When you’re hired to do a job, your boss should trust that you’re capable of fulfilling your responsibilities. You might need a little guidance every now and then, and you may have questions about the exact procedures to follow. But nobody needs their supervisor breathing down their neck all day.

One manager learned this lesson the hard way after making it clear to his team members that he wanted to know exactly how they were spending every minute of their workday. Below, you’ll find the full story of the plan that backfired on this micromanaging boss, that was recently posted on the Malicious Compliance subreddit, as well as a conversation with the author and some of the replies amused readers shared.  

It’s difficult to get any work done when your boss is always looking over your shoulder

Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio / pexels (not the actual photo)

So one group of employees decided to show their manager just how annoying it is to be constantly updated on the team’s progress

Image credits: Luca Bravo / unsplash (not the actual photo)

Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: Lukas / pexels (not the actual photo)

Image credits: mdlapla

The majority of employees have experience working with micromanagers

Image credits: Jeremy / unsplash (not the actual photo)

To learn more about this situation, we reached out to the Reddit user who shared this story online, Mdlapla. The author was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share a bit more about his experience working at this company.

“I worked there for two years, a meat grinder kind of company,” the OP says. “However, they’re very good for gaining experience fast.”

As far as why his boss was so adamant that he needed to know exactly what the team was doing, Mdlapla shared, “I think micromanaging is about a sensation of power and, sometimes, the idea that things have to be done how the manager would do it.”

We were also curious if he believes that the manager learned his lesson after this malicious compliance. “From my experience, micromanagers never fully learn not to do it,” the OP says. “Some at least learn to bite their tongue when something is done differently from how they would do it, but it’s rare.”

But even if he couldn’t change his former workplace, Mdlapla sees the value in sharing stories like this. “I think these posts always tend to make you realize that these kinds of things are more common than you think, and allow people to also share their stories,” he added.

Nearly half of workers say that they would quit due to being micromanaged

As the author noted, micromanaging bosses are unfortunately very common. One survey found that nearly 80% of employees have been micromanaged at some point in their careers, and unsurprisingly, they’re not enjoying it. A poll from Monster reported that 73% of workers consider micromanagement to be the biggest “red flag” they’ve encountered in the workplace, and nearly half of employees would be willing to quit their jobs because of it.

When it comes to spotting micromanagers, CNBC notes that there are three key signs to look out for. If you need to get every single decision approved by your boss, they might be keeping you on too tight of a leash. If your manager wants to be copied on nearly all of the communication you have with clients or coworkers, that’s a red flag. And if your boss wants to have lots of check-ins and meetings to discuss your progress and your work, they might be micromanaging you.

But despite how common this behavior is from bosses, it always backfires. When it comes to the dangers of micromanaging, Pluralsight reports that it actually causes managers to lose control, as they’re wasting valuable time that they could be using to be productive keeping an eye on their team members. Micromanaging also erodes trust between bosses and their workers, as employees will never feel like their manager believes in them when they’re constantly being watched.   

Bosses that keep employees on too tight of a leash erode their team members’ trust

Image credits: Jonathan Borba / pexels (not the actual photo)

This can also create employees who are extremely dependent on their manager and don’t know how to problem solve or make decisions by themselves. If they always need to ask questions and don’t trust their own intuition, it can lead to a lot of time wasted, as well as manager burnout. It’s exhausting having to be keeping track of your team members all the time, and it can be too much for managers to take. 

Not to mention the fact that dissatisfied employees won’t be sticking around, so a micromanager can cause high turnover rates in their company. This will not only cost the business much more than keeping employees around for years, but it will also be even more stressful for managers who have to train new employees one after another.    

So what can we do when our managers want to keep an eye on absolutely every move we make during the day? Well, Verywell Mind recommends setting firm boundaries with your boss, explaining how their behavior impacts you and your workflow and trying to understand what’s at the root of the micromanaging.

We would love to hear your thoughts on this story below, pandas. Have you ever had to deal with a micromanaging boss like this? Feel free to share, and then if you’d like to check out another story featuring malicious compliance in the workplace, look no further than right here!   

Amused readers shared their reactions to the story, and the author chimed in on the conversation

Some even shared similar stories of dealing with their own micromanaging bosses

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