Micromanaged Employees Are More Likely To Quit

People that micromanage often have a fear of failure, extreme desire for control and authority, and have underdeveloped leadership skills. Micromanagers have various motives, but the main one is to make sure that work gets done. While they may have good intentions, micromanagement is not a good way to make sure work gets done.  

70% of employees say that micromanagement has decreased their morale and 55% say micromanagement hurts their productivity. Employees enjoy feeling trusted and independent, and micromanagement makes them feel the opposite. Employees say that when they are being micromanaged, they begin to think they cannot do their job well. 

Employees do not like being micromanaged, and here’s why:  

It causes burnout 

Not only do employees experience burnout, but the leaders doing the micromanaging experience major burnout as well. Both parties tend to overthink excessively which causes stress and anxiety. This stress and anxiety is typically brought home with employees and leaders which causes them never to have a peace of mind. Micromanagement can cause a lot of harm to both people involved in it.  

It decreases productivity  

Again, not only are employees affected by a decrease in productivity, due to micromanagement, but the leaders doing the micromanaging are affected too. Studies show that employees constantly being watched over perform at a lower level because they fear choking under pressure. Managers that micromanage also show a decrease in productivity because instead of focusing on other important duties, they spend a majority of their time hovering over employees that are capable of doing their work without extra assistance.  

It harms employee morale  

Trust is shown to boost employee morale levels, so when employees feel like they cannot be trusted, it decreases their morale. Employees want to feel empowered, capable, and rewarded for their accomplishments. When they are being micromanaged, it makes them feel like they are not capable of reaching goals on their own. Managers should be collaborating with their employees, not dictating to them.  

Employees never feel satisfied  

A big part of employee satisfaction comes from leaders showing appreciation and gratitude for their hard work. Micromanagers are never satisfied, so it causes employees to also never feel truly satisfied in their work. When employees are not satisfied, it leads to self-doubt and employees thinking they are always doing something wrong.  

70% of employees that are being micromanaged start looking for another job. Micromanagement is bad for a company, so it is important for leaders to get proper training and experience so that they know the harms of micromanaging.