I worked with a co-worker who said he doesn’t work hard; he works smart. His idea of working smart was having someone else do his work. This is more than delegating. He simply used his authority to have everyone do his work. He took credit when his team’s hard work shined; but he always blamed others when there are mistakes.
To him, the “buck” does not stop with him.
Working with someone who doesn’t do their part is extremely stressful.
You may have to work even harder and put in more time to cover your peer’s lack. Even if you get everything finished, you may feel resentment watching them text their friends and stay on social media all day while you make sure projects are on track and take care of problems.
Whether you are a co-worker or a manager, there are ways to discourage slacking. Consider these tips for keeping your peace of mind while promoting productivity and comradery.
What to Do When the Slacker is Your Co-worker
1. Focus on productivity.
As frustrating as it can be, put your emotions aside and figure out whether your colleague’s behavior really affects your job. Otherwise, it’s probably not worthwhile to pursue the issue. It’s not worth getting emotionally invested in their performance. It’s more important for you to stay focused on your own productivity and responsibilities so you can get your work done.
2. Assess the situation.
Laziness isn’t the only reason employees neglect their responsibilities. There may be an underlying situation. For instance, your colleague could have a chronic illness that affects their productivity, or trouble at home could be a distraction. You may want to think about how to approach the situation.
3. Communicate clear expectations.
To prevent misunderstandings, make sure you communicate the clear expectations and deadlines of the team and their part to your co-worker, ensuring that they understand what is expected of them.
4. Strengthen your relationship with your co-worker.
Build a connection with your peer through collaboration. For example, you could find common interests that you could bond over. When your teammate feels like they are part of the solution, they may likely want to avoid letting you down. This can help them feel more invested in the team’s success. It may also motivate them to improve their productivity.
5. Revise the process.
If discussions are deadlock, you may need to act on your own. It may be necessary to revise the process to work around their performance. Is there a way to restructure your job to bypass the co-worker who misses deadlines? Perhaps you could think of ways to delegate tasks differently or restructure job responsibilities.
6. Fill in the gaps.
Similarly, maybe you can cover the tasks that are slipping through the cracks. This may be feasible if the tasks are minor. By doing this, you can ensure that you complete the work and prevent negative impacts on the team. Please note that this is only a temporary fix, especially if you are on a very tight deadline.
7. Speak with your boss.
For more serious cases, consider speaking to your supervisor if you and your coworker cannot find a mutual resolution. Document specific examples of how your teammate’s behavior affects the company. If you have ideas, suggest potential solutions.
How to Deal with Slackers When You’re a Manager
As the leader of your team, your focus will be on unifying the members of the team. Slacking can threaten the culture of the team and addressed accordingly. As manager, you must take a different approach for dealing with slacking than that of a co-worker. Your communication skills are essential to ensuring the team remains cohesive. Here are some ways you can deal with slacking while ensuring the team remains productive:
1. Share the mission.
Employees will feel more engaged and motivated if they understand the purpose behind their activities. Talk about how their efforts contribute to the good of the organization and help others.
2. Clarify roles.
Make sure everyone understands what is expected of them, as a team and as an individual employee. Give staff members unique responsibilities to increase accountability. It’s a good idea to design tasks that leverage their personal strengths. Re-emphasize how their work contributes to the success of the team and organization.
3. Establish measurable goals.
You can clarify roles for your team by setting goals for your team and each individual employee. Make sure each goal is SMART – specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely (deadlines). Employees may underperform if standards are imprecise. Set targets they can aim for, like making 10 calls an hour or bringing in 12 new clients each year.
4. Consistently provide feedback.
Regularly monitor progress and provide constructive feedback (negative and positive) to your employees to help them understand their strengths and weaknesses and identify areas for improvement. Consistently follow up to let your employees know you notice and appreciate their accomplishments. Praise them for taking on a heavier workload successfully. Reward the entire office to reinforce a sense of teamwork.
5. Offer training.
If workers are fall behind because of lack of confidence in their abilities, provide resources to upgrade their skills. These resources should include what they need to be successful, including training, mentoring, and tools or equipment. Coaching or counseling may also help. Online courses, workshops and seminars are excellent ways and inexpensive ways to provide training.
6. Decrease the size of the team.
In large teams, it is easy to become lost in the crowd. Smaller teams allow for everyone to be seen and individual performance is more conspicuous. Employees may work harder on these teams since their performance is in the open.
7. Ask for input.
If you’re unsure how to proceed, ask the employee for feedback. They may suggest whether they need closer supervision or a quieter workspace. Just being consulted may help them to feel more engaged.
8. Limit cyber-slacking.
The internet has spawned more ways to waste time. Create policies that set reasonable limits and define what an appropriate site is. Set a good example – limit your non-work-related browsing.
9. Develop a performance plan.
If an employee’s performance does not improve despite your efforts to support and hold them accountable, develop a performance improvement plan with specific goals and deadlines to help them improve their performance. For some companies, human resources will take action and establish a formal plan as a disciplinary measure.
Final Thoughts
If office productivity is suffering at your organization because of employees who slack on the job, there are ways to overcome it. It’s important to address slacking with professionalism and empathy, while being firm in communicating expectations and holding employees accountable for their performance.
As a co-worker, when you focus on the positive aspects of your work, you can dial down the tension. As a manager, create opportunities for the challenged employee and the team to give 100%, by providing consistent feedback and resources to empower the team.
