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{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Seems like one thing everyone left out is that your boss is bored and has nothing to do but bug the employees. My boss asks me the same question every morning and has no people skills whatsoever. I have spoken to him repeatedly, but to no avail. I am an older worker, so it is really hard to do the “job hunting” thing! My skills are awesome and I will probably work until I die, but not many employers will hire an older worker…they’re afraid we will leave or be too stubborn and stuck in the old ways to fit in with the younger workers (hogwash). But, I am one that doesn’t have many options. It’s getting harder and harder to even like this person as a person…YES, I pray a lot too!
My boss is making me crazy. She told me that I don't do any work, which I find odd, since I keep filling up her in-box. I did make the mistake of having a melt-down in front of her, and naturally she came to my rescue telling me, "it's okay, you're not in trouble", then the next day she ripped into me because the report I gave her wasn't what she wanted, when in fact it was. I've read everything that everyone has said, but it makes me sick that these psychos remain in their positions.
Hi, I wrote an article on my blog, The Office Professionals Place, on this very subject http://tinyurl.com/y8c36z7.
Basically, give your supervisor constant feedback on the progression of projects this would give them reassurance. Also, ask questions so that your supervisor can give more clarification this would make him or her feel better about the status of completion of any given project. More info can be found in the article.
Currently, I am experiencing this. I have been with my employer for nearly 10 years. This executive is new. In the beginning I could do no wrong. Now its an unpredicatable roller coaster ride. One day the forward thinking agreeable individual arrives – the next day micro-managing Mary shows up. One week I’m doing a TERRIFIC job with things, the next week its – do you still want to be here?
Let’s face it mental health is just as much a priority as paying the mortgage is? If at the end of the day, you’re finding that you’re taking home less (spiritual and emotional support) to your family just because you’re able to put more in the bank – then you need to re-prioritize and keep it moving.
I agree with some of the solutions – especially giving more than you’ve been asked for. However, there are instances when that doesn’t even cut it. Seeking employment elsewhere does leave you with fewer options these days – but they are options none-the-less.
When you’ve exhausted all the rational possibilities, save yourself and re-learn to exercise your options.
I agree with fellow admin and partially with Lynne. Just because we have jobs doesn’t mean we have to put up with stuff. I understand because I face the same problem. We’ve had many talks about the situation. I prayed and still pray for him and me. He is not as bad as he used to be; but still micromanages and puts more twists on such a simple task. Today I had to pray hard to keep from walking out the door. It is nerve wrecking and prayer really helps.
Overkill is the thing that worked for me. I gave him more info than he asked for, kept my personal feelings to myself, and gradually he let me do the job without looking over my shoulder. Now, he considers me a comrade patriot in the workforce.
While I am saddened by Aliese’s tragic situation, I don’t subscribe to the theory that those people who still have jobs should just suck it up and deal with it. Why are we making the folks who have survived the economy feel bad for something that is out of their control? I agree that sometimes people have what seems like petty problems, but we cannot determine the threshold of a person without walking in their shoes. We also don’t know what type of personal problems or issues someone has and how that affects them at work. Cindi – I like the suggestions of sitting down and talking with your boss. Ask him what he needs from you for him to be successful. Maybe if you approach it that way he will be more receptive and you can agree upon some guidelines. That way, even if you can’t change him, you are working together and you will know what his expectations are. It might make it easier. Good luck!
I agree with Mark totally. I have been unemployed for 1 1/2 years, lost my home, had the credit card debt, no health insurance, etc., etc. and I would LOVE to have a micro manager any day of the week over the life style I have now. Be GRATEFUL you even have a job in this economy and stop complaining!!
Schedule a sit down face to face meeting and lay it all out on the table. Don’t use the word micromanaging and make sure to have a notebook with your bullet points. Let him know you have this notebook because you want to remain on track rather so he is not making assumptions. Make sure to stick with facts and examples, leave the emotion out. After that, if he continues to treat you like you’re incompetent, time to look for another job. There is no reason to try and change someone and if he already knows how you feel about these things, then it won’t change after the talk. Good luck, hopefully he will value the relationship enough to respect your talent.
I don’t agree with Debbie that, once a micromanager, always a micromanager, although that could happen. But, the first thing you MUST do is talk to him. He may not know that he is micromanaging. I wrote an article in AAU (Administrative Assistant’s Update) recently that talks about this very subject. If you and your manager can’t come to a resolution, the next thing to do is talk to a human resources person, if you have an HR department.
I think the biggest reason for micromanaging is that a person is not comfortable with his own duties, so he is focusing on what he is comfortable doing. He may need training as a manager.
Good luck and I hope this helps a little.
I truly believe a micromanager is always going to be a micromanager in some capacity. I would sit down down and speak with my manager about the situation and ask how we could maybe work together to solve it but again, I believe there are some people who need full control of every situation and it is beyond your control to stop it. I don’t believe it has anything to do with trusting you personally. People who need to be in control are not always aware how they come across to others. I would try talking to my manager but I really wouldn’t count on a full resolution.
Can you ask him if he does not trust you are capable of handling the task at hand? Try it if you think you can approach him for an attempt to see if he realizes what he is doing. If it works, that’s great. Otherwise – take deep breaths, update your resume, and get away from him. I used to work for him. He will make you crazy.
I was in the same situation once. I tried to follow a Zen philosophy which is that there is no problem with a situation itself, the problem is a person’s mental conflict with what happened and what they think in their mind SHOULD have happened. In this scenario, my conflict between what happened (my boss micromanaging) and in my mind what should have happened (my boss leaving me alone to do my job). I just stopped letting it bother me, truly releasing it from being a problem in my mind, and approached it from a mindset of, “I like this job, it pays well, if this is what my boss wants to do it is his right to do that.” Once I stopped fighting it and accepted it, it was like a weight was lifted from my shoulders. The key is to truly accept it, not just stop complaining about it. To add a current twist to it, as a motivational speaker said a few weeks ago at a session I attended, with this economy, “Think of your biggest problem at work. Now imagine yourself unemployed with a mortgage to pay, utilities, a car payment, maybe a credit card or two, and no income whatsoever because your unemployment has run out. Now think about your work problem again. Is it REALLY that much of a problem compared to the alternative?”
Someone asked that very question in a seminar I attended a few years ago. The advice given at that time was to give this person more detail than he/she asked for. And keep doing this. The presenter went on to explain that at some point this person will stop asking for all of the details. I’ve tried it, and it worked.