Teamwork is a key part of productivity in every successful organization. Every organization thrives on the contribution of every person on board to achieve its goals and targets.
A single weak link in a system like this can ripple effect on the performance of an entire department or, in the worst cases, affect the whole organization.
This brings up the challenge of what you should do when one or more of your esteemed colleagues constantly refuse to put in good enough effort in his or her work.
In this situation, you might feel that it is not your responsibility, but when his or her lapses start having a significant negative effect on the company’s output and growth, you may be the one to be blamed. You might need to consider taking action to minimize the possibility of this happening.
At this point, you may wonder how to confront your lazy colleague and how exactly you should do it, or maybe even ask yourself whether it’s your job. The truth is that handling lazy colleagues at work is not an easy task.
While you’re confused about the right step to take, this article will give you the right tips to take when dealing with a lazy coworker.
Table of contents
- How You Can Tell That Your Colleague Is Lazy
- 12 Tips for Dealing with Lazy Coworkers
- 1. Wait Before Acting:
- 2. Empathize with them:
- 3. Ask other coworkers about their opinion:
- 4. Talk To Them Honestly:
- 5. Don’t Let Them Distract You:
- 6. Don’t Let Their Work Be Your Responsibility:
- 7. Don’t Let It Affect Your Attitude:
- 8. Don’t Get Caught Up In The Issue Of Fairness:
- 9. Don’t Let Affect Your Success:
- 10. Try To Avoid Projects That Will Require Your Lazy Coworker’s Full Capacity:
- 11. Don’t Gossip Or Complain To Other Coworkers:
- 12. Talk To Your Manager:
- How to Motivate a Lazy Coworker
- Conclusion
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- References
- Recommendation
How You Can Tell That Your Colleague Is Lazy
Lazy colleagues impose a huge risk on a whole department and cause the team to feel bad. Below are some of the signs that can tell that your colleague isn’t doing his or her work:
They Always Seem Stressed Out But Never Say Why:
One popular way employees mask their laziness at work is to appear so busy and stressed but refuse to explain why they feel so to their colleagues.
Often, a good colleague will offer to help them complete their tasks, which isn’t a good work ethic if it happens frequently.
Lazy employees deceive their colleagues by making them think they are always stressed.
If you’re comfortable with a colleague that seems lazy, read through to learn How To Set Boundaries At Work.
They are rarely at their desk:
Lazy employees know they are supposed to be working but would rather stay idle. One way they achieve idleness is to make themselves scarce at their desk.
This way, their colleagues may assume that they are doing some important tasks like having client calls and staying in meetings while they are just away, killing their time.
Aside from lazy colleagues read this 10 Types of Annoying Coworkers and Learn How to Deal with them
They have an excuse for everything:
Lazy coworkers always have an excuse to give when questioned about why they haven’t done something.
They usually will go the extra steps to convince most of their colleagues, and if you call them out, they start to play the victim.
In this case, you may want to raise an issue with the superior and let them know what’s going on.
At this point, you need to understand how to manage constructive criticism in the workplace; see the best way to do that here; How to Handle Constructive Criticism in the Workplace | 2023
12 Tips for Dealing with Lazy Coworkers
Nagging and resentment towards your lazy coworker won’t make issues better. Below are some tips you can use to deal with them effectively while being polite and professional:
1. Wait Before Acting:
After you notice that your coworker is not actively doing his or her job, going straight to report his or her bad attitude to your boss or start negative comments might not be the best option, especially if it’s his or her first time acting this way.
At this point, you are probably angry with his or her attitude, but starting a conversation with your coworker while you are angry may turn out not to be a good professional experience. You should ignore them if their work doesn’t affect you that much.
Read through this article to understand the 10 Best Leadership Styles in the Workplace | 2023
2. Empathize with them:
You should stay calm and analyze the situation after discovering that your coworker is not putting in adequate effort.
It is better to empathize with them first to know if something is wrong with them, especially if they have not always been lazy at work.
One way to empathize with your colleague is to surprise your colleague with a message. Read this 15 Thanksgiving Message to Coworkers | 2023 Samples to get the best message to send to your colleague.
3. Ask other coworkers about their opinion:
Before you take punitive measures on the lazy attitude of your coworker, you should ask others for their opinion on the lazy attitude of your coworker at work.
This is to make sure that you are not acting out of some bias towards the other person and to confirm that you are not the only person taking it seriously.
4. Talk To Them Honestly:
Cooperating with a lazy coworker can be difficult, but going straight to the boss to report them will negatively affect your team’s relations.
It is better to talk to this coworker after you notice their negative attitude towards work to let them know that you see what they are doing.
Always remember to empathize with them while you discuss with them because sometimes there may be another reason for their behavior other than laziness.
Sometimes, they may not even notice the change. Interrogate calmly not to draw the attention of others.
5. Don’t Let Them Distract You:
Don’t spend your whole day focusing on your coworker constantly checking Instagram, texting, snoring, and being lazy.
You should try not to be distracted by their actions.
6. Don’t Let Their Work Be Your Responsibility:
While your lazy coworker may be on the same team as you or share similar responsibilities, it is better that you don’t pick up the work they are not doing.
Instead, you should try to always remind them of their tasks and deadlines. Avoid wasting your time trying to babysit your lazy coworkers.
7. Don’t Let It Affect Your Attitude:
Never let your coworker’s lazy attitude toward their work be a burden to you. This is because being angry or annoyed at your coworker’s lazy attitude towards work may be a huge waste of time for you and even affect your productivity. You may appear to become less productive to others while you’re trying to correct another person.
8. Don’t Get Caught Up In The Issue Of Fairness:
You mustn’t waste your time telling yourself that life isn’t fair if your lazy coworker gets away with doing nothing.
This is because it does not change anything at the end of the day and will make you feel bad. Just focus on doing the best you can do at work.
9. Don’t Let Affect Your Success:
Focusing much on your lazy coworker can hinder your progress at work. Also, when your boss notices that you don’t complete your work before or at the appointed time, he will turn to blame you.
If your work relies heavily on the full participation of your lazy coworker, then communicate the issue to your boss whenever he raises an issue.
10. Try To Avoid Projects That Will Require Your Lazy Coworker’s Full Capacity:
If your coworker is chronically lazy and every attempt to improve him has failed, you have to consider twice when choosing projects requiring him to put in his best effort.
If you can’t avoid the project, factor their laziness into your schedule. Also, don’t agree to time frames that assume they will deliver, so you will have enough time allocated to the project if things don’t go the best way.
11. Don’t Gossip Or Complain To Other Coworkers:
You should try not to gossip about the lazy attitude of your coworker with other colleagues at work, as it is unprofessional and may lead to unnecessary hatred and division among team members.
12. Talk To Your Manager:
Suppose you have raised concerns with your coworker or coworkers who have developed a lazy attitude toward their work, and nothing has changed. In that case, it is right for you to take your complaints to a higher authority at your workplace, like the manager.
While taking these complaints to the manager, you have to be careful, so you won’t be misunderstood for trying to undermine your coworker’s potential promotion or harm their career somehow.
To support your complaints, it’s better to keep a log of their actions so you can draw upon specific examples when questioned.
How to Motivate a Lazy Coworker
It is not the duty of an employee to motivate other employees. Rather it is the job of the boss. However, colleagues can also, in several ways, help to encourage their coworkers to put forth the professional effort and keep the workplace more productive.
You should also be cautious in your attempts to encourage your coworkers, so you don’t overstep your bounds, and your motives to correct a lazy coworker would seem like harassment.
Below are just a few ways you can employ to motivate your lazy coworker:
Set a Good Example:
You can motivate your coworker by performing your duties at work to the best of your abilities and not nagging about your boss or company.
Setting good examples helps your lazy coworkers to see value in your initiatives and dedication. They will even be more motivated to do hard work when they see the company reward their efforts.
Give Positive Feedback:
Be grateful and praise your lazy coworkers when they put extra effort into their work. This way, you reward and encourage their positive professional behaviors.
This also helps them to understand that their input is appreciated.
Ask For Their Help:
Sometimes your lazy coworker might be reluctant to participate in any project at work because he is doubtful of his abilities and has not been allowed to learn or perform.
You can motivate them by inviting them to a project or asking for their help to complete a task.
Bring in Reinforcements:
If you have tried to motivate your lazy coworker in several ways, it all ends in vain. Probably, his attitude is hurting your performance on the job negatively, and the situation is beyond your control.
At this point, you should talk to your boss about the issue so they can help him become serious.
You can also motivate your lazy coworkers to do better work by offering to help them do something in return.
Conclusion
Lazy people are present in almost every organization and are difficult to deal with. Most dedicated and committed professionals often get frustrated by lazy coworkers who don’t share the same motivation, pride, and ambition level. It’s important not to allow their negative attitude towards their work to affect your life.
If you are currently dealing with a lazy coworker, then the above tips will help you handle them fairly.
In the meantime, don’t be distracted by their actions or allow the quality of your work to suffer. Also, don’t forget to be professional while you do your best at work.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
A lazy coworker will often display bad behavior at work, like shying away from their duties, being absent at meetings, never contributing to meetings, and having an excuse for everything.
It is usually the job of managers or supervisors to motivate their lazy employees. You can still contribute to motivating these individuals, but be careful, so you don’t go beyond your bounds.
You should politely communicate to them how their behavior affects your work performance or output. Also, you can offer to help them overcome their behavior. You should gently and clearly state your problem to your boss. You can also suggest a better workflow to your boss to help your lazy coworker improve.
You can help to motivate your lazy coworkers by giving them positive feedback, praising and encouraging their extra efforts, and asking for their assistance in a project.
Yes, you can be fired for laziness, especially if poor performance negatively affects your company.
References
- smallbusiness.chron.com – motivate-lazy-coworker
- forbes.com – 11-tips-for-dealing-with-a-lazy-co-worker
- thebalancework.com – how-to-deal-with-lazy-coworkers
- toggl.com – dealing with lazy coworkers
- coburgbanks.co.uk – how to deal with a lazy coworker
- meridianbs.co.uk – three signs your colleague is lazy
- forbes.com – tips for dealing with lazy coworkers
- careeraddict.com – lazy-coworkers
- timecamp.com – best 6 polite tips for dealing with a lazy coworker
Recommendation
