Ask anyone what the signs of an awful boss are and the odds are that they’ll mention someone who’s a massive micromanager, yells instead of being open to listening to their subordinates, is stubborn as heck, and is unwilling to recognize someone else’s achievements. It’s absolute hell working with someone like this. And sometimes the only way that they’ll change their ways is if you start following their orders to the letter.
Redditor u/Dramatic-but-Aware shared an intriguing workplace tale that happened a while ago when they were a year into their very first job as a clerk at a law firm. Now, they were studying at the time, so their schedule was beyond bonkers. And when a new manager started demanding to know where the OP was at all times, the redditor hatched a delightful plan and maliciously complied with that request. Read on for the full story!
Micromanagers can be pretty awful to work under because they lack trust in their employees
Image credits: garetsworkshop (not the actual photo)
One former law firm trainee shared how they got back at their boss who wanted to keep tabs on where they were at all times
Image credits: Iakobchuk (not the actual photo)
Image credits: AmnajKhetsamtip (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Dramatic-but-Aware
The manager held different standards for himself and his subordinates
It is stunning how quickly some managers change their minds when they’re faced with the consequences of their actions and demands. The author of the r/MaliciousCompliance post, redditor u/Dramatic-but-Aware, did exactly as they were told regarding punctuality.
Their boss wanted to be aware of where they were throughout the day, so the OP began sending them update after mundane update after update from the early morning. This was revenge for the fact that the manager yelled at them instead of listening to the very reasonable explanation that the OP had lectures that sometimes ran late. Not only that, the manager was unwilling to recognize that the trainee was putting in far more time and effort into the job than was demanded of them.
Well, the law veteran was quickly humbled. And from the redditor’s story, it seems like they weren’t the only employee who had problems with the micromanager. “He had this weird obsession with punctuality while simultaneously being late to everything. Plus, he moronically believed that by having a bunch of people warming up chairs, he would magically make money, so instead of investing time in client development, he would just spend endless time and effort on bullying everyone around the office,” u/Dramatic-but-Aware noted.
Image credits: Andrea Piacquadio (not the actual photo)
Keep an eye on whether you might be burning out at the office
If you’re working long hours, getting great results, but all you’re ‘rewarded’ with is an angry boss for whom nothing is ever going to be good enough, it can be very easy to become demotivated. After all, what’s the point of working your butt off if all you’ll ever get is criticism?
Some of the early signs of burnout include a deep dread of going to work, having low productivity, being constantly stressed out, and feeling frustrated. What’s more, you might spend a lot of time thinking about what it’d be like working anywhere but where you are at the moment. Working in an unwelcoming and unsupportive environment can also make you feel physically fatigued and low on energy.
Unless you really love your job, it’s best to either start drawing some healthy boundaries in the workplace or subtly start looking for greener pastures—update your resume and check out what some other firms have to offer. In the meantime, have a friendly one-on-one conversation with your boss about the situation at the office.
Explain to them how you feel about their behavior without sounding like you’re accusing them and try to come to some sort of compromise. If they’re reasonable enough, they might realize they’ve been in the wrong this whole time and they’ll make changes. If they’re not… well, consider talking to your direct supervisor, HR, your boss’ boss, or think about switching departments.
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Micromanagers are usually easy to spot after you spend even a bit of time with them
It can help a lot if you know what kind of manager you’ll be dealing with beforehand. Forewarned is forearmed, after all. For instance, if you know that your boss is someone who is meticulous about details and extremely strict when it comes to punctuality (and is beyond stubborn).
Some of the signs that you might be dealing with an overactive office micromanager (something that many employees deeply detest) include constant demands for updates about work-related matters, an utter unwillingness to delegate tasks, and a strange focus on details rather than looking at the full picture.
Indeed notes that micromanagers tend to want detailed reports and documentation on various processes related to the job. They also keep tabs on how their employees communicate with clients, redo their subordinates’ work, and feel bad when someone makes decisions without consulting them. In brief, micromanagers enjoy control and may lash out when things don’t go according to how they’ve planned everything out in their minds.
Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko (not the actual photo)
The OP shared some background info and their thoughts in the comments of their post
Here's what a few internet users had to say after they read the story
