How do you deal with a lazy colleague?

Category Companies / Co-workers

Here are the five great tips for dealing with them:

1. Don’t get distracted

Don’t spend your whole day focusing on the fact that your lazy colleague is constantly checking Social networks, texting or making another private call at the desk next to yours.

Try to tune them out and focus on your own work. People are funny that way - and will spend more time focusing on the fact that our colleague isn’t doing their work than it would take to just do it ourselves.

2. Don’t get caught up in ‘fairness’

Life isn’t fair. People will often say “it’s unfair that he gets away with doing nothing”, however at the end of the day it doesn’t really change anything.

By pointing out that it’s not fair, we just make ourselves feel bad and the situation doesn’t change. Instead, focus on being the best that you can be.

3. Don’t whine!

Whining may only make you be seen as a ‘jobsworth’ type who has nothing better to do than tell tales, so don’t do it – but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t speak up.

This one is tricky and it really depends on the situation and the boss. Some bosses might say: “Thanks for letting me know. I’ll investigate” - while others will tell you, “It’s not your job to worry about your co-workers’ performance.” It could make you look bad.

However, if you go to your boss and say, “I’m at a point where I can’t go any further with the project because I’m waiting for my colleague to finish his part – what can we do about this?” it gets the point across without you seeming like whiner.

If they explicitly ask you to review you co-workers’ performance, then you should be honest and factual about what you have personally seen and experienced (not what others may have told you).

4. Don’t pick up their work

If you’re on the same team or share the same responsibilities, don’t pick up the work they aren’t doing. Remind them of the tasks and deadlines, but don’t let babysitting your lazy colleague consume too much of your valuable time.

A lazy colleague can easily hinder your own progress. If your boss notices that the work isn’t getting done, don’t let the blame fall on you.

This is your opportunity to speak up, if you haven’t done so already.

5. Speak with them

He or She may not be lazy. Instead, they might just be very unclear of their tasks, goals and deadline. Sometimes it's not that they're lazy, it's that they don't have a good way of oranizing and prioritizing their work or managing their time.

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