Forbes did a research survey of more than 14,000 people and found only 11% of employees want their bosses to tell them what to do. Honestly, that’s about 10% more than we would have guessed. Micromanaging your employees is something that most leaders would probably recognize as a bad idea. But if the employee is a recruiter, micromanagement is something that simply will not fly. Here’s why.

The Negative Impact of Micromanaging Your Recruiting Team

Micromanagement makes an employee feel like they can’t make a move without their boss hovering over them. It’s highly demotivating for any employee, but for a recruiter, the results can slow down their productivity and make it hard to recover from a candidate who says, “No.” Think about it for a second. Recruiters are basically selling the job to the candidate. They need the autonomy to use all of their skills to negotiate, interrogate, and cajole the candidate. What they don’t need is a hovercraft boss.

Micromanaging bosses have to be cc’d on everything, focus on small details, and are rarely satisfied. This process creates a tone of distrust, kills culture, and results in employees who are ready to pack their bags and go.

Surveys show that 59% of employees say they’ve worked for a micromanager. Of that group, 68% said their morale and productivity decreased as a result of the micromanagement. When a recruiter is demotivated, it makes it much harder for them to be rejected day in and day out. 

Micromanaging kills creativity and innovation. You want a recruiter to think outside the box when trying to attract a candidate. If they feel like you’re standing by ready to shoot down their ideas, they’ll grow frustrated and eventually leave. This stymies team growth and makes it harder for you to attract new people to your team.

Micromanaging drives high performers away. It’s exactly this group of your recruiters that you want to keep. High-performing recruiters work effectively without much supervision at all. A micromanaging boss will drive the recruiter to find one that isn’t. This kind of turnover costs you money and damages your reputation. 

How to Stop Micromanaging

If you’re micromanaging your recruiters, you’re going to lose them. Why? Because the market is hot for recruiters right now. In fact, there are more open recruiting roles available these days than there are tech jobs.

Your best option is to stop micromanaging—yesterday. Here are several steps to help you mend your behaviors:

  • Think about the ways you micromanage. Then think about the why. What factors have led to your behavior? What are you afraid will happen if you loosen the reins?
  • Get feedback from someone. This could be a mentor, your boss, or perhaps even your recruiting team. How are they perceiving your management style? You could do this in a candid conversation a blinded survey. Either way, do it soon.
  • Prioritize the work you must be involved in. Delegate or walk away from the things that you don’t. 
  • Communicate the changes to your team. Talk about the things that matter. Try to be as transparent as you can to build a new level of trust with your team.
  • Practice pulling back gradually in small increments. Over time, you’ll do better, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll be able to retain your recruiting team.

With Exelare you can ease off micromanagement. Contact us to find out more about how our software’s dashboard can put you in the driver’s seat.