Focus on results, not the details
Managers often get frustrated when the outcome they expected is not delivered by their employees. Remote working has allowed managers to indulge and interfere in the tasks allotted to the employees. This frequent interference disturbs employees and their attention is drawn to answering their manager instead of focusing on their work.
Also read : Ways to make your Workforce more Adaptable
It creates a toxic work environment where the employee is unable to claim ownership to their work. It further demoralises them and prevents them from exploring different ways to improve their work output and function in peace.
Managers, therefore, need to focus on the end result and maintain a decent distance from the ongoing work process.
When the employee delivers good results, the manager must step back from micromanaging. And if the outcome is not as expected then the manager must opt for giving constructive criticism. Instead of micromanaging them, they can arrange a feedback session once in a while and assess their employees without obstructing their work process.
Real-World Examples
- GitLab: Building a Culture of Trust
GitLab, a fully remote company, eliminated micromanagement by embracing transparency and autonomy. Managers at GitLab focus on results instead of monitoring tasks. The company implemented clear documentation for workflows and expectations, which empowered employees to take ownership of their responsibilities. This approach improved productivity and team morale while reducing managerial stress. - Buffer: Emphasizing Results Over Activity
Buffer, a remote-first company, transformed its management style by adopting asynchronous communication and flexible schedules. Leaders at Buffer set clear goals and avoided tracking employees’ online presence. They trusted their teams to meet deadlines and encouraged them to work during their most productive hours. The change led to higher employee satisfaction and stronger performance. - Trello: Creating Self-Sufficient Teams
Trello shifted its management style to focus on self-sufficient teams. Leaders at Trello provided employees with the tools and training to manage their projects independently. They avoided frequent check-ins and instead used project management software to monitor progress transparently. This approach resulted in more engaged employees and faster project completion rates.
Quotes/Interviews
- Wade Foster, CEO of Zapier
“If you can’t trust your team to do their job, you’ve hired the wrong people. Micromanaging doesn’t fix that. Trusting your team and holding them accountable for outcomes is the only way remote work succeeds.” - Jason Fried, Co-Founder of Basecamp
“Remote work doesn’t need micromanagement. It needs clarity. If you clearly define the outcomes and allow people the space to do their best work, you’ll never feel the urge to micromanage.” - Darren Murph, Head of Remote at GitLab
“Autonomy is the cornerstone of remote work. Managers need to shift from being supervisors to coaches. Equip your team with the right tools, define the goals, and then get out of their way.”
Conclusion
Now with the second wave of Covid hitting in, companies have realised that remote working will continue and might even become a normal way of working.
Therefore, it is very critical to eliminate the tendency of micromanagement and work on methods that can promote a healthy and productive remote workspace.
Juntrax is a great medium of infusing satisfactory management, efficiency and transparency in one workspace. It inculcates a flexible, convenient and transparent work discourse in a company and automates numerous essential processes to provide prompt and well-balanced office management.
