14/05/2026
Micromanagement isn't a psychosocial hazard. Surprised?
We’ve all had that manager at some stage.
It's not in the Act, not in the Regulations, not in the Compliance Code. But anyone who's been micromanaged knows it causes real harm, anxiety, disengagement, loss of confidence, burnout.
So what's actually going on?
When someone says they're being micromanaged, they're usually experiencing a combination of recognised hazards at the same time:
Low job control, no autonomy over how or when you do your work
Inadequate recognition, your competence and effort go unacknowledged
Low role clarity, you don't know where your authority starts and your manager's ends
Poor support, surveillance dressed up as involvement
Poor workplace relationships, trust eroding in both directions
Poor organisational justice — autonomy for some, monitoring for others
Each one is a hazard employers have a duty to identify and manage. Together, they compound.
This matters because it changes how you respond. A complaint about micromanagement isn't a personality clash to mediate. It's a signal that multiple psychosocial hazards may be present in your workplace and under the Psychological Health Regulations 2025, you have obligations to address them.
