The transition to WFH has a huge impact on this. Everyone got used to working one way and now so much has changed and people are still adapting.
Managers used to be able to peer over cubicles on their way to get a coffee and see at a glance who is working, who is sleeping, who is chit chatting, who is watching Youtube videos, etc. Now, without them policing the workplace, they are paranoid that these behaviors are occurring unchecked during working hours and they aren’t getting the best bang for their buck.
While some studies I’ve seen showed that over-monitoring employees leads to lower trust which actually negatively impacts employees’ motivation, there is no shortage of articles written about how some people are holding down multiple jobs because they are getting by doing a fraction of what they can for each one and their management hasn’t adapted their methods quickly enough to catch them.
Some jobs are easy to monitor, but some are more subjective. If you pay someone and expect them to design 3 web pages in a week, that’s pretty easy to track. However, there are other jobs that can be harder to track and it becomes easier for employees to “fake it” saying they hit snags or had a string of bad luck. For example, if someone is architecting software or doing research to solve a problem, it’s not easy to track their progress day-over-day as you could with some other lines of work. This leaves some managers who can’t look over their shoulders like they used to scrambling to find tools and measures to fill the void.
You sound like an entrepreneur to me! You have a clear vision and a detailed plan that you have been executing for years while building a strong relevant network.
I think you’re doing great by working in the environment you want to create. I would look to grow in that environment and work as far up as you can so you can know the ins and out of the operation and how each role is executed. You can take notes of what the franchise location you work at does well and what you can improve. Keep building your network the way you are because it can come in super handy when you start your own venture.
You sound to be well along the right path! Kudos to you!