For a business owner running a remote team, few things can be more dangerous than micromanagement.
Sometimes it’s caused by employers thinking it’s the right way to run a remote team, but most of the time it happens subconsciously. Most micromanagers are completely unaware that they are being too controlling.
So before you conclude that your workers are simply not doing their best, you should read this article.
Here are 7 warning signs to help you determine if you are micromanaging your remote team.
1. You Are Never Satisfied
If you are never satisfied even after your team successfully completes a project, you may have a problem with micromanagement.
So how do you get over this?
Don’t think about the details that you would’ve done differently – focus on the overall success of your team. As a manager, you need to have certain expectations, but you cannot dictate every single step of the way.
Try to trust your employees and let them do the job you’re paying them for.
2. You Are Happy to Point Out the Mistakes
Taking pride in correcting every little detail is a clear sign of micromanagement.
If you feel satisfied that you can correct an insignificant detail in your employee’s report, you should consider why that is.
Shouldn’t you aim to have an efficient team that makes as few mistakes as possible?
Or does it make you happier to feel like you’re saving the day by eventually doing everything yourself?
If you take more pride in correcting your employees’ work than in actually having an excellent remote team, you should reconsider your priorities.
Consider ways that you can praise your employees for the work whilst still giving them feedback on opportunities to improve.
3. You Give Step-By-Step Instructions… for Everything
Giving enough info and feedback to your remote workers (especially during the onboarding process) is very important.
Your new hires will like learning more about the company values and appreciate your efforts to get them integrated into the team.
However, if you are constantly giving step-by-step instructions for every little task, even to workers who have been with your company for a long time, you may have a problem with micromanagement.
If you want your workers to develop their problem-solving skills, you occasionally need to let them be creative.
You don’t need to hire an SEO manager and then plan out their whole strategy, do you?
It’s not only pointless, but demotivating to your team. You should try to communicate your expectations without going overboard.
And to make sure you don’t over-instruct during the onboarding process, you can assign a virtual buddy to help your new workers with all the simple questions they may have. It’s much better than them having to go to you for every little thing, especially in the beginning stages when they’re just learning about the company.
4. You Rarely Praise Your Remote Team
Every worker wants to feel valued.
For remote teams, it’s even more difficult to get everyone to feel like they belong and contribute to the overall goals of the company.
That’s why you need to give your workers the praise that they deserve. If you never do this (and you genuinely never feel like you have something to praise them for), it’s a sign that you are micromanaging your remote team.
5. You Are Stalling Your Remote Team
Are you the bottleneck in the decision-making process? Do your workers spend a lot of their time revising their work and waiting for you to approve each step?
This can be damaging in many ways.
First of all, you are wasting valuable time for both you and your employees. Your employees are waiting around to get to the next phase of the process, while you feel overwhelmed with approving work they’ve done. They will also feel unmotivated and disrupted in their work.
Don’t stall your team by demanding to review all their work. Instead of going through details of every task, focus on the growth of your business.
6. You Have Difficulty Delegating
Do you have trouble delegating tasks? More precisely, do you feel like it’s easier if you do all the tasks yourself?
If so, you have a problem with micromanaging your remote team.
For every growing business, there comes a time when you need to let go and let your employees handle their portion of the work.
It might be difficult, especially if you are used to doing everything yourself.
You might even be concerned that some of your employees are taking a different approach to certain tasks. However, you should keep in mind that they are experts in what they do.
And they can develop great strategies if you let them.
If you are not sure how to delegate, here are 25 examples of tasks you can delegate.
7. Your Remote Team Has a High Turnover Rate
A high turnover can be very damaging to your business. One survey has shown that 69% of workers considered finding a different company because of micromanagement. More than half of these actually left their job because of it.
Constantly firing and hiring workers is not only a sign of micromanagement, it is extremely damaging to your company.
That’s why you need to establish a good hiring process and keep your employees with your company as long as possible.
These were key 7 warning signs that you’re micromanaging your remote team.
If you are constantly stressed and unhappy with your team’s performance, ask yourself the following questions:
- Am I never satisfied with my remote team?
- Do I have trouble delegating tasks?
- Do I have difficulty trusting my employees?
- Am I the only one talking during group video calls?
If you do most of these things, it’s time to change the way you run your business.
It may not be easy, but you can do it one step at a time.
First of all, don’t focus on the details that you would’ve done differently. Try to focus on the big picture and don’t forget to give credit where it’s due.
Trust your employees and let them do the job you pay them for. If you let them take charge, you will be surprised by their skills and you will have more time to focus on your tasks.
Ask for their opinions and really listen. Your employees should feel comfortable talking to you. They should also feel free to express their ideas and participate in group conversations.
This is not only a method that’s going to make them feel valued – it will help your business. Your employees are experts in their fields and your company can greatly benefit from their input.
That’s the only way a business can succeed.
And if you are looking for a new remote addition to your team, you can find excellent workers right here on JobRack. We have thousands of great candidates for your business – click here to find out more.
