12 Simplest Tips For How To Deal With Lazy Coworkers

Looking for “how to deal with a lazy coworker”. Lazy people exist everywhere and we’ve got to deal with them. When it comes to terms of the workplace, it’s difficult to figure out how to deal with lazy coworkers.

So there are people in offices who are more interested in other tasks. Rather than the ones they get paid for. Laziness at workplace can have many causes.

They’ll come late to work, have extended lunchtime, and then leave early.

12 Tips For How To Deal With Lazy Coworkers:

First of all, remember that it’s not your duty to make them walk on the right side. Though a lazy coworker can be a burden on everyone around.

It’s obvious that such people inhibit teamwork performance. And the eventual result will be on your individual life.

The issue is how to deal with lazy coworkers around you. This is what we are going to discuss in this article.

Read these amazing tips and get yourself out of trouble.

1. You Should Have Stronger Nerves: Dealing with Lazy Coworkers

The first thing you need to do is be strong around your lazy coworker. Because they are the ones who are always running away from work.

So they’ll try to find out someone else who will do their task. Never do that task on their behalf.

Because if you do it once, it might become routine and habitual.

It means you are enabling your lazy coworker not to do their work. So don’t become a part of the problem.

Try to solve this problem by saying a simple but polite “No”.

2. Don’t Allow Him To Change Your Personality:

It’s a difficult task to avoid the effect that lazy people leave on you. And it becomes harder when your superiors don’t take your complaints into account.

But still, you have to be strong in your place. Because you’ve got to know how to deal with lazy coworkers.

Feel your individuality and never let your lazy coworker influence you.

Only because they are wasting time doesn’t mean you should too waste much time.

Don’t let any lazy habit destroy your reputation. Because it’s easy to adapt to laziness but it’s hard to let go of this habit.

So try to give the best of you and see the better results in long run.

3. How To Deal With Lazy Coworkers – Lead Them Towards The Right Side:

It’s not necessary that someone is lazy because they don’t want to work. The reason can be something else.

It can be either they are in trouble or tired of their life. In that case, you need to help them by giving some guidance.

Help is not only in the form of doing the task on their behalf. Neither you need to do that work for them.

Rather you can guide them by telling them how to do the management of tasks.

Telling them the ways to manage their work can result in increased productivity. That is awesome!

4. Avoid Mustering Up Your Emotions – It Can Be A Blast:

You’ve got to ignore the smaller issues. But if you are trying to do the same with something that is very bothering. Then it’s wrong to do it.

Because ignoring something that leaves a bad impact on you is bad.

It might result in a big pile of feelings gathered up in your mind. Your personality will get polluted.

Identify the problem and check its intensity. If it is intense and big then think about what you need to do.

So the first step is to know the problem. And the second step is to let the person know that there is a problem.

5. Don’t Let The Anger Take Over You:

It’s fine to communicate it and let them know that their laziness is affecting others.

And it’s okay to try to solve the issue. But while doing this keep your emotions out.

Don’t communicate with a furious mind. Wait for your emotions to settle down. Because if you don’t keep the anger out then it will result in a bad ending.

Have the satisfaction that you tried at least to solve the issue. If it doesn’t work well, it’s not a failure.

6. Try Giving Good Vibes Around Your Lazy Coworker:

Though it is disturbing that you’re working hard but a person around is not. And the frustration increases when their laziness starts affecting you.

The effect can be in the shape of your bigger workload or it might happen that your performance hinders.

But in the end, you are responsible to control your attitude. Be professional and focus on your work.

Complete your task with the affirmation that you’re doing well.

7. Find Someone To Mentor You Through The Way:

If you talked to the person causing the problem, and there’s no answer. Then you should find someone who can guide you.

A lawyer isn’t needed in this situation. But seeking advice from a friend before filing the complaint would be helpful.

The mentor can be anyone who would give you a different perspective of the situation.

So it’s important to have a different insight to resolve the issue.

8. Never Create The Buzz Against Lazy Coworker:

The suggestion is to talk to someone to have their viewpoint on the issue. Don’t confuse it with gossips.

It’s natural to get the frustration out by sharing it with others. But you have to avoid this.

You might feel happy and light after letting the anger out but it might destroy your reputation.

Also, your negative remarks about the person can reach him and the matter can get worse.

Talking to someone to solve the issue is great. But don’t start a cycle of gossip by talking about it for the sake of getting rid of it.

9. How To Deal With Lazy Coworkers – Never Take All The Burden On Yourself:

In all this mess, your mind will ask you to do the work and fill the gap. Because the completion of work is more important than anything else.

But this is not the right way to solve this issue. The problem can vanish for some time but it still remains there.

This way all the workload will fall on you. And you’ll hinder your growth. Delaying the solution to the problem will cause the situation to get worse.

To find a workable solution that solves down everything around you.

10. Have A Chat With Your Boss About This:

It doesn’t seem professional to take small matters to your manager. But it might help you.

You don’t have to complain to the manager about someone’s laziness. All you have to do is tell them in a polite manner that it’s not your job to fill the gap.

You are not responsible to pick up the slack for your coworkers. Also, it’s not your job to make them understand their responsibilities.

If you are able to suggest a good plan for the workflow to your supervisor. Then it’s great!

Changing the dynamics of work done by a team and organization is the greatest thing.

11. Start Leading From The Front-line:

The laziness of your coworker is giving you a positive change too. That is you can go to your supervisor.

And tell them that you can better deal with these difficult situations. It’s an opportunity to become a leader so you should grab it.

How you can do it? Go to your boss and tell them straight that your coworker isn’t working.

So you want to be a leader to help them. After that, you should go to your coworker.

And communicate your effective leadership skills.  tell them that you want to help them in meeting deadlines. This will make you a leader.

12. Shake Hands With Your Lazy Coworker:

The last option you can go for is to change your perspective towards the work situation. Look for better ways for how you feel and react to the workplace.

It’s natural to get frustrated by someone’s laziness. But you need to stop and look if there’s a reason behind their behavior.

Your lazy coworker might be facing some hard realities of life. They may be going through a rough phase.

In such a case, you need to be a little understanding of them. Try to make a bond on a personal level with them.

This can help to cool down your anger as well as help them improve their behavior.

The Simple Process To Deal With Lazy Coworkers:

After assessing the situation of laziness shown by a coworker. You have to decide how to address their behavior.

The level of affecting their laziness leaves on your performance is not ignorable. So action is a must requirement.

The tips are useful and you can use them for good. But there’s another option for you to try.

This 5 step process is to deal with lazy coworkers in a professional manner.

1. Approach Them Being Professional:

Going right away to the management doesn’t seem a professional behavior.

What else you can do then? You should follow the management rules and approach the coworker first.

Tell them that their laziness is affecting you. But do this by adopting a polite tone.

Let them know that your performance is getting affected by them.

Try not to talk to them while being angry. And don’t start addressing the issue with a blown-up mind.

Because you will lose your temper. And the issue might get shoot up rather than getting solved.

2. Try To Understand Them:

While you were approaching them you must have an open conversation. This means you can put yourself in their shoe.

We don’t know what is happening in another person’s life. So walking in someone else’s shoes can be of great help.

Because it will let you know what’s going on in their head. And what’s causing all this trouble.

Many of us are dealing with personal issues and professional lives at the same time.

Such kind of personal issues is a part of daily life. It’s not possible to avoid them.

It can be possible that what you are seeing as laziness is them dealing with personal issues.

They might get stuck between the demands of work and home. And this is what makes them unable to pay attention to work.

Try to know what is going behind the curtains. So that you know that their laziness is intentional or unintentional.

Address the situation with your point of view as well as theirs.

3. Get Instructions From Others:

After you identify and understand a lazy coworker. The next step you’ll have to move towards is to seek help from other people.

Make a list of questions and find their answers.

For instance, do the rest of the coworkers are getting affected too? Are they feeling the same way?

It doesn’t mean at all that you should gossip about a certain person. Because gossips can ruin the matter even more.

The purpose is to check are you seeing the situation in the right way. And making sure that you are not the only one getting affected.

What to do after it? Seek advice from mentors. Those mentors that got to face the same situation in the past can help you better.

Filing a complaint against your coworker is never a good option. Because it births tensions between you and them.

4. Discuss With The Seniors:

The next step in this process is to talk to your boss and let them know your problem.

The superiors aren’t that much interested to solve workplace issues as you are. So try to raise the issue by having a strategy at the back end.

And if you don’t do so, you’ll end up looking like a miserable person.

Saving your reputation is important.

For this purpose, you need to go with a professional approach. Tell your seniors how you tried to solve the matter on your own.

Then tell the management about the effects your lazy coworker is causing.

Make the complaint look more in the favor of the company’s reputation than your own.

5. Register The Complete Process:

The final step is to register and record this process in documentation. It’s important to have documentation.

So that you can have evidence and proof of the claims made against lazy coworkers.

Write down what you observe and how their actions are affecting your ability to perform.

Also, record the efforts you made to cool down the situation. It can be records of you addressing your coworkers.

Complete this process and wait for a positive response from your company.

Frequent Asked Questions:

What Do You Say To A Lazy Coworker?

Before saying something to your lazy coworker. Make it clear that laziness is not the problem. There’s always a reason behind someone’s lazy behavior. So be polite while communicating with them. Tell them that their behavior is affecting your performance. And if needed offer help to get them out of this behavior.

How To Tell Your Boss About Your Lazy Coworker?

Instead of getting involved in-jokes and hints, you should be direct while talking to the boss. Be gentle and quick while stating your problem. And then ask for a favor. Also suggesting a better workflow to your boss will be of great help. At last, make a good connection with your manager.

How Do You Motivate The Lazy Coworker?

It’s the job of managers and supervisors to motivate their lazy employees. But if you want to help as a colleague. Then be careful and don’t go beyond the boundaries. Show a practical example by performing well. And ask for help. The lazy coworker will help you and get motivated for themselves too. Always give them positive and encouraging feedback.

How To File A Complaint About A Lazy Coworker?

See is there any effect going to trouble you if a complaint gets filed? Then ask yourself whether you tried to solve the problem or not. If yes, then choose a perfect time to talk to your manager. Keep your emotions in control. Before filing the final complaint ask for your boss’ advice.

What Are The Signs Of A Lazy Coworker?

A lazy coworker will show blunt and bad behavior. He will not recognize the efforts of others. Absenteeism is a major sign. It can be in the form of full-day leaves or long lunch breaks. Lazy coworkers won’t ever contribute in meetings and don’t show up in meetings.

Conclusion

The conclusion of this discussion is that it’s not easy to deal with a coworker’s laziness.

But anyhow it’s important to figure out how to deal with lazy coworkers.

This five-step process, if used right, is going to help you in these situations.

There’s another way that is to motivate your coworker by knowing their personality. But it’s not easy either.

No one can control the behavior of another person. But being respectful towards others is a good option.

In the end, never let others’ actions affect your way of working or habits and moods. Keep your mind strong and try to chill out the frustration. 

Drop a comment to share your experience with your lazy coworker.

Last Updated on 7 months by