One in five recent college graduates say they like to be micromanaged, according to a survey conducted by the online magazine Intelligent.com. This may come as a surprise, given the number of reports claiming that new generations of workers are looking for flexibility and adaptability in their organisation.

However, young people are often apprehensive about striking out on their own in the corporate world. “In school, they received clear instructions, frequent feedback, and knew their complete path to graduate successfully. As they enter the workplace, their path to success is less clear to them, and they may be scared to make mistakes and have anxiety to perform perfectly on their first job,” explained Huy Nguyen, chief education and career development advisor at Intelligent.

This is why some young graduates find comfort in the idea of being closely monitored by their managers: 83% of those who prefer a hands-on management approach say being micromanaged gives them the feeling of being supported by their superiors.

Meanwhile, 73% say this management style helps them to stay focused on their professional tasks.

These young people don’t hesitate to touch base with their superiors regularly – by phone, email or video call – to make sure they’re doing a good job. In fact, 44% of survey respondents do this one to three times a day, while 23% do this four to six times.

Some even go so far as to contact their manager outside working hours – a bad habit that poses risks for the work-life balance of both the employee and their manager. And 40% of young graduates expect their boss to be available 24/7 – an unrealistic expectation.

So why do young people have such high expectations of their bosses? The state of their mental health could have something to do with it: the survey reports that 27% of young graduates feel work anxiety three to four days per week, and 40% feel anxious about work one to two days per week.

This deep-seated unease can, over time, lead to physical, mental and emotional exhaustion. To counter this, many young people rely more heavily on their supervisors, with nearly two-thirds of them saying their line manager helps them feel less anxious at work.

As such, it’s easy to see why some young people aren’t opposed to being micromanaged. But, as Huy points out, this is not the case for everyone.

“It’s important to not overgeneralise and consider that attachment to managers can vary greatly from one individual to another, depending on their personality, job responsibilities, and the company culture,” the expert noted.

Indeed, 57% of the young people surveyed prefer a management style that’s neither too hands-on nor too hands-off.