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No one likes working for a micromanager. Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to handle a micromanaging boss.
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No one likes working for a micromanager.
It’s frustrating, patronizing, and totally demotivating.
And worst of all? It’s rarely a reflection of your ability to do your job and almost always a symptom of your boss’s own insecurities.
Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to handle a micromanaging boss. Read on for some effective strategies for dealing with a micromanager.
So, what is a micromanager?
You know you’re working for one if…
One thing to beware of before we dive into our top tips for dealing with a micromanager is that there’s a fine line between a boss who holds you to high standards and a micromanager.
Some managers are more demanding than others. Yours might regularly ask you to redo work because it hasn't met their high standards. And a boss like this can be worth their weight in gold when it comes to your career growth. Work alongside them long enough and you’ll quickly become excellent at what you do.
Of course, demanding bosses share some traits of micromanagers. But it’s a clear sign you’re working for the former rather than the latter if:
If your manager ticks those boxes then they might have high standards rather than be a micromanager. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Book a demo of Assembly to see how easy it can be to keep track of your employees’ relationship with their line managers
Read the list of micromanager’s traits and recognize them all in your boss? We feel for you.
Luckily, there’s plenty you can do to make working under a micromanager bearable. Here’s how to handle a micromanager – without them getting defensive and doubling down on being controlling.
You send an internal document you’ve been working on to your micromanager boss to check before you share it with the wider team.
You’re looking for their input on the overall strategy you’re suggesting… and you get their feedback on the font size.
In fact, it’s not uncommon for a micromanager to reword an entire document because they can’t stand the thought of not being in control of every little thing. Afterwards, the document will say the same thing – just worded differently.
Figuring out how to stop a micromanager from focusing on details that simply don’t matter can be a serious struggle. So here’s a tip: a little bit of flattery goes a long way. Suggesting that they’re such a valuable asset to the company that you can handle the little details so they’re freed up to focus on bigger picture things can go a long way to relieving the anxiety that’s driving your boss’s micromanager tendencies.
Some managers are happy for you to loop them in when you need them, but otherwise just deliver results in your own way.
But if you’re reading this article, your manager probably wants to be a lot more involved in exactly what you’re doing – and when you’re doing it.
You can avoid a lot of headaches if you lean into this and proactively over-communicate with your manager. For example, you could follow up after every one-to-one with your manager with the action points you’ve taken away from it and share your list of priorities for the week ahead on a Monday morning.
They’ll be able to flag straight away if they want to change anything, giving them the feeling of control they need to be comfortable. And this will give you some breathing space during your working week to get on with your work.
Trust us: this simple trick can do wonders for your working relationship with a micromanager.
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Your boss micromanages you because they think if they leave you to your own devices, your work won’t be good enough.
Of course, you know that fear is totally unfounded and you’re perfectly capable of doing your job (why else would you have been hired for it?). And you also know your boss is micromanaging you because of their insecurities rather than your inadequacies.
But the point stands: they think they need to check everything you do or else standards will slip.
With that in mind, be sure you never draw attention to a problem without also suggesting a solution.
Everyone loves a problem-solver. And the more of your boss’s headaches you take care of for them, the more they’ll learn to trust you – and the less they’ll micromanage you.
Here’s what to say to a micromanager: “how can I make your life easier?”.
Your manager has targets to hit, a team to look after, and their own manager to keep happy. That’s a lot for them to shoulder. No wonder they get anxious and insecure. Unfortunately for you, micromanaging their reports is an easy way to ease those insecurities.
But, the more ways you can find to ease their burden, the more they’ll come to see you as an invaluable ally in hitting their KPIs rather than another problem they have to solve.
So, be sure to regularly ask your boss if there’s anything you can take care of for them so they don’t have to worry about it. Over time, they’ll hopefully come to realize how much easier their life is if they take you up on the offer.
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Micromanagers generally fit into two camps: well-meaning bosses that are overbearing because of their own insecurities and people who like showing everyone they're the one who’s in charge.
If you think you’re dealing with a manager who’s heart is in the right place, we’d recommend you start by trying out the tips we’ve outlined above. Accusing them of being a micromanager is only going to make them feel more insecure, which is ironically liable to make them double down on their micromanaging tendencies.
But if you’ve followed all the recommendations in this article and you’re still being micromanaged, the next step is flagging the issue in your next annual review or stay interview – preferably with someone from HR present. If you take this route, be sure to soften the blow by explaining you like working with your manager, but you think you’d work better together if they placed a bit more trust in you. Again, it’s well worth framing the situation as letting you worry about the little things so they can focus on the big picture.
And want to know how to deal with a micromanager who seems to enjoy letting you know they’re the boss? Leave for another job – and make sure you flag their behavior in your exit interview.
If you’re unfortunate enough to work for a micromanager rather than one who’s learned a lesson or two from Ted Lasso, then you’ve got to master the skill of managing your manager.
The tips we’ve outlined in this article will hopefully help you earn your micromanager’s trust and build a much healthier working relationship with your boss.
Get the foundational knowledge on creating an employee recognition program that boosts employee engagement and helps them feel valued.
Explore Guide
Yes, at Assembly, security is a top priority. Each quarter, we have ongoing security work that is everyone’s responsibility. While we maintain a strong security posture, it was important for us to prove to our customers that we do everything we claim to do. This led us to pursue a SOC 2 Type II report that would provide evidence of our compliance with industry gold-standard security practice.
There is study after study showing that employee recognition leads to increased engagement. This in return creates an environment where employees are happier and more motivated which increase productivity and reduces voluntary turnover significantly. In order to filled critical roles, companies tend to spend nearly twice the value of an annual salary. Assembly is an investment in your employees that supports your bottom line.
Yes, we will offer contracts for companies with longer-term agreements to help larger customers have more certainty around future costs.
The minimum agreement term is a 12-month subscription.
We do and for FREE! Any new customer needing further support to get started with Assembly to ensure you're set up for success can request custom onboarding support. Improving your employee experience is about much more than just using our amazing software; it’s about transforming your business to create a workplace that people love. That’s much easier to do with the personal support and advice from our passionate people experts.
Yes. We offer a completely free plan for up to 50 team members. This plan is intended for teams or organizations that are looking to get started with an employee engagement tool. Keep in mind, this plan is limited in features.
All customers can open an Assembly account for free and get started without a credit card. Then you can change plans as necessary.
At the time of redemption (when your employees exchange their points for a paid reward) you'll pay face value. If a reward is a $10 Amazon gift card, your cost will be $10. All paid rewards are billed for on a monthly basis.
The good news is that you don't have to pay for rewards upfront because we only charge you when points are redeemed, not when they're earned.
We offer discounts or educational or charitable organizations. In order to secure a discount, you'll first need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
For all other organizations, we are willing to consider longer-term agreements in exchange for discounts. To set up annual plans or longer, you will need to book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a month to month plan, you can go here and cancel anytime. If you're having concerns or need help setting up your account for success, you can always book a demo with a customer support specialist.
If you're on a longer-term custom plan, you'll need to reach out to your customer support specialist to cancel your account or email us at support@joinassembly.com.
Great question! You can customize your core values to match your organization's to boost and track alignment. You can change your currency from the 🏆 emoji (our default) to any emoji of your choice. You can swap our logo for your own. You can also set up company culture rewards such as, "Lunch with the CEO," "Buy a book on us," and so much more!
While we recommend a peer to peer set up where anyone in your organization can give or receive recognition, you can set up Assembly however you want. If you need to limit the people who can give or receive recognition, that's perfectly fine and can be done from your Admin, here.
Assembly connects to the tools your employees use every day to offer an easy, seamless experience with minimal change management.
Assembly has integrations with HCM/HRIS systems like ADP, Google, Office 365, and Slack. We also integrate with communication tools like Slack and Teams so you and your employees can access Assembly wherever they work now.
That depends on the company's permissions set up. That said, over 90% of the employees on Assembly's platform are recognized on a monthly basis. That means nearly every employee across all of our customers are receiving regular recognition from their peers, managers, or leadership. We're extremely proud of this.
They are not required. You can use Assembly without having rewards set up. However, we don't recommend it if you intend to have a high adoption and usage rate. You can always keep the costs down by offering internal culture rewards that are fulfilled by you internally.
No, you can remove allowances from anyone or everyone. It's up to you but we do recommend using points whether they're worth a real dollar value or not. Companies that use points have a much higher engagement rate even if those points don't exchange for real dollars.
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