In Spring 2011, I was invited to work as a researcher on a documentary project. I enjoyed the work I was doing because I was learning new things. However, the team leader for our medium-sized group wanted me to check in with him twice a day whether or not I had anything to report. I felt stifled and like I couldn’t breathe, when I realized that I didn’t like being micromanaged. I had no autonomy in the workplace. I was not working in an environment that allowed me to thrive.
On two separate occasions – on a Sunday and on a statutory holiday – the team leader asked me for information. On both occasions, I told him that I would get him the information the next day, which I did.
Apparently, that was not the right answer. After working on the project for eleven months, the team leader removed me from the project, citing that he could not work with me. He mentioned the two incidents where I refused to immediately provide information he said he needed. It didn’t matter that he requested the information on a Sunday and a statutory holiday. In my opinion, as someone who was working over 50 hours each week on the project, his request was not urgent and could wait.
He also indicated that I wasn’t a team player and should be working by myself. Two weeks after I was removed from working on the project, I was invited back to work on the project, but as a consultant. I was very good at my job and they needed my skills and abilities. I said “No” because nothing had changed.
Have you ever found yourself in a work environment where your boss micromanages you?
I thrive in work environments where you give me instructions about what needs to be done, then move out of the way, allowing me to work. If I need help, I will ask for it. This approach works well for my consulting clients because they know I will deliver what I say I will. I am a professional and I always provide progress reports at intervals that make sense. I usually have a conversation with the person I am working with at the start of a project.
In the situation I described above, I was never given that option when I worked on the documentary. I love autonomy, and I thrive in those work situations. That was a major lesson for me back then. Doing interesting work is not enough, I need to be trusted to do a good job.
Can you relate to my story? If he was your team leader, how would you have responded to his requests? Do you consider them to be reasonable? Is autonomy important to you?
What is Autonomy in the Workplace?
Autonomy is the amount of freedom employees have at work and control over decisions within their job. It could be having control over your work schedule, deciding which projects to work on, and processes to follow when working on the projects. Autonomy in the workplace falls into two categories – ‘job control’ and ‘schedule control’. People want to know that they have choices and that they have control over their actions in the workplace.
Why Is Autonomy at Work Important?
The University of Birmingham Business School conducted a survey to look at changes in reported employee well-being relative to levels of autonomy. They used two separate years of data for 20,000 employees from the Understanding Society survey.
Here are highlights from the study published in the Journal of Work and Occupations:
- “Overall, the more autonomy you have at work, the greater your levels of job satisfaction and positive effects on well-being.
- 90 percent of those working in management reported having ‘some’ or ‘a lot’ of autonomy in the workplace. It makes sense that they would have the highest levels of autonomy at work.
- Professionals report much less autonomy, especially over the pace of work and working hours.
- About half of lower skilled employees experience no autonomy over working hours.
- Greater job and schedule control could offer considerable benefits for both employer and employee.
- Control over the completion of tasks and the timing of work, and the implementation of formal or informal flexible working arrangements, have been identified as potential routes to improving employee satisfaction and working conditions.
- Managers are often unwilling to offer employees greater levels of autonomy and the associated benefits, because their primary role remains one of ‘control and effort extraction.’”
Implications of Autonomy Study Results
- Since managers are often rewarded for their staff’s performance, they may not want to give them a lot of autonomy, and instead want to exert control over them.
- Managers should be proactive, having conversations with their direct reports about job and schedule control. Work with your staff to identify the level of autonomy that works best for them and the organization.
- Let employees know what needs doing and allow them the freedom to do the work. Does it matter how the work gets done if it gets done effectively and productively?
- Managers need to keep their feelings of power and control in check. Your direct reports know that you are the boss. You do not need to remind them by exerting unnecessary control over them.
- Employees need to feel like their managers trust them to do a good job.
Action Steps for Managers
- If you have never done so before, have ‘career' meetings with direct reports to find out their goals and the kind of work environment that make them flourish. Let them know you will support them to achieve success.
- Communicate company goals and how each position contributes to that goal.
- Be candid and let employees know what you are trying to achieve and how they can help you.
Note: I changed a few things in my story to prevent backlash. The essence of the story is very much there.
The Autonomy Myth: A Theory Of Dependency
The Invention of Autonomy: A History of Modern Moral Philosophy
