Working for a boss that watches over your every move and stifles your independence can make coming to the office every day quite challenging. Strange as it may seem, many an employee works under a micromanager.

A survey done last year by Accountemps discovered that, overall, nearly 60 per cent of employees work for a micromanager. Accountemps is the world’s largest specialised temporary staffing solutions agency for accounting, finance and bookkeeping professionals. The majority of the workers polled said the constant scrutiny has had a negative impact on their work and psyche.

Of those who felt they had been micromanaged, 68 per cent said it decreased their morale, while 55 per cent said it hurt their productivity.

The study was based on surveys of 450 office workers in the United States.

Why micro-managing

Accountemps noted that bosses micromanage for many different reasons, but no matter how good their intentions, taking a heavy-handed approach typically hurts employee output, job satisfaction and, as a result, retention efforts.

"Personally-making sure every ‘t’ is crossed might help avoid some mistakes, but the costs associated with failing to trust your team can have a longer-term impact,” the report indicated.

Interestingly, the root of micro-managing squarely begins with the behaviour of a struggling employee.

However, there is another competing perspective to consider.

A need to micro-manage, could be the result of neglecting a few, very necessary best practices.

However, if you ignore these practices, you are undermining the very work that you are so fiercely protecting.

Six-step plan to help micro-managers loosen their grips

Keep the check-ins in check

Constantly inquiring about routine assignments rarely helps employees get them done any more efficiently.

Provide clear directions upfront, check in once if need be, and then trust your team members to do their jobs.

Delegate tasks

When you allow yourself to get bogged down by the little things, you are taking away time and energy from bigger-picture organisational objectives that could have a far greater impact on the bottom line.

Therefore, identify a few tasks you currently handle that can be easily delegated to someone.

Think about the time and skills needed for the job and then assign accordingly.

Empower your employees

When they are managing projects, give team members the freedom to make decisions, as well as make mistakes.

You might encounter some initial hiccups, but in the long run, offering autonomy will help your employees build their problem-solving and leadership skills.

Recognise that you may be the problem

Does the word delegate make you wince? Do you feel you have to do it all and keep a controlling hand on everything at all times? You might be a micromanager.

Communicate fully

Many performance issues have much to do with unclear performance expectations, about the role, or how the work should actually be completed.

Organisational style and one’s background come into play here. So, don’t withhold information on relevant job-related information during on-boarding and continue this conversation through the initial months of employment.

Furthermore, reinforce best practices at the start of key assignments. If you invest more time with your employee up-front, there will be far fewer issues to potentially micromanage down the line.

Discuss feedback mechanisms

Individual differences reign here. While we all must be accountable, what is acceptable "check-in wise” to one contributor, may seem completely suffocating another.

Discuss and agree on the level of day-to-day supervision that works for both you and your subordinate. If possible, consider utilising technology to dampen your desire to actually step in too frequently. If you feel you are being micro-managed, discuss the issue your supervisor diplomatically.

Always be mindful of the potential consequences

Pause and consider that micro-management can permanently damage workplace relationships.

Ultimately, you cannot control every individual action – and if you try do so – you may also stifle the very elements you should desire to build: autonomy, independent thought and growth.

Sadly, the worst outcomes are difficult to repair: notably, the damage you wreak upon trust and self-confidence.

Evaluate employee strengths in relation to assignments

If performance seems under par, have a conversation with the employee about the scope of his work in relation to his skill set.

Sometimes an employee is simply not a fit for the work at hand, and micro-managing cannot address such underlying issues.

If it becomes evident this is a mismatch of role and skills, support the worker through tailored training.