Dealing with lazy workmates
When employers support their employees in achieving their career goals, they will be motivated to do better. File photo
At some point in their career, everyone has worked with a colleague famous for their slackness. This lazy person will tour the whole office cracking jokes, never beat any deadline, is chat or watch videos on Facebook all day, talk on phone for hours, and then, slip out of the office at lunchtime and may not return.
Ivan Mugeere, the chief executive officer of Infosis Business Solutions Limited, says people behave the way they do for various reasons. “To some, laziness comes naturally. To others, laziness could be due to personal problem such as a small salary, boredom with the job, family trouble, lack of promotion at work or perhaps they do not have the expertise needed to do the job.”
Some experts advise that you should not bother yourself with this kind of colleague as long as they are not affecting your productivity in any way. Julia Kushemererwa, head of research and product development at Success Africa, says, “Do not let laziness be infectious because it can cause you to miss out on getting a good work experience because you are always angry with the idle person you are supposed to be working with. As the lazy workmates enjoy their idleness, concentrate on your work and show them that you are too busy to engage in their conversations and actions.”
Do not share their work load
Everyone has a cross to carry and it does not make sense to share your lazy colleagues’ responsibilities. If you are working on the same project, do only what you are supposed to do because the more you step in to help them, the more reluctant they will become to work on their assigned tasks.
Make their laziness an advantage
Wanja Boniface of Bonre Consultancy Parlour advises hardworking employees that this is their time to shine by showing off their good performance. “A show of commitment to the job might earn you a promotion or a leadership position. Talk to your supervisors and show them how much you labour to get your team projects off the ground as your colleagues play around.” Working alone will also give you a better learning experience.
Helping them out
Do not go around the office gossiping about your disappointing colleagues, though, because everyone has weaknesses and strengths. It would make your work easier if you found out your lazy workmate’s strengths and capitalised on those.
“Some people are good at field work, others at making phone calls, some surfing the internet and doing research, while others are good at writing reports,” Mugeere explains.
If you can, encourage your workmate to refine their strengths by rescheduling your tasks around their good points.
Whatever the cause of their laziness, do not let it affect your attitude towards work. Wasting time getting angry with them will affect your overall performance and morale. Subconsciously , you may become hostile to your other colleagues who seem to accommodate the lazy worker comfortably.
PRACTICAL WAYS TO HELP
According to Zubedah Kunihira, director of Kaladon Uganda Limited, an employer can easily identify a lazy worker just by studying their work habits. “Lazy workers will spend most of their time on social media, work less hours, and may not deliver on allotted tasks in time. Their work is always shoddy and, in most cases, their actions affect other workers.”
She adds that sometimes, other workers will complain about that particular worker, which should be taken seriously and followed closely.
Interface with them
You can never know the reasons for one’s behaviour unless you talk to them. “Sit the employee down in a quiet environment and engage in a fruitful discussion where you give them chance to table their reasons without fear. Tell them how their laziness affects the company and their career. If they have valid reasons that are demotivating them in their work, address those reasons.”
The way forward
After you have both agreed on work strategies that can make the employee better, and you have worked on their problems, set targets that you want them to meet,which you should both agree to.
Make sure the strategies you set can be achieved within the time you have allotted. “Setting targets will give a lazy or demotivated employee a driving force to work without you monitoring them closely,” Kunihira says.
Alternatively, you can follow the employee continuously in his or her progress on the working strategies you both set until they get back in line. If you take this course of action, be strict with scheduling. Set deadlines or quick meetings for them every so often to check on their progress and for them to account for their time in the company.
“Another good tactic is to let the employee set their own targets in their own time, without you dictating how they should work,” Kunihira advises.
Some employees, though, are in the habit of delegating their work. After the lazy employee has set their targets, keep tabs on their workload. The best way to do this is to assign them a specific project and then, discipline them when they delegate the work to a junior.
THE GOOD SIDE
Climb the ladder. If you are ambitious and are willing to climb the career ladder faster, use your co-worker’s lazyness to showcase your dedication to the company by taking on their workload.
