Remote Helicopter Bosses – The New Micromanagers

According to an article published by BBC News, a new type of micromanager is coming to the fore who uses technology to keep tabs on remote employees. These bosses are referred to as Remote Helicopter Bosses.

The rise in remote working has resulted in some managers having concerns about their workers’ productivity as they are unable to see them in person.

What are the signs of a remote micromanager?

Traditional micromanaging is generally because of a manager’s lack of faith in their own abilities and their workers’ skills. As a result of the pandemic and the move to remote/hybrid working, it placed a further strain on some managers’ confidence, forcing them to adapt their style, generally without any training.

Typical actions include:

As with traditional micromanagement, it is generally perceived that this type of management results in significant damage to employees’ morale with them feeling less engaged, motivated, and capable. It can often lead to high staff turnover.

Survey

A study carried out in July 2020 and published in the Harvard Business Review found that a fifth of remote-working employees felt their line managers were constantly monitoring their work. Additionally, one-third of those surveyed answered that their managers “expressed a lack of confidence in their work skills”.

These opinions were backed up by the responses received from the managers, in the same survey:

Remote worker surveillance systems

Another way in which remote helicopter bosses are monitoring their workers is via the use of remote employee surveillance systems. These systems actively monitor workers’ productivity whilst they are working remotely.

A survey published by the market intelligence firm, International Data Corporation, in July 2022 found that around 68% of employers, in North America, with a minimum of at least 500 employees use some type of monitoring system.

A different survey released last year by Digital.com revealed that of the respondents who used monitoring software, almost 90% fired employees as a result.

The surveillance methods being adopted by some organisations have led to a number of employees investing in tools, such as mouse jigglers, to keep their statuses active and thus avoid productivity tracking.

A lack of trust and control

As with typical micromanagement, it is because of a feeling of mistrust and/or a lack of control on the part of the manager towards their workers.

It is perhaps not too surprising that this is enhanced further when an employee is working in a remote environment and a manager is not able to have physical oversight of what they are doing.

However, as we have alluded to above, the consequence is that the employee quickly becomes disengaged from their employer. This sense of disengagement is amplified further with remote working, as workers are already physically disconnected from their employer and work colleagues. This can result in a rise in staff resignations.

For those who continue in roles where they are micromanaged, it can sometimes result in long-term effects that hinder their professional development and career. These workers could struggle to work without the initiative to undertake jobs on their own, find it difficult with tasks outside of their comfort zones and lack resilience in their work.

However, micromanagement can have a detrimental impact on bosses. It can lead to high levels of stress and anxiety due to them doing work that others could or should be doing, and not concentrating on their own work.

Advice to employers

Whilst it might sound obvious, managers need toned confidence to trust their employees and provide them with necessary and productive levels of autonomy. Remote working has dramatically changed working practices across the world but has left some employers needing help to implement methods to interact with their workers and evaluate their performance.

Further, whilst excessive contact between managers and employees is stifling, if there isn’t enough, this can also cause issues. Managers need to ensure that they set time aside to catch up with workers at least every couple of weeks. This provides the manager and employee with the chance to bring up any issues or concerns.

Employers should not assume that their managers can or have easily transitioned to remote management and should provide training and support for them in how to manage staff remotely and what is expected.