First seen as just a perk, remote work is becoming the norm. With many companies making moves to become completely paperless and cut down on costs, it is no surprise that businesses are doing away with the traditional office and embracing mobile workspaces. And with that comes the issue of how to manage workers remotely. Is it possible that remote workers can be expected to do what needs to be done without constant check-ins? Or should remote managers be breathing down the necks of their team members to hold them accountable?

What is a micromanager?

A micromanager is a manager who closely monitors the work of their team members. They frequently have good intentions and micromanage to improve the team’s performance. However, for the most part, it has the opposite effect.

Signs that you might be a micromanager

While maintaining efficiency is essential, especially in remote work, micromanaging your remote teams at that level can lead to a toxic work environment that suffocates employees and hinders innovation. Here are a few clues that you might be micromanaging

• Gatekeeping and necessary meetings are throwing off project schedules.
• Refrain from delegating tasks.
• Propose timelines that are impossible to meet.
• Your employees are hesitant to express their views.
• Request that staff take time off to deal with emergencies regularly.
• You are overly invested in your employees’ efforts.
• You accept work that isn’t up to par.
• Every interaction with remote workers feels like a performance appraisal.
• You dissuade people from making their own decisions.
• There is a lack of consumer focus.
• Input needs to be given on every decision.

Now that we have established what micromanaging is let’s look at some of the pros and cons of micromanaging.

Pros of micromanaging

• Sense of security – The control that comes with micromanaging ensures managers that tasks are being completed, and if any issues arise, they can be handled swiftly.
• Identify where problems are – Micromanaging a remote team requires thorough evaluations of the operations and performance of units or the entire organization. Micromanaging different facets of the workplace can help uncover problems or issues hiding beneath the surface.
• Shows consideration – Some companies’ management styles can be too lenient, making employees feel no support. Micromanaging can create an environment where constant support and feedback are normalized, allowing a specific worker to improve and thrive.

Cons of micromanaging

• Wasting time – Rather than supervising, a manager is forced to lead and chase after people as micromanaging requires excessive control. Rather than do more work, remote employees have to waste time constantly explaining and re-explaining all their actions.
• Employee resentment- Providing constant check-ins can lead to remote employees feeling like managers have no trust in them, showing low confidence in their employees. The level of control can lead to many employees avoiding most interaction with team leaders, ultimately creating a toxic work environment in a company.
• Lack of self-sufficiency – Creating an environment where a task only counts as completed once you’ve logged in with your manager leads to employees being unable to rely on themselves. People need to rely on themselves to validate their own decisions. Self-confidence leads to more creativity and increases employees productivity and problem-solving without direct interference from managers.
• Increased staff turnover – Dissatisfaction amongst employees, specifically competitive individuals who value some degree of autonomy, would transfer to organizations aligned with their values and attitudes.

Accountability without micromanaging

Leaning away from micromanaging does not mean that you leave remote workers to work without any accountability at all. It is vital to have systems that keep remote team members on target. Let’s look at how to make a remote environment more efficient and conducive to productivity.

Work from home policy

While a lack of set standards and micromanagement provides your staff more freedom, it can also prevent them from taking ownership of their jobs. Working from home can lead to many distractions as it can be challenging to set boundaries between your work and home life. At the very least, your employees should be aware of their responsibilities to their team and business. A work from home policy can lay out how to best function for a remote workforce. An efficient work from home policy should specify the following: total number of working hours, tools and equipment required, security and privacy measures, specific working standards to be met and a remote work schedule that is fixed but can still be flexible.

Establish proper communication

A significant issue with remote work is the loss of face to face communication. At first glance, this might seem like a good thing as it cuts down on office gossip and ‘pointless’ conversations amongst employees and management. However, this sharing of gossip and casual banter can aid in the formation of ties among coworkers and maintain open lines of communication for work conversations. Low employee engagement can hurt collaboration, which we can all agree hinders progress. This is why management needs to establish set means of communication, such as Zoom for team meetings and Whatsapp business accounts. Creating a system with a schedule with regular check-ins can ensure collaborating team members can keep each other’s progress on projects they are working on.

Project management tools

Project management software can help teams communicate more effectively. Instead, most employees would give their teammates informal but accurate updates than their immediate managers. To track staff productivity, you’ll require dedicated employee productivity tools. These tools not only help you focus on the right things by saving you time, but they also assist you in identifying ineffective activities and possibilities for development. You may create a secure remote working environment by restricting inefficient websites and programs with productivity monitoring tools. You can also use screen monitoring software (such as the share screen option on Zoom) to ensure that employees do what they claim.

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Employee autonomy

Because of technology, micromanagement is intensified when done remotely, making it even more inconvenient for employees than for working in the office. Giving employees autonomy demonstrates that their bosses trust them to complete their tasks without intervention. It also frees up managers’ time to focus on the most critical tasks at hand rather than employee supervision, allowing for more effective management.

Creating tip sheets

Experienced team members or managers might construct a tip sheet for improved remote work management. This would be a space where they can share their strategies for managing remote teams and their guidance and crucial remote work tools. They can even make short videos to help explain things if they desire. You can also post informative articles or videos from YouTube that have been personally beneficial to you. Because employees work in the same environment, sharing these tried-and-true methods might help them overcome obstacles faster.

While these methods can help with micromanagement, ultimately, it’s worth noting that being at the workplace automatically establishes a mental barrier between work and personal life. Working from home makes it more difficult to compartmentalize.

Individual employees are empowered by true remote work since they have the freedom to choose when and where they work. Working from home throughout the day, at a coffee shop in the evening, or even during a month-long trip in another country are all possibilities. Instead of establishing work-life balance restrictions, true remote work removes them.