A guide to dealing with ‘slackers’

Posted on: October 24th, 2018 in Mindset by Pat Mesiti | No Comments

When you were a child did you dob on your brother or sister if they did something really naughty? Did you tell if they broke something valuable, ate all the lollies or swore? And then would your sibling pay out on you and call you a ‘dobber’ – the great Australian insult? Aren’t you glad you’re an adult now and no longer have that dilemma – to dob or not to dob? Well, unfortunately many people do still find themselves in that situation, especially if they are working alongside someone who doesn’t pull their weight.

I saw a survey once that said that more than 90 percent of workers have someone on the team who does not do his or her share of work and piggy backs off the others, but only one in ten have ever confronted an under-performing worker.

If you work or even live with someone who is not pulling their weight but expects you to prop them up, how do you deal with it? I’m going to tell you that this is an extremely tricky problem and one which is always difficult to navigate.

Find out why your co-worker has slackened off

This is tough, but you need to speak to them directly. Do not attack them but ask them directly about the tasks they have left uncompleted. Be courteous, but ask straight out why their work wasn’t finished on time or was flawed.

You really need to approach your co-worker in an explorative mode, not a punitive mode. You need to ask the question – why is this happening? The answer may surprise you. The worker may have a family issue – their relationship has broken down – or an issue with their health. Sometimes people need to step away from work to address health issues, like cancer. Knowing why your co-worker isn’t carrying their weight won’t resolve the problem, but it will help to reduce your anger and frustration, and then you can focus on what is really important: doing your job to the best of your ability.

To tell or not to tell

Telling a supervisor that a co-worker is under-performing is a big step. Unfortunately, if you take it to your supervisor you may be judged harshly. Your boss may think you are untrustworthy and have no loyalty to your co-workers. Your boss may also think that you are incapable of sorting out the problem on your own. Only take this step if the slacker is making you feel bad. Ideally go to the supervisor with another worker who is also suffering because of the slacker.

Take it to the team

Another option is to subtly bring up the person’s under-performance in front of the other team members and your supervisor. If you know other team members have concerns, you could arrange to each speak about a task not completed to satisfaction. You again want to talk about tasks, not the individual. Of course the under-performing team member is going to feel like they are under attack. I say tread carefully and be diplomatic, but if you bring it up with the team at least you are not going behind the back of the slacker, and also allowing the team to deal with it as a group. It is no longer just your problem.

Before you do this, make sure you have some evidence as to what the under-performer has not satisfactorily done. Have a paper trail. Discuss tasks and expectations in emails, take notes in meetings and regularly document progress on tasks. Use project software to keep tabs on who did what jobs.

When you do eventually have a discussion about the problem, you’ll be able to back up the points you’re making with evidence.

Can you just live with it?

How bad is the problem? Are you measuring this person against yourself, and you happen to be an over-achiever? Would ignoring the slacker be the best option? If your under-performing co-worker doesn’t really impact your work, then the best option may be to ignore the situation. You probably have enough on your plate anyway. Will he or she come good in time? Unfortunately, the problem usually gets worse. Be prepared for this, but try not to let it affect your enjoyment of the job.

Can you motivate the slacker?

What is this person good at? What do they really seem to enjoy? Is it possible that you find more appealing tasks for them?

Are you sure that your co-worker is capable of doing their job? Perhaps they are not lazy, but actually incompetent. Could you offer them some training so they can effectively get on with their work?

Are they really just a slow-coach? Perhaps your co-worker is a very slow worker. If he or she is always late, give them an earlier deadline. If they don’t follow instructions well, email them detailed instructions.

What if the slacker is your boss?

If the slacker at work is your boss, you are going to need to proceed with extreme caution. You may not be across the whole situation. There may be other problems in the company that are distracting your boss and tying up his or her time. You could try to discreetly investigate what is going on. Are other workers impacted by your boss’s lack of attention? Again this may be an issue the ‘team’ is best placed to deal with, rather than any one particular worker.

Ask for help

One final tactic to galvanise the office slacker is to ask for their help. Impress upon them that your workload is demanding. They might also say they are overloaded. You could up the stakes and say you’re going to speak to your supervisor about your workload because it’s untenable, at that point you hope the slacker will come on board and offer to assist you.

Whatever you do, don’t start gossiping about your work colleague behind their back, and don’t let it affect your performance. Also never cover for a slacker, or pick up their work. In the end you need to look after yourself.

Try to be philosophical about working with a slacker. It is a learning experience. Dealing with them will not be easy, however you will learn more about people and yourself as you try to resolve this tricky problem.

ABOUT PAT MESITI

Pat Mesiti is a best-selling author, coach and educator in the area of personal development. Having built some of Australia’s largest people-driven organisations, Pat understands the power of harnessing human potential. He has shared the stage with some of the world’s great business minds and has sold over millions of copies of his books and materials.

 

Leave Your Message

x