ESL Podcast 320 - Micromanaging the Staff

to check up on (someone) - to review someone's progress; to see how someone is doing

Miranda asked another supervisor to check up on her employees while she was away working in another office last week.

task - a small project; something that one needs to do and finish, especially at work

Becky has to finish three tasks today: call the lawyer, finish the report, and send the invitations.

to micromanage - to control all the details of how someone does his or her work

Sue is always micromanaging her employees, even telling them the color of pen they should use.

to observe - to watch something without interfering; to see how something is happening, but not doing anything to change it

The researchers are observing the children as they play with each other to study human behavior.

to look over (someone's) shoulders - to closely watch someone while they're doing something

I know that we need to finish this proposal as soon as possible, but it doesn't help me work any faster if you look over my shoulders all the time.

trust - a belief that another person is good or reliable; a belief that another person will not do anything to hurt oneself

Alice lost her trust in her doctor when he shared her private medical information with another patient.

meticulous - very detail-oriented; very careful; paying attention to all the details

Qian's handwriting is meticulous, with all the letters being the same size.

to monitor - to observe; to watch something closely; to see how something changes over time

The nurse is monitoring the patient's blood pressure.

resentful - feeling unhappy about something that is not fair or right

Terry became resentful when his mother told him he couldn't use her car anymore.

to have more faith in (something) - to trust in something; to believe that something is real or possible

Your boss would have more faith in you if you finished all your reports on time.

incompetent - unable to do something; incapable of doing something; without the ability to do what one is supposed to do

The new cashier is incompetent. She can't even count money!

control freak - a person who wants to be in control of everything all the time; a person who cannot let other people lead a project; a person who wants to control every detail of something

Polly is such a control freak that she won't even let her husband put the dishes away, because she's worried he might put them in the wrong places.

tactic - strategy; a way of doing something

What is your company's tactic for increasing sales this year?

disgruntled - unhappy, disappointed, and annoyed about something that has happened

The factory workers are disgruntled because they've been asked to work an extra hour each day without more pay.

to butt in - to become involved in something that one shouldn't be a part of

Harold butted into our private conversation, even though no one was talking to him.

fine by me - a phrase meaning that one has no objections to something; a phrase meaning "okay," "it's alright," or "that's fine."

I asked Katie if we could come to her party, and she said, "Fine by me."