Bosses Who Micromanage Employees Usually Don’t Realize It Says More About Them Than The Workers

There are a lot of bad bosses out there, but micromanagers definitely take the cake as the worst to work for. (Like the manager I once had who made us show him every email before we sent it. Every. Single. Email.) Jobs are stressful and taxing enough without a boss breathing down your neck all the time.

Of course, most bosses who micromanage would say that it's employees' ineptitude that forces them to be that way. These bosses usually create an environment that makes their team feel like they have to prioritize pleasing them over customers, though, which really defeats their purpose altogether. One man argued that in these situations, the employees aren't the problem at all.

A man thinks bosses who micromanage are bad at their jobs, and even bad at identifying the best talent for their teams.

TikToker @bbebard, known as Ginger Jack on the app, had some pointed words for micromanagers, saying they shouldn't be in a leadership position in the first place. 

To illustrate his point, Ginger Jack used his own boss as an example. "My present manager at a job which I love is also the owner. He's crazy successful," he said. "Do you know what he spends most of his day doing? The exact same job as everybody else on the floor."

He went on to share his boss's "simple philosophy" on micromanaging. "If he has to micromanage someone, then this isn't the job for them," he said. Of course, there are exceptions to this, as some employees just truly are bad workers.

A worker who just doesn't care or who misrepresents themselves during the application process is obviously in the wrong, but Ginger Jack wasn't convinced micromanagers were completely off the hook here either since they're the ones doing the hiring. Micromanaging doesn't fix the problem of the wrong employee being in the wrong job, which the manager gave them. That's a hot take, but it's pretty difficult to argue with.

RELATED: A Worker Tried Calling Out Because His Car Wouldn’t Start, So His Boss Drove To His House To Make Him Prove It

He said that many bosses think the point of their job is to be an 'authority figure,' which is one of the biggest problems facing the workforce.

Ginger Jack insisted that "the goal of any manager should be production," plain and simple. He used his own boss as an example again, saying, "Outside of some necessary paperwork, the only managing this guy does is training or fielding questions and stuff like, 'Oh, I've got to be out for a doctor's appointment.'"

His boss seems to be one of the rare ones who isn't on a power trip or thinks it's his job to bring the hammer down, which is what he believes is wrong with work. "I think one of the biggest problems in our country is managers who think that it's their job to be an authority figure," he said. "It's not. Your job is to keep production moving."

www.kaboompics.com | Pexels

Ginger Jack argued that a lot of the blame for these dynamics falls squarely on upper management, which tends to favor people with privilege and ambition over candidates who are actually qualified to lead a group of people. 

He then concluded with a blunt directive for managers everywhere. "If you're a manager who has to micromanage, your employee is not the incompetent one," he stated. "You are."

RELATED: 6 Signs You’re Dealing With A Low-Effort Boss Who Doesn’t Value You

His take on bosses who micromanage was controversial, but even HR experts say he's absolutely correct.

TikTok commenters were split on their opinion of Ginger Jack's thoughts on micromanagement, but there are experts who backed him up.

Galen Emanuele, a leadership coach who works with organizations seeking to improve their company culture, said in a video that micromanaging is "a sign of incompetence" that stems from a lack of leadership skills. He suggested instead that managers set "clear expectations" for employees and "give them what they need to be successful, and then stay out of their way."

Pavel Danilyuk | Pexels

Melissa Wheeler, PhD, a senior lecturer at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, shared similar thoughts. She said that bosses become micromanagers because they're insecure themselves and suffer from "leadership deficiencies." 

There's a good chance all the micromanaging bosses out there won't get the message, but here's hoping they do.

RELATED: Worker Called Their Boss 'Dense' In Front Of The Entire Office & It Had A Very Unexpected Result

John Sundholm is a writer, editor, and video personality with 20 years of experience in media and entertainment. He covers culture, mental health, and human interest topics.