There
are always one or two individuals at the workplace who are sitting on time
bombs of being dismissed at any possible time. These types of persons will go
through the length of having an easy way of life at the workplace whilst
leaving the great deal of task to be handled and executed by the other team.
Although this is not a pleasant topic for discussion around the workplace it can however not be overlooked as the impact of the actions of these individuals cost the organization immensely. John Boitnott, a digital media consultant shares some traits of such persons and possible ways of dealing with them:
1. The Vanisher.
The
vanisher seems to go invisible at odd times without explanation. It could
be two-hour lunches or mysteriously lengthy breaks. Perhaps the person simply
calls in sick on a day when a big project is due, or shows up late for
work on the day of an important morning meeting. Whatever the behavior, a
vanisher always lets you down and forces other team members to pick up the slack.
How to deal with them: Vanishers are among the hardest
employees to discipline because their "offenses" often occur in
areas with poorly defined regulations. Set clearly-defined time expectations
for vanishers and enforce them consistently.
2. The Victim.
The
victim is the work equivalent of the student who claims "the dog ate my
homework" in school. There are hundreds of excuses for workers to
call in late, and the victim knows them all. From flat tires on the way in
to work to sick pets or children, the victim is often not afraid to make things
up to get out of work responsibilities. The victim may even block a position
from being filled for months while only showing up to work as often as is
necessary to keep earning a paycheck.
How to deal with them: Document this type of behavior early on and
don’t stop. A first or second excuse, whether it’s car trouble
or sickness, can be convincing, but document it anyway. By the time a
fifth or seventh excuse is thrown at you, you want to make sure you’ve documented
it all so the pattern is apparent and doesn’t continue that long before you
need to take action.
3.
The Procrastinator.
Everyone
is guilty of procrastinating from time to time, but the procrastinator turns it
into an art. If you have a major project, this person waits until the last
minute to do his part of the work, leaving everyone else involved frustrated
and anxious. On a daily-operations basis, the procrastinator simply pushes work
off to another day while he or she wastes time on non-essential tasks. The
procrastinator puts unnecessary stress on the rest of the team and jeopardizes
every project with each deadline.
How to deal with them: Be strict with scheduling where the
procrastinator is concerned. Set certain deadlines or quick meetings for them
every so often that will force them to make progress and know they are
accountable. Even daily check-ins may be appropriate in order to stay on top of
a project's status.
4. The Delegator.
The
delegator is an interesting type of lazy person, primarily because he or she
puts so much effort into avoiding work. Without even being in a supervisory
position, the delegator constantly pushes work off on everyone else. Many
overly career-conscious people will do this. The delegator can force morale
into a downward spiral and risk your reputation, especially if he or she
eventually begins pushing work off on clients.
How to deal with them: Check in regularly with the delegator and
keep tabs on the size of their workload (but try to avoid micromanagement).
Assign work to them specifically by saying, “I’m giving you this project and
you only.” Call them on it and discipline them when they violate this.
5.
The Troublemaker.
Perhaps
the most dangerous lazy worker is the troublemaker, who not only doesn’t work,
but spends time stirring up drama throughout the office. The troublemaker can
often be seen wandering from desk to desk, gossiping about co-workers and
engaging in casual chitchat. If they don’t feel confident engaging others in
conversation, they may instead conduct the same kind of drama-mongering through
email or online. The troublemaker zaps the productivity of other workers in the
office and even puts your business at risk of having confidential information
exposed.
How to deal with them: These are some of the hardest people to
deal with because they may not actually be breaking any rules, but are still
somehow disturbing the work environment. Consider engaging with them more
closely and being good to them. This is the old "keep your friends close
and your enemies closer" philosophy. Communicate with the troublemaker to
find out what their issues are. Stay close to them to potentially make them
happier. If these efforts don’t succeed or are just too exhausting, work on
building a case to let them go.
Entrepreneurs
often have little time for slacking in the office. When a team member engages
in disruptive behavior or shirks duties, entrepreneurs must see it as the issue
it is and take measures to do something about it. In some cases, speaking to
the employee may help but all too often, the only solution is to replace the
lazy employee with one who will be much more productive each day'' - Entrepreneur.com
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