Needless to say, both the employee and the company should be well-aware of their responsibilities at the workplace. Luckily for this redditor, Mark, he sure was.
The problems started when a new HR manager, Susan, started implementing strict workplace policies, one of which noted that an employee who’s even a minute late would face immediate suspension. Well, the redditor was, but he knew the employee handbook well enough to engage in malicious compliance and get the suspension lifted.
In order to better understand how monitoring an employee's moves closely can affect them, Bored Panda got in touch with the originator of Teaming Science and author of numerous books on business and personal relationships, Dr. Janice Presser, who was kind enough to answer a few of our questions. You will find her thoughts in the text below.
Micromanaging certain professionals might end up harming the company
Mark wasn’t too happy about HR’s new policies and used malicious compliance to show it
Image credits: Karolina Grabowska / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: Pixabay / pexels (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ytys45
Micromanaging can have a negative effect on the employees, by extension negatively affecting the company, too
Image credits: MART PRODUCTION / pexels (not the actual photo)
Workplace rules are there for a reason, as they help control the processes and prevent all hell breaking loose in certain situations. However, when they are taken one step too far, which often results in micromanaging, employees can feel overwhelmed at best, which rarely ever benefits the company.
When it comes to taking control of your employees, Dr. Janice Presser suggested posing the question of whether you want to be a king or to have a functioning organization. “If you constantly threaten people in ways that interfere with their outside responsibilities, you are setting yourself up for mutiny,” she told Bored Panda in a recent interview.
Similarly to bullying, micromanaging can have a strong negative effect on the employees’ mental well-being and confidence, as well as their performance, Forbes reports. The co-founder of Number For Live Person, Dima Suponau, shared with the magazine that the two could be compared because both are about seeking control, resulting in employees feeling belittled and their mental health deteriorating.
Unfortunately, quite a few employed individuals—nearly four-in-five of them, according to Forbes—have had to deal with micromanaging and the negative effects it entails. Roughly 70% said it influenced their work performance, while for 85% of them it negatively affected their morale. Some people admitted thinking about or actually changing their jobs because of such a form of management.
“While some people love the up-close-and-personal micromanager, for confident, talented, professionals of all kinds, this behavior invokes that feeling of being in kindergarten with a teacher who is not as smart as you,” Presser suggested. “Do that to the wrong employee and they will not only leave, but they will leave without giving you what you want in an exit interview.”
Nowadays many employed individuals seek flexibility in regards to where and when they work
Image credits: Christina Morillo / pexels (not the actual photo)
While it’s unclear if the OP wasn’t in favor of the extremely strict policy regarding working hours or if he preferred a schedule that’s more flexible in general, the latter is what a lot of people nowadays seek. According to the Future Forum Pulse survey from 2022, a staggering 94% of employed individuals wished for flexibility in regards to when they worked (80% said they would like to have more freedom as per where they worked).
“Today’s workplace environment is centered around flexibility, and employees without it remain at a strong risk of attrition,” Future Forum’s Executive Leader Brian Elliott believes. “Companies looking to build productive, successful teams need to think about how they provide flexibility not only in where but also when people work.”
The 2022 survey found that flexibility is positively correlated with a better work-life balance, which now seems to be more desired than ever. It revealed that those working fully in the office seem to report lower employee experience scores than those with more flexible conditions, especially in regards to work-life balance and levels of work-related stress and anxiety.
While the OP’s company might not be able to provide more flexibility, implementing an even stricter working hour policy didn’t seem to pay off either—the redditor’s suspension was eventually lifted and his story of malicious compliance applauded by fellow members in the Reddit community.
Some redditors felt quite confused about the situation
Netizens shared their thoughts in the comments
Some have encountered similar situations themselves
The story of Mark's experience with strict workplace policies is a poignant reminder of the impact leadership can have on an employee's morale and overall company performance.
Similarly to the experience detailed in this narrative of a woman mistreated by her manager, we see how inadequate handling by leadership can lead to a company's downfall.