7 Tips for Dealing With a Lazy Co-Worker
5. Don’t do them too many favors
If your coworker is lazy, it is not your problem. Do not take up their responsibilities on your shoulders as favors or just because you think that the work is important and needs to be done. As long as you do your job well, you have nothing else to worry about. If it is a joint project or you share responsibilities with them as a team, you should just remind them about deadlines and pending tasks, and then mind your own business. But do not spend too much energy beating yourself up about unfinished work for which you are not responsible.
6. Avoid getting into joint projects with them
You may at times be assigned work or projects where you are required to coordinate or work jointly with a lazy coworker. Avoid such projects as much as you can. Of course, it does not look good, so what you can do is ask for an extension of deadline at the very onset. You could also talk about pace of work and that it might not match with that of your coworker since both are required to work in tandem. This would subtly put across a message about your coworker’s laziness without you looking like a whiner.
7. Use their laziness as an opportunity
Sometimes you can turn untoward situations to your own advantage. Take the opportunity of a lazy coworker to become a leader. Approach your superiors and offer to help your coworker whose productivity is surely not up to the mark. This will put you in the light of a leader and will also be appreciated your bosses.
