My Manager Is Micro-Managing Me

[Treacle71]

What can I say back to her? I sometimes need to go to another office concerning work and she'll say, "What you doing here? Have you no work to do?" I wanted to answer her back but there were others in the office and I didn't want to make a show. If she says it again to me, how shall I answer that is assertive, humorous, etc? I don't want to fight back with aggression. I have every right to go to another office if I need to.

[jno]

why not just tell her what you're doing there?

[bhg481]

You have a problem with your manager wanting to manage you? OK.

[Treacle71]

And then I had to collect something from the kitchen and she looked up at me walking past. One of the other team members was at lunch eating and she said to her, "Are you at lunch"?......duh. It's too much.

[LadyCG]

You don't work for the NHS perchance?

[youngmafbog]

If what you are saying is 100% correct and there is nothing else then go to HR, now.

[smurfchops]

What is Micro Managing??

[Ken4155]

Wait while no-one's watching then stick the nut on her.

[Peter Pedant]

agree jno
tell her what you are doing there

In my long and mis-spent life, I realised, "what are you doing here" had many many connotations -
1.including not busy enough
2.need help at all
3. just plain prying
4. surprise
5. you can do my work for me as well as your own
6.who's been telling tales

I realised that when I saw someone I had no real day-zeer to ever encounter again, and asked - "what are you doing here?"
and I meant " what are you doing here, now that you arent here" ( moved along on the rota): "when you were here " (meant to be working here) "you were never here" ( you were always skiving)

and the person said " seeing the people here who can give me a job"
of which reader, she knew I was not one.....(not employed)

another time
what are you doing here
( outside a technical library, and you know she had not really give the impression she cd read - newspapers let alone tech journals)
and got the old - "why are you asking these intrusive questions blah-dee-blah, yappety yap...."
I chose the sorry sorry sorry route out of that one.
and yes she was having an affair with the MD and later married him....

[Peter Pedant]

micro-managing:
tell someone in the finance office
so the inward invoices
then the outward one
and by that time it should be coffee....

some people need chaining to a radiator ( and still wont work) and some dont

[Peter Pedant]

the answer to "are you at lunch?"
is mid-mouf-ful - yeff....

the clear implication is that she thinks X is taking too long and X doesnt... this is X's issue not yours

[archibaldy]

Ask for a 1 to 1 meeting with her and tell her how her actions feels to you, and how you feel about the situation.

Ask for trial period of maybe a month where she tries not to micro-manage you, and you can both review your work/performance and see how it went, then and agree if it's worth continuing the new way or if the old way was better.

[Hazlinny]

Moving around at work, always carry a file with you - wave it at her and carry on - no need to say anything!

[meaghan72]

Why not just tell her why you are going to another office if she asks?

[barry1010]

Maybe she thinks you are slacking or doesn't like your attitude towards your co-workers, your obvious reluctance to join in if you don't like the colleague.
Maybe she is just doing her job and you are being over-sensitive.

[meaghan72]

Q What are you doing here?
A Taking these files to ( or whatever you are doing)

Q have you no work to do?
A well obviously as I'm taking these files to (or whatever you are doing)

Those are inane questions and absolutely do not warrant an aggressive reply.

[Treacle71]

Thank you all so much xx

[1ozzy]

I'm sure you are welcome

[10ClarionSt]

Kens' reply is along the right lines but the company will know that someone in work has stuck their nut in.

One supervisor I knew was invited for a "walk round" by the manager, yet again. This happened day after day and from what he told me, he said the manager was constantly hinting at getting a replacement and asking loads and loads of questions. In the end, whilst on another "walk" in a secluded part of the company, the Supervisor grabbed the manager by the collar with both hands and threatened to smash his face in if he didn't stop harrassing him. How could the manager prove what had happened? There was no CCTV. It worked, and before too long, the manager was "moved on" . A bit extreme, perhaps, but sometimes these things are necessary. :o)