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Survey: Two Thirds of Employees Say They've Worked for a Micromanager

TORONTO, July 3, 2014 /CNW/ - Micromanagers are known for peering over employees' shoulders, stifling their independence and meddling in the minutiae of their everyday work. And in a recent Accountemps survey, a majority of workers polled said they have firsthand experience with an overbearing boss. Sixty-five per cent of employees interviewed reported working for a micromanager at some point in their careers. The survey also found the constant scrutiny has a negative impact on most workers. Of those who felt they'd been micromanaged, 87 per cent of respondents said it decreased their morale and 76 per cent said it hurt their productivity.

The survey was developed by Accountemps, the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals, and conducted by an independent research firm. It includes responses from more than 265 Canadian employees 18 years of age and older who work in an office environment.

Workers were asked, "Have you ever worked for a micromanager?" Their responses:

"Bosses often have the best of intentions when taking a hands-on approach to managing, but by micromanaging, what they're really doing is hurting the employee morale and job satisfaction," said Dianne Hunnam-Jones, Canadian district president of Accountemps. "In the long-term, the positive impact of trusting your team far outweighs the intended benefit of being personally involved in every minor detail to avoid simple mistakes." Accountemps offers this six-step plan to help micromanagers learn to loosen the reins:

1. Recognize that you may be the problem. Does the word delegate make you wince? Do you feel you have to do it all and keep a controlling hand on everything at all times? You might be a micromanager.
2. Let it go. Start practicing restraint by dropping the red pen. You don't need to put your personal stamp on every single item that passes your desk. Making changes to an employee's work simply for the sake of making changes is a habit worth breaking.
3. Keep the check-ins in check. Constantly inquiring about routine assignments rarely helps employees get them done any faster or more efficiently. Provide clear directions upfront, check in once if need be and then trust your team members to do their jobs.
4. Stop sweating the small stuff. When you allow yourself to get bogged down by the little things, you're taking away time and energy from bigger-picture organizational objectives that could have a far greater impact on the bottom line.
5. Get to the point (person). Identify a few tasks you currently handle that can be easily delegated to someone. Think about the time and skills needed for the job and then assign accordingly.
6. Empower your employees. When they're managing projects, give team members the freedom to make decisions -- and, yes, mistakes. You might encounter some initial hiccups, but in the long run, offering autonomy will help your employees build their problem-solving and leadership skills.

About Accountemps

Accountemps is the world's first and largest specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The company has more than 340 offices worldwide and offers online job search services at accountemps.com. Follow Robert Half on Twitter at twitter.com/RobertHalf_CAN, and gain insights on the latest financial hiring and salary trends at www.roberthalf.ca/salarycentre. 

SOURCE Accountemps

Image with caption: "Enough already! 87% of workers say working for a micromanager decreased their morale. (CNW Group/Accountemps)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20140703_C9499_PHOTO_EN_41921.jpg