Which is Worse: Having a Micro-manager Boss or an Absentee One?

Is it worse to have a boss that micro-manages you or one who is not around most of the time? It is generally not a good idea for a boss to micro-manage. You will learn why it is worse to have a micro-manager boss instead of an absentee one.

One reason is that it can rattle you as an employee. Can you imagine your boss looking over your shoulders a lot? One thing that it can do is make you uncomfortable. Another is it can make you too tentative to take any risks out of fear that you will be scolded or disciplined for making a mistake, no matter how harmless it is.

This type of boss is likely to yell at you, at least once in a while. This is not a good situation to be in. One reason is that it is likely to anger or demoralize you. Another is that once you take offense at being yelled at, you are likely to suffer a decline in your productivity due to losing your concentration along with your desire to do your job well.

He will not let you do your job, in a way. He is like a helicopter parent, or a parent who hovers over his or her kids all of the time. Instead of letting go and allowing you to have independence and control over how you do your job, he makes all of your decisions for you and will not allow you to learn any aspect of the job on your own or find out for yourself what you should and should not do.

By micro-managing, she is showing a lack of trust in you. She is indirectly telling you that you do not know what you are doing. She is saying, "You cannot do the job on your own. You are too dumb, slow and incompetent to be trusted."

He is preventing you and your fellow workers from personally developing. One way is that you are not allowed to learn on your own and show what you can do. Another is that you are not allowed to think for yourself or take action that you think is helpful.

If you are the boss, you are hurting yourself by micro-managing. One way is that you are preventing yourself from doing all of your own work. Another is that it makes you look bad.

You have learned how it is worse to have a micro-manager boss rather than an absentee one. If you are an employee dealing with this situation, you should try to work things out with your boss or try to find a firm that will treat you better. If you are a boss who is doing this, you need to work at being hands-on without watching and pampering your staff too much.