How to deal with a lazy colleague?
I have a lazy colleague, who doesn't do crap all day and then claims 'we are a team' when deadlines come by.
At that time, my boss re-allocates a lot of his crap to me and I am stuck doing useless mindless work for this guy.
On the other hand, whenever I need him he always excuses himself. Like this guy is so selfish, he would even say no right after i do him a favor.
Plus, he had the audacity to complaint about me not being a good team player two weeks back (after I rightfully refused to do him a favor, when he had refused to help me and was out on a 3 hr coffee break)
I am really done with this guy, but I don't know how to pushback without him complaining about me not being a team player etc? (Its clear he doesn't intend or want to keep his end of the bargain).
Any advice would be appreciated? (This kind of $h!t is messing up my head during my weekend)
Hey Eric,
Depends, any background on where you work in real estate or what your position is?
Try to reason with him. If this doesn't work. Spend a month gathering evidence/data and then elevate it to your boss but make sure you can back up your shit before you do this. This shit would drive me crazy too, it's just honestly not worth dealing with. This also assumes you kill it and your bosses know that.
That's what I was thinking. Before I escalate, I need to gather proof.
The only thing is he doesnt email me...He just asks me verbally? Any way around that?
Ask him to email you so you "don't forget". He sounds lazy enough to do it.
I've had this exact same situation before. What I did (may not work for you) is work faster and better than before to draw more attention as to why the lazy member is not doing as much. It worked and eventually boss had to speak with him and get him to do his part or leave.
I have experience in this matter,
My advice:
This is difficult to do because it means you have to swallow his bullshit for an extended period of time but trust me when I say that it's the best route. Any alternative option will make you seem (a) like a complainer, (b) not a team player, (c) a hard-ass and (d) will put the spotlight on you (in case you ever fuck up).
My two cents.
Great advice!
I dont have silver bananas to give but this is good advice (although this means I have to suck it up till mid year catch up in July)
Agree 100%. On that note, make sure to document your achievements in writing or whenever he passes off work to you in addition to each project that you've worked on under your own, original delegated responsibilities.
By keeping the conversation focused on you, you can, by comparison, marginalize any relevance he has in his employers eyes while simultaneously maximizing your own comp. If you can then advance faster than him, or maybe even manage him, you'll be in a much better position to "deal" with him appropriately if he isn't gone by then. If that strategy doesn't work then start throwing your net out for a new position. Don't worry, after you leave, your superior will figure out very quickly thereafter what was going on.
The hard part is keeping your sanity on a day-by-day basis for dealing with his shit. For that, perhaps your physician can provide some SSRIs and/or Xanax to get you through it. Good luck.
Here's another approach - keep a regular touchbase with your boss via email. I.e. at the end of the day, "Here is xyz you asked for. I'm working on 'a' next and expect to be completed tomorrow. I'm prioritizing that over 'b' and 'c'. " Set reasonable deadlines for yourself, proactively communicate them and stick to them.
Generally, this helps make sure your boss sees YOU getting work done. And that they know you're the one doing it. In time, it will be clear which of you are crushing it and who is twiddling their thumbs.
The only problem with this is that my manager himself allocates out work from the other guy so he atleast has some idea about my colleague being lazy (perhaps not to that extent) but still..
BUT to be honest, it is very difficult to keep yourself on the toes, to be ready all the time when the other guy is just looking to shift his work to others
As someone who doesn't have a job yet, I find it bizarre how someone can work their ass off to attend a good school, maintain great grades/extracurriculars and/or network hard to find a job in high finance at a BB with demanding hours and still be lazy. Whats up with a 3 hr coffee break?
No matter the field, you will always encounter people trying to skate by off the goodwill (and hard-work) of others.
Second this. people lose motivation when all they've wanted to do is break into the industry so they can gain approval from xyz friends and family members. Not saying everyone lives for the approval of others but you'd be surprised how many people I know who do this.
Hmm interesting advice from people. Tough situation OP. I hate having to deal with such vermin at work.
My 2cents is- force him to send you requests via email and then accumulate that as evidence against him.
If you sense your boss is on better terms with you than him, then bring this up in a meeting. If your boss asks for proof, bring up the emails. But my guess is that if your boss is any good he knows what's up.
In my experience all the smart bosses have an extra 6th sense for picking up on BS like this.
good luck OP!
What happens when an unstoppable fart meets an immovable undergarment? Shitstains, Randy. Shitstains.
I think #1 priority is continue doing good work. You need to make it clear to your bosses that you're doing really good work, and on-time, and that you're at capacity in terms of your workload.
Then just stop doing favors for this guy. Just tell him you're slammed with your own work and can't help him out. I would hesitate to complain to your bosses - let the work speak for itself. Your bosses aren't dumb, they probably know the issue. But make it clear that every day "Eric" gets his work, and "slacker" doesn't, so something has to change. I'm not sure how he can complain about you not being a team player when he can't even get his own work done?
Get him to consider a career in politics - he/she sounds overly qualified.
I know that this sounds weird, but have you tried actually talking to the guy about it?
Agree with the comment about not engaging your managers directly about it. Right or wrong, there is a chance that it'll come off as you complaining. I have no idea what your work situation is like, so maybe this doesn't apply, but here's something that I've done in the past:
If I could easily get all my own work done, I asked my boss what other things I could take on as side projects to "further my development" or however you want to phrase it. Not only did I not have time to pick up the slack for my co-workers anymore, but it really demonstrated the gap between my co-workers and I. While your boss may recognize the difference now, it's always better to have the bullet points to put on your annual review to remind them.
Start being too busy to say yes. Make sure your boss overhears you "apologizing" to your coworker that you couldn't help with with his work because you're just so gosh darn busy lately. The best is if your coworker doesn't even realize your boss can hear. Be subtle
And yes, ask him to send the requests via email so you "remember". This way when your boss asks what's going on you can forward him a collection of all the email requests the loser has been sending you.
Also, if your bosses are even vaguely aware of his douchbag and would punish you for raising it to them...start looking for another job. This is nonsense. Any decently run group should not have this problem.
One last thing - start taking credit for all the work you do. Even if the guys says he did, just point out you did it. Unless this guy is the son of the boss or something, your bosses shouldn't automatically favor this guy. Face your fear of speaking up.
Personally, I hate people like this. The only time it's good to routinely do someone else's work is when it's your boss's work because he busy picking up his boss's work and everyone is gunning for promotion.
I wish you the best
Usually with lazy people, managers and such will take note. Just keep up what you are doing, and it will show who is working and who is not.
Eventually the moron will wake up from their slumber only to be shown the door.
As others have stated, a fairly common occurrence (sadly) in the corporate environment.
When I worked in Public Accounting, we used to email the troublesome members and CC the manager and engagement partner if it was something actually important (do part A, I do part B). That way you have control of the data chain.
Gather proper information or proof about the person as how he is behaving with you and his laziness at work. This can keep your heads strong while letting the management to know about him.
Labore cum rem repudiandae corrupti impedit error et. Velit deserunt facere ducimus possimus fuga officia. Eaque nemo reprehenderit ut. Qui sint ex temporibus vero soluta voluptatem. Nihil qui iusto temporibus officia repudiandae similique.
See All Comments - 100% Free
WSO depends on everyone being able to pitch in when they know something. Unlock with your email and get bonus: 6 financial modeling lessons free ($199 value)
or Unlock with your social account...
Amet nesciunt architecto in et velit sed. Assumenda quis impedit esse et. Iure magnam et cupiditate quia dolores. Sed eius est labore dolorem. Doloribus quas et vero quia quis nisi necessitatibus ab. Saepe iure assumenda quo soluta. Accusamus dolorem consequuntur corrupti quia ea.
Aliquam dolor maiores culpa necessitatibus. Minus dolorum eius aspernatur aliquid deserunt error quia. Quia est commodi sunt ratione omnis. In enim nesciunt modi. Laboriosam similique est debitis. Vel ut blanditiis recusandae molestiae ex minus.
Odit consequatur quaerat numquam praesentium aliquam. Voluptates id natus facere quisquam quis omnis fuga. Laudantium odit nobis nihil ut. Temporibus non ipsum et.