Manager shares one question staff always ask that he hates
A manager has revealed the one question he despises being asked by his staff. Managing a team can be challenging, with everyone having different needs and sometimes asking questions that may seem unreasonable.
Lee Harding, who shares insights on TikTok as @theintrovertedrecruiter, confessed in a video that he “absolutely hates it” when employees send him messages asking a particular question during the workday. His video was captioned: “I hate it when people ask if they can finish work early,” leading some viewers to criticise him in the comments without watching the entire clip.
Lee clarified that he dislikes it when employees say they need to leave early for a doctor’s appointment or that they “need to nip out for an hour later” – but not for the reasons you might assume. “Honestly, I don’t care where you are,” he admitted, adding that he “trusts” anyone he has hired to do their job properly.
Therefore, if they have external commitments that affect their working hours, it’s fine by him. He stated: “I trust you to manage your own time and your own workload, and this is why I’ll never understand micro-managers.
“Outside of work, your people are proper grown-ups, and they’ve probably got real-life responsibilities like mortgages or kids.” Lee also humorously added: “I bet some of them can even parallel park.”
He then issued a blunt message to overbearing bosses, stating: “When they [staff] come into work, why are we treating them like children? If you’re a micro-manager, do better! Cheers.”
Commenters online were left giggling after realising critics had jumped the gun without watching Lee’s full video. Many slammed him based on just the post’s caption.
One lady quipped about those leaving harsh comments: “All those complaining in the comments I wouldn’t hire as attention to detail clearly isn’t your thing,” poking fun at sour remarks like: “Terrible manager. Couldn’t imagine working for or with someone like this,” “You sound like a b*****d”, “Family first f**k work and b******s who think they are better than the employee,” and “What an absolute wally, hasn’t got a clue how to be a boss.”
A response read: “Shout to the people in the back. Watch the WHOLE video! He sounds like the boss we all want to have.”
Another viewer said: “Laughing so much at all the people who clearly didn’t watch the whole video. I want a manager like you.”
A TikTok user expressed their disdain for micro-managers, commenting: “There is nothing worse than a micro-manager. It’s normally when someone believes they are better than you. My boss says family first, I don’t need you to give me a daily brief.”
