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.