Tips to work with lazy people!

[SomethingFun]

I work with someone who is just about capable of doing the bare minimum with some support. We work in a team and all work is similar to group project work so we are collectively responsible for delivering it. I’ve spoke to management but nothing changes. My company is good and I don’t want to leave but having to do extra all the time to make up for my lazy/ incompetent colleague is making me stressed and resentful. Has anyone been able to make this type of situation work?

My current tactics are avoiding working with colleague, try and name what people are doing so it’s more obvious who is and isn’t contributing, try and set up a work/ responsibility rota so it is clear who is and isn’t taking responsibility and I’m trying to be more ruthless with what I take on so I’m not getting overwhelmed. But I feel it is still taking up too much of my time and energy and I’m trying to manage a dysfunctional situation.

Avoid doing their work as much as you can. Have a meeting with your manager to see what can get resolved. If no resolution look elsewhere as from experience management avoid sorting issues.

I'd give lazy colleague a specific task relating to the project, discuss project milestones, hold progress meetings, shine a light on why project has fallen behind (again), go overboard on 'does lazy colleague need more training' but do not put another colleague alongside them to 'help' the task get back on track. Always give them their own task, get everyone in meetings to update team on weekly progress. At end of meetings write up actions 'lazy colleague agreed to do x by cop friday'. Shine a light on their tasks and why they are falling behind.

I would look elsewhere - you can't solve this problem.

Sorry to say look elsewhere things are not likely to improve.

i have worked with a number of people I call wheel barrows - you have to literally think for them and push , as soon as you turn your attention to elsewhere they stop and are right where you left them.

Thanks so much for replying. It’s a really good company maybe I can move within rather than leave. Any other job I would have left by now.

I like wheelbarrow as a term this is exactly what this person is like! I didn’t realise there were so many of them there would be a term for it 😁

It is obvious when we have clearly defined work that colleague isn’t delivering but I don’t see any manager dealing with it, we just get put on the work to help colleague so it gets done and everyone is happy then. Except me obviously because I’m doing my job and their job.

Just make it obvious that you have to drop something else to do the work lazy colleague should have done. You have to show management this is 'extra' for your workload.
Ooh that's going to take me x hours, what shall I drop to fit that in? Or 'are you paying overtime as I don't have the time?'
Gosh, this happened last month, I had to step in and drop X to do Y.... perhaps we should look into the process and see why this keeps happening?
Don't make it a team problem.

I have really tried to not do their work but everything is so intertwined at the moment if their bit doesn’t get done the whole thing won’t be done. I realised last year I was doing their more clearly defined work for them so I stopped doing that. But I guess I need to be far more vociferous about what I’m already doing and and what am I dropping to do colleague’s share of the work instead of doing extra. Such a pain!

Whatever you do don't criticise lazy colleague infront of management. You need to do it in a way that clearly shows there is a problem and something needs to be done. If you can't do X because lazy colleague hasn't done Y, you need to take personalities out of it. 'The delays seem to be occurring because task Y is taking too long, we need to look at what's causing this'.