Do You Micromanage Your Employees?
Knowing how much to manage employees can be challenging. Whether you manage a sign shop, a print shop or another type of custom shop, If you manage too little, staff members may attempt to slack on their work. But, if you micromanage, they may feel freaked out and hindered.I have met many managers and business owners that tend to micromanage their staff. Their reasons vary, but the biggest reason I learned was fear - fear of the following:
They fear projects would not be done as they should be.
They fear they will be seen as inadequate managers is not constantly checking in and overseeing.
They fear they can't trust their staff.
They fear loss of control.
They fear their business will fail if they are not aware of everything happening.
They fear mistakes being made.
Of course, there are other fears and reasons why manager tend to micromanage. But, whatever the reasons may be, micromanaging is often a burden to both the manager and the staff. Here are some reasons how:
Micromanagement business out the manager. He/she is often overworked and overstressed. They also do not take personal time for themselves nor family, which they certainly deserve.
Micromanagement does not allow for employees to be their best selves.
Micromanagement can make employees dependent on management for every decision and step that is to be made. Employees can become unsure of themselves and therefore, constantly be in need of reassurance.
Micromanagement can lead to high staff turnover. Employees don't work best when micromanaged. They also dont feel trusted. Therefore, they will often leave and find another place of employment.
Micromanagement creates a "wait to be told" culture at work. The best employees are often those that have initiative and step up when they see a need. Micromanagement hinders this.
Micromanagement slows workflow. This can actually create many of those fears mentioned above.
When you have a pattern of micromanagement, it can be challenging to stop. It's tough to let go and trust that your staff is going to do their jobs properly and on time without many mistakes. But, looking over their shoulders constantly is doing more hindering than good for projects and the overall state of your business.
As a shopVOX user, you have an amazing tool to help you manage your staff, as well as projects, jobs, workflow, inventory and much more! For those with the itch to micromanage, this can be a great tool to help you micromanage without your staff knowing you are always checking in on them. So, take advantage of all that shopVOX manages for you:
Sales leads
Inventory
Purchase orders
Vendors
Customers
Proofs
Work orders
Projects
Production
Workflow
Jobs
Materials
Machines
Staff availability
Invoices
Notes
All of that is a lot of keep track of right? If you are fully using shopVOX, you can definitely be in the know of all that is happening in your shop, even if you have to step away or take a vacation with your family. If you are only using shopVOX for quotes and workflow, try to use if for sales management and material management too. The more your shop uses shopVOX, the more you will be able to manage from your computer instead of over your staff's shoulders and the more effective and efficient your shop can be. This can allow you more freedom to create cool projects.If you are not using shopVOX and want to discover how amazingly beneficial it is for custom shops, try our Express version for free for 15 days. You can get a feel of how easy it can be manage your workflow: Free shopVOX trial