Manager constantly interrupts employee with messages, sometimes reaching 20 messages in 30 minutes: 'They take time, and I stop whatever task I’m working on to reply'

Nobody likes a micromanager.

We need independence to thrive. If we don't have that, then we don't have anything. Good management is just as much about saying nothing as it is about saying something. Sure, you want to give guidance and advice, but you also have to know what style works for what employee. Some people need supervision to make sure they're on task. Other people will feel stifled by that attention and need you to look away for them to create their best work. Everyone is different, but it's better to err on the side of hands-off, since we're all adults at the end of the day. There is certainly a line you shouldn't ever cross when it comes to communication, and that means interrupting deep work.

It's easy to get distracted by every little notification. It's why we have functions like "Do Not Disturb." We need to be able to turn off the outside noise in order to focus on the task at hand. Even the smallest email notification can take our brains out of the cycle of attention and lead us astray. If you have a project that requires your close attention, it would be wise to ignore all incoming notifications. But this is a delicate dance. You want to give your managers your attention and show that you're on top of it when they need something from you. But what if their constant checking in actually makes the quality of your work suffer? That's what started to happen in this situation.

via Brian J. Tromp

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As a remote worker, this employee was used to being checked in on via direct messages. But they started to pile up in a way that seemed unmanageable. Their boss was so needy and demanding that it was having the inverse effect and making it more difficult to do their job. So they wondered if there was any way around that, or if their behavior was abetting it in any way. So they reached out to the internet for help, and other workers gave them strategies about how to handle this difficult situation. Scroll on to read what happened and what advice they gave.
Boss messages me constantly during work hours.

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Commenters gave them trick and tips on how to handle this situation.

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