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It’s important for you to figure out whether this is general problem, or one that only you’re having with your boss. If it’s happening to everyone, it’s likely your boss’ management style. If it’s just you, your boss’ micromanagement might be happening because they have a problem with your work. If you’ve recently screwed up (even if it was a mistake that seemed small to you), your boss could simply be watching to make sure it doesn’t happen again. Small and big errors can sometimes cause huge problems for companies. Be patient while you wait to regain your boss’ trust with high-quality work. Even if you’re getting your work done on time, maybe you’re not getting to the office right when it opens. If so, your boss could feel like you’re distracted or don’t care about your job. Refocus your attention on work and see if this shifts your boss’ attitude toward you.  If you’re supposed to work a set number of hours and you’re meeting those hours, don’t go overboard trying to impress your boss. If they want to pay you overtime, that’s one thing. If not, it’s time to have that conversation about backing off a bit. Observe what you wear to work versus what your boss wears. Check out each of your offices. If one of you is super neat and the other tends to be messy, your boss could be judging your appearance and/or work style. You can either accept this or have a conversation about it.  If you’re new to this job, you may want to wait a bit while they get used to you. Once they see how brilliant you are, they might back off naturally. Your manager may have specific feedback for you that could explain why they’ve been observing your work so closely. If you don’t ask for that feedback, you may not get it. Performance reviews are often automatically scheduled once or twice per year. Instead of waiting for that meeting, ask for one in the next week or so. If you’ve just started this job, expect a little extra hand-holding. You may feel like you don’t need it, and this time could be frustrating for you. Still, it’ll take a while for people to know they can trust you. Be patient. Wait at least three months at a new job before you begin investigating alternate sources of the micromanagement.
See if anyone else is being micromanaged. Ask yourself if you’ve made mistakes recently. Ensure that you’re giving your job your full attention. Check if you and your manager have different work styles. Ask for a performance review to pinpoint the problem. Wait a few months if you’re new.