How to Deal with a Micromanaging Boss

While a micromanaging boss might mean well, working under one can put you in an awkward position and negatively affect your job performance and overall well-being.  More than three-quarters of Americans state that they have been micromanaged at work.  This management style can create resentment, damage trust and result in employees feeling frustrated and even fearful.  Micromanaging bosses often tend to lead to unneeded worker stress.  Micromanagement occurs when a boss too closely observes or controls the work of their employees.  They can often constantly look over your shoulder and tend to be overly critical.  Often they ask numerous questions and give overly detailed advice or instructions.  Just because a boss finds it virtually impossible to delegate, don’t let yourself get frustrated and negatively affect your productivity.  Here are some tips to dealing with a micromanaging boss.

First off, try to win your boss’s trust.  If you let them get their way for a brief amount of time and be patient, often you can allow him or her to see you are doing well on your own.  Meet deadlines ahead of time and prove to your boss that you can be trusted to complete tasks on your own.

Use your initiative.  A micromanaging boss can only manage what they know you are doing.  If you improve something they don’t think of or foresee upcoming problems, then this will give you a chance to shine outside their influence.  Your achievements will speak for themselves.

Plant ideas.  Often micromanaging bosses are very set in their ways; they can be control freaks.  If you want a boss to be more receptive to your ideas and suggestions, try to make him or her feel like you came up with the idea together.  Try pointing out flaws in the way things are currently done and work with your boss as a partner to come up with new methods for efficiency.  You might not get the credit for the work you have done but it can make your life easier in the long run.

Delegate.  If your boss is constantly looking over your shoulder, he or she is constantly hampering your work.  Take advantage of this by using that extra attention to get them to help you in other ways.  If you need to focus on a task at hand, ask them to help you with other less pressing matters.  This will still give them a sense of control while letting you accomplish and meet your goals.

Explain.  While this might seem like a scary option, trying letting your boss know that his or her micromanaging is not helping you and is in fact rather a hindrance to your overall productivity.  Sit down with your boss one-on-one and explain to him or her that they can trust you to make successful decisions on your own that will help the company meet its goals.  Show that you’re a problem solver.

Trying moving your desk as far away from your boss’s office as possible.  If you stay out of sight, they’ll have less ability to be constantly looking over your shoulder as their physical proximity to you is lessened.  As they say, “out of sight, out of mind.”

Figure out what your boss really wants.  If you uncover the agenda of a micromanager, this can lead to less stress.  Try to learn what’s really important to your boss and give it to him or her.  What does he or she need to feel comfortable and confident letting you work independently?  After you know what your boss wants, you can make it happen and develop a better relationship with him or her.  Work with your bosses not against them.

Adapt.  Understand the realities you are faced with.  If your boss is a micromanager, he or she is not likely to change or be open to change.  Your boss is not your peer; your boss pulls rank so sometimes you just have to accept the cards you’re dealt.  Avoid being resentful or defensive.  Fighting with your boss won’t make your life any easier and won’t change his or her management style so you just have to accept that and move on.

Choose your battles wisely.  A micromanaging boss will often go to war with you on any issue.  Don’t get pulled into these struggles or you’re just adding unwarranted stress to your work life.  Think about what’s really important in the long run: keeping your job and doing it well.  This will save you time and a big, unnecessary headache.

Reexamine yourself.  In essence, take a look in the mirror.  Is there a reason your boss is micromanaging you?  Maybe you can do things better and more effectively?  Try to adapt to your boss’s working style and do things the way he or she likes things done.  While it might not jive with the way you like to do things, often you have no choice.

Lastly and most importantly, communicate with your boss.  Give him or her status updates regularly so you can avoid them coming over to you to see how your work is progressing.  If your boss wants a ton of information, hand it over.  Think of giving your boss concise progress reports.  This gives a micromanager a sense of involvement in what you are doing on a daily basis.  Ask your boss how he or she would like to be updated.  By doing this, you expand your boss’s comfort zone so he or she will trust you more in the long run.

While it’s often stressful and time-consuming to work for a micromanaging boss, sometimes you have no choice but to suck it up and play by the rules.  If you follow the advice given here today, you can give your boss what he or she wants while still being able to meet your goals and keep your sanity.

What are some tools and processes you’ve found effective in dealing with a micromanaging boss?  Have you used some of the tips recommended above in the past or do you use other strategies and methods?  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  Let’s start up a conversation!

Here are some articles you might want to check out about dealing with a micromanaging boss:

“How to Handle a Micromanaging Boss”: http://lifehacker.com/5994065/how-to-handle-a-micromanaging-boss

“4 Strategies for Dealing with a Micromanaging Boss”: http://alumni.asu.edu/news/blog/4-strategies-dealing-micromanaging-boss

“How to Deal with a Micromanaging Boss”: http://www.askamanager.org/2012/08/how-to-deal-with-a-micromanaging-boss.html

“How to Handle a Boss Who Micromanages”: http://www.womensagenda.com.au/career-agenda/builders/how-to-handle-a-boss-who-micromanages/201311043150

Until next time…

The Benefits of Hiring Temporary Employees

With maternity leave, vacations, paid time off and other things that take employees away from the office, hiring temporary employees to fill the needs left in a full-time worker’s wake is often beneficial to any company.  While a person can go on vacation, their work can’t and so they need someone to cover their tasks while they’re away from the office.  Employees can prepare for absence by finishing their work early or working extra hard when they return to the office but often this isn’t the best solution.  Things are bound to come up while you’re away from your desk give it one day to a few months and so hiring temporary employees to provide coverage is a great way to make sure tasks are still being accomplished in a full-time worker’s absence.

First off, temporary employees alleviate stress and pressure from full-time employees and companies in general.  Knowing there is someone to pick up the slack and do the job well during an employees’ absence is key.  This will help minimize project delays and prevent full-time workers from rushing through their assignments and producing poor quality outcomes as a result.

If you hire the right temp, this can be of value to your company because you don’t have to offer them benefits and other perks that you offer full-time employees which is a cost savings to your business.  If they need to take a personal day, you don’t have to pay them for that time off.

Additionally, hiring temporary employees is a good way to give a new worker a trial run.  If you’re looking to potentially fill a position full-time, hiring a temp is almost like a probationary period.  If they do well, you can look to bring them on full-time after they have proven their worth and value to a company.

Often temps are more driven and resourceful because they have to learn on the go and throw themselves into the job from day one.  Especially if there is a chance of permanent employment down the road, a temp is willing to do almost anything to make an impact and give off a good first impression.  As a result, most temps will do just about anything to be successful at their jobs.

Hiring temps also gives you time off from doing the things you have to do to bring someone on full-time.  If you go through a staffing agency, they run the background checks so that is something that is taken off your company’s plate.  Additionally, temps are paid through the agency that brought them on so your payroll department doesn’t have the extra work of having to cut checks for temporary staff.

It is often useful to bring on temps to alleviate stress on full-time workers for special projects that come up and take them away from their day-to-day activities.  As a boss, you might not want to pull a full-time worker from their main responsibilities to focus on additional work so temps are a great way to fill that void.  Once the project is complete, you are not under any obligation to bring on a temp full-time.

Temps help fill last minute, unexpected needs that often arise.  If you solely need someone to fill in for the day, you can call up an agency and have someone at your office by start of business and therefore, no valuable time is lost to your company.

An additional benefit of hiring temporary employees is that they are highly specialized.  Staffing agencies can help you find temps that have the skill set you are looking for in a worker.  Many of them have vast years of experience and knowledge and will be familiar with many of the processes and databases your team works on so there is little need for training.

While it might seem frustrating when full-time employees need to step away from the office, hiring temporary employees to fill the void left in their wake is often a great way to combat loss of momentum on projects and other daily needs your regular employees fill.  If you find the right temp, someone who is motivated and knows the ins and outs of the business you run, they can be a large asset to your company and your team.

So as a business owner, what have you found to be the greatest value of hiring a temporary employee?  What needs did they fill when your full-time workers were away?  Are there any additional reasons you feel hiring temps is beneficial than what I’ve discussed here today?  Leave a comment and let me know your thoughts.  I’d love to hear from you!

Here are some articles you might want to check out about the benefits of hiring temporary employees:

“Hiring Temporary Employees”: http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/225776

“Small Business – Benefits of Hiring Temps”: http://www.newsday.com/columnists/jamie-herzlich/small-business-benefits-of-hiring-temps-1.5357038

“The Benefits of Bringing in Temp Workers”: http://hiring.monster.ca/hr/hr-best-practices/recruiting-hiring-advice/strategic-workforce-planning/benefits-of-bringing-in-temp-workers.aspx

“What are 3 Benefits to Hiring Temps?”: http://www.ppsstaffing.net/2013/10/16/what-are-3-benefits-to-hiring-temps-temp-agencies-in-tennessee/

Until next time…

Getting Back into the Swing of Things at Work after the Holidays

All year long, workers look forward to that two week holiday break for Christmas and New Year’s and getting back into the swing of things after substantial time off can be tough.  No matter how much you love your job (or you might not), getting back into the everyday groove of work can pose a challenge for many people after an extended holiday.  Even workaholics need time to decompress and the holidays are just the time to do it.  Everything is slow as most people do take long vacations.  Often people feel a pit in the bottom of their stomach as the holiday nears its close and they know going back to work is quickly approaching on the horizon.  Getting back to work after substantial time off can be stressful.  No one enjoys going back to work after so much time off to relax.  As they say, time flies when you’re having fun.  So how to ease back into work after the holidays?

First off, take it easy.  To help make the transition back to work less stressful, pace yourself when you first return.  Don’t get overwhelmed by the massive amounts of emails awaiting you in your inbox, all the calls you have to return and all the new tasks the New Year will bring.

Stay positive.  Remind yourself that you’re lucky to be employed in the first place.  Think about the exciting challenges the New Year will bring.  Remember, it’s a fresh start and a time of new beginnings.  You can work harder and be more successful at your job if you keep an optimistic, confident mind.

Let your creativity flow.  After a rejuvenating break, you might find that your mind is clearer to focus on the tasks ahead.  Try to approach your job in new and innovative ways.  Resist the temptation to fall back into old patterns.  Reflect on what you did the year before and brainstorm about how you’ll approach the year ahead.  Think about what you can do differently and think about it with enthusiasm.

One tip might be to keep your “out of office” message on for a few extra days so that you have some time to yourself to get back into the swing of things and catch up on tasks that piled up while you were away.  Give yourself some alone time at your desk to get caught back up.

Stay in the moment.  Accept that the holidays are over and that you now need to pay attention to your work once again.  While this might be difficult, it’s necessary to being successful in the New Year.  Yes, you might feel some depression after your fun, relaxing vacation has come to an end but try to get your brain focusing again as quickly as possible.  The longer you put off getting back into the swing of things, the more stress you add to your work-life balance.

Make a to-do list.  Take the first morning back to sit down and look ahead at what tasks await your attention.  This will help you feel less overwhelmed.  Write down things that need your immediate attention and set goals for yourself as to what you can do first and what can wait.  This will help you ease back into work quicker and more efficiently.

Wake up early on your first day back to the office.  Give yourself some time the morning before work begins to reflect on the holiday fun you had and let it go and realize it is now in the past.  This will give you a better start to your work day.  You can also avoid the mass commuters that flood the subways and buses in NYC and take some time on your way to work to prepare your mind for what lays ahead waiting for you back at the office.

Don’t panic.  Don’t put yourself through unnecessary stress by thinking of all the pressing tasks that will need your attention up your return.  Don’t get anxious and feel like you need to do everything all at once the minute you sit back down at your desk.  The benefit of the holidays is that you are rejuvenated to face any new task that lays ahead.  Walk back into the office with a new mindset and renewed confidence.

Think about the changes you can make to the way you approach your work.  Reflect on how you handled your work flow the year before and the new strategies you can implement to become more efficient in your daily work life.  Try new things on for size.

Try taking on new responsibility at work.  You may want to mix things up so feel free to go in and talk to your boss about new projects you can take on in the New Year.  Give yourself a chance to grow as you get back into the flow of things.  Think about how you can work harder and become more successful at the start of every year.

Reorganize and tidy up.  Some people may just leave piles of work on their desks as they eagerly head off to vacation.  Take some time to look through your files and see what can be thrown away and what projects are completed.  Organize your desk neatly and start over.

Plan your next vacation.  While it obviously can’t be immediate, think about going on another trip over the Spring Break holiday.  Remind yourself that you will have time off again and this might put your mind at ease and allow you to focus better upon your return to work.

Lastly and most importantly, if you haven’t done it in years past, try and finish up projects before you leave for vacation next time.  This will allow you to enjoy your time off more as you won’t feel pressure to pick up right where you left off.  If you get things off your plate before you take that long awaited trip, you can start fresh in the New Year.

While it might be difficult to get back to work after a nice, relaxing vacation that you work so hard to earn each year, you have no choice.  You have to prepare mentally and physically and realize that your time off will fly by and be short lived and going back to work lies ahead but if you take the advice offered here today, you just might find yourself transitioning more smoothly back into work.

So what are some tricks you’ve learned about getting back into the swing of things at work after the holidays?  Do you use some of the strategies I’ve discussed today or are there others that you’ve found more useful?  Leave a comment and let me know.  Your thoughts and feedback are important to me!

Here are some articles you might want to check out about getting back into work after the holidays:

 “Getting Back to Work after the Holidays”: http://www.recruiter.com/i/getting-back-to-work-after-the-holidays/

“Get back into the Swing of Things at Work”: http://myturnstone.com/blog/back-from-the-holidays-get-into-the-swing-of-things-at-work/

“Going Back to Work after a Holiday”: http://www.cornelsen.de/fch/1.c.1760676.de

“Holidays End in Back to Work Blues”: http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/holidays-end-in-backtowork-blues-20130107-2cc80.html

Until next time...