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Do you sometimes feel like your employees are not working to their full potential? There could be a lot of reasons for this but sometimes it is because you’re not giving them the opportunity to excel. One of the top complaints for employee dissatisfaction is micromanagement. Without the ability to make certain decisions and get the job done their own way you’re actually inhibiting their productivity. Here are a few ideas to allow your employees to branch out and do the job on their own.

  1. Encourage communication before it’s too late. When employees are dissatisfied with their managers it is usually because they don’t feel like their ideas are being heard. At every step of a project or process, ask for your team’s input. They may have ideas that can streamline the process or make things easier. Even if you don’t agree, it may be helpful to let them try it their way once to see how it works, but this will only happen if you keep the lines of communication open so they can let you know if there are any problems before it is too late.
  2. Utilize a reminder system. Employees also don’t like the idea that someone is breathing down their necks waiting for a project to be completed. It actually causes them to slow down rather than speed up or it could lead to mistakes that were avoidable. Rather than being your own reminder system for deadlines, use technology to solve this. Google calendars can be integrated with iPhone reminders to let people know about an upcoming deadline.
  3. Ask for acknowledgement of all requests. Another hallmark of employees who feel micromanaged is the lack of response for requests. This may be because they feel like they are being asked to do too many things at once or because they don’t necessarily take you seriously when you could change your mind mid-project. In either case, establish a culture where at least an acknowledgement is provided when a request is made. Even if it is a quick email back to say that they can’t get to for another week when another project is completed. At least you know where you stand at that point.
  4. Share your reasons for ideas rather than demanding compliance. Just because you’re the boss doesn’t mean you have to implement rules and regulations without any regard to how they affect your team’s ability to do their jobs. However, if you do want to employ a new idea for the way things have always been done, provide your reasons behind it. Don’t demand compliance but ask for opinions and demonstrate why this new way can work better.

Are you looking for workforce solutions? Contact Anserteam Workforce Solutions, experienced North American staffing provider, to learn how we can help you with your workforce needs.