Reader Question: How Can I Work With a Colleague Who's a Slacker?
"The key here is that your boss expects you to build a relationship with this colleague. You have no other choice, except of course to quit, but why would you do that? You might want to look at this as an opportunity to gain favor with your boss. If you make this relationship work, your boss will be thankful. I'm sure he doesn't want to have to interview more candidates and then train someone else to take this person's job. This doesn't mean you should cover up for your co-worker if he slacks off. Why not, instead, encourage him to do more? Flattery often works. Let's consider the fact that he is of "non-traditional age" for an entry level position. Can you use that to get him to contribute more to team projects. What do I mean? Well, can you get him to use his experience when he works on projects? Ask him to tell you about his background and where his experience and expertise lie and then suggest things he can do to contribute, i.e., "You seem to be so well-versed in this area, I think it would be very helpful if you can handle this part of the project." Who knows — maybe he'll be flattered by this and it will motivate him."
Do you have any advice to share? Please post your comments below.
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Comments
I had this problem, but the other person was the department secretary who was there before I got hired. People “loved” her and I found out why. She was always visiting everyone else and never at her desk. She was supposed to train me as her backup and never did. That’s right - she was never at her desk. So when she took her two weeks’ vacation, I did not know how to do the job. When I told my supervisor, his comment was “I don’t want her to get mad at me too”. Things got worse and I ended up quitting.
Sounds like the person I work with. We have a “no cell phone usage” policy during working hours, yet she is on her phone all day long and no one says a thing to her. Making reservations for trips, conducting personal business, talking to her boyfriend. Or she is looking at videos and instant messaging people or checking her personal email.
Somehow she manages to produce a lot of work at the same time, but what good is the quantity when the quality sucks? Everyday I have to fix what she screws up. She doesn’t read the work orders and jobs end up being redone. My boss wants me to take on more of the complex jobs, but when I do, he takes them away from me and gives them to her. Nine times out of ten they come back to me to fix.
We have a half hour for lunch. She takes an hour everyday. We said something to the boss one day and he threw us under the bus. I am beyond aggravated.
I was hired after working at a school as a substitute teacher to work with a problematic teacher. She is a slacker and her students have seen no results therefore her contract will not be renewed for next year. However I must work with her until this the end of this school year. I have found that feeding her ego gets more cooperation than asking directly or leaving lesson plans. Even though she makes things difficult the better I am able to manage the interaction I have with her on my own the more respected I am by my colleagues and boss. It is not an easy task but instead of feeding into the madness of complaining and reporting her, I use the opportunity to shine and put my best professional foot forward.
Any scenario like this is a challenge. If the “slacker” is somewhat static (meaning they’re in place to stay) you need to develop a few strategies to test out. First, approach the situation from a positive perspective as a problem you wish to solve, rather than need to solve, and experiment with how to motivate the individual. My first thought is to understand what this person can, and will, do then focus on using that. Next you may find, through observation and discussion, ways this person likes (enjoys) to be challenged. One post here mentions “Ego” and that can work. Example: This seems like something only you can do right and it will make a big difference for everyone having you in charge of “this.” I think you (we) get the idea on how this approach could or should work. Instead of complaining and micro-managing (although we still need to do a little MM) we can look at this as a challenge in itself and explore “creative” ways to get a person off their chair and working. I usually see a slacker (and have at times been one myself) as one who hasn’t figured out why they are doing what they do - help them find the value, aside from earning a paycheck, so they can develop a pride and responsibility about their job. If all else fails, find a way to release them and we aware when hiring their replacement. I also find slackers get into their jobs with clever resumes and references or because employers do not take the time to call previous employers or references. Good luck.