Co-Worker Is Not Pulling Their Weight – How To Resolve

You are (most likely) annoyed by a particular co-worker not pulling their weight around the office.

Perhaps you are picking up their slack every single day. Or maybe you are so annoyed that you aren’t picking up any of the work they aren’t doing. You refuse to help someone who will not attempt to get up to speed.

It’s making your department look bad. The situation could be making you look bad.

You are frustrated that your co-worker is not putting in the effort while you are.

Watching someone else show zero to little motivation while you are getting your work done is a difficult situation to be in.

Let’s explore some ways you can change this situation.

Emotions Set Aside, Analyze Your Co-Worker

First, you should take a step back and look at things from your co-worker’s perspective.

Here are a list of questions that you should consider prior to making a move:

• Has your co-worker been given proper instruction?
• Has your co-worker been trained properly in the work that they are being asked to complete?
• Does your co-worker have all the proper tools to get their work completed?
• Has anyone given your co-worker expected completion times on the projects that they are working on (or past projects they have completed)?
• Do you know of any talks concerning performance that your under-performing co-worker has had with any of your colleagues?
  • If so, do you know the result of those talks?
• Have you noticed what your co-worker is doing during their free time throughout the day?
  • Are they trying to get caught up on work that they are behind on?
  • Are they doing something else that is not work related like talking on the phone or staring into space?
• Does your co-worker arrive and leave at the appropriate time?
• Do you feel like other people in the office feel as though the same co-worker is not pulling their own weight?

Basically, access the situation. You have most likely been putting up with this for a while and your emotions are playing a part in your opinions. Try to look at things from an outsider’s perspective.

Brainstorm and write down what you feel as though the issues could be.

A Talk With The Co-Worker

After an assessment of the situation is done and you have collected your thoughts, a talk must be had with the co-worker.

Find a quiet place where you will not be interrupted. Do not plan it close to the end of the day or right before lunch. Make sure you have enough time to spend focused on the conversation.

Lay it all out there. Tell your co-worker what you are feeling. Tell them what you have observed. Let them know if other people in the office are feeling this way. Most likely, your co-worker has already noticed some people (or you) treating them differently.

Put all of your negative feelings aside and truly be sincere during this conversation. You are trying to get to the root of the problem. Why is your co-worker not pulling their weight? Ask them to help you understand so that you can help correct the path that they are on.

You want to help them succeed.

It’s not an enjoyable working environment for those around your co-worker. It can’t be an enjoyable environment for the co-worker either.

Try to let go of what you may have felt before this conversation. Put all the negativity aside so that you can proactively listen. You do not want your co-worker feeling as though they are on the defensive side. You’re coming from a genuine place of wanting to help them through this.

The Reasons

There may be a variety of reasons your co-worker is not pulling their weight at the office.

If there’s one particular reason, finding a solution will be much easier.

If your co-worker starts coming at you with multiple reasons for not performing up to par – listen to them as they vent. Once the venting has subsided, write down all of their issues and repeat them, making sure you have captured all of them.

Some issues may be:

• Problems at home
• Zero motivation
• Overwhelmed
• Lack of skill
• Expectations misunderstood
• Timeline on projects misunderstood
• Interuptions throughout their day
• Medical issues

The idea is to have all of the reasons written down. You are not looking to solve all of your co-workers problems right now. What you are trying to do is create trust and allow your co-worker to feel as though someone is reaching out to them for help and guidance.

Make A Game Plan With Your Co-Worker

Your first instinct should be to help solve these problems. Being a great leader (and a decent person) means helping others in their time of need.

However, always remember that this does not include doing the work for them.

You may feel like this co-worker has had plenty of chances to make things right. That’s a very valid feeling. The difference now is you.

You’re investing your time in not only this co-worker. You are also investing your time in the culture of the office that you come to every day. You’re investing in your sanity and the sanity of those around you.

So don’t only look at this as you helping another person. You’re also helping yourself and everyone else that has been impacting by them not pulling their weight.

That being said, make a game plan. Be organized with how you plan to deal with this situation.

Take each of the issues that your co-worker has and find a solution. The solutions may involve bringing other people on board. It may involve obtaining some outside classes.

The solutions could also be teaching time management or boosting confidence.

I would get my superior involved. You aren’t going to your boss saying “I’m annoyed with what this person is not doing.”

You’re going to your boss saying “my co-worker needs help and I am going to spend a portion of my day helping them.”

Once your game plan is made and you have the backing of your boss, move onto making the change happen.

Times To Take A Step Back

Note that there are some situations where your ability to help will be limited. Any medical issues or problems from home are not your responsibility to attempt to solve.

You are apparently at your wits’ end with the lack of getting the job done by this person. You need some resolution.

Also, the co-worker may be slightly reaching out to you for help and that should never be ignored. I would bring issues like depression or other situations out of your control to Human Resources confidentially.

In these cases, hopefully HR will get involved and get your co-worker the help they need. Perhaps this involves outside assistance or adjusting their work schedule. That is not for you to decide.

This should go without saying, but keep any personal information that your co-worker told you confidential.

Know that you did the right thing. The outcome may not be the one you were originally seeking, but you have initiated a change and you should rejoice in that.

Involve Others

You aren’t alone in this. Seek outside resources.

Your co-worker’s boss should be able to provide an outline of what their daily responsibilities are and expectations for the position that they are in.

Other departments are a resource for training and guidance in areas that you need support with. You are not a one-woman show.

If you realize that your co-worker needs outside training, help them pitch it to their boss.

Your own responsibilities always take priority over spending too much one-on-one time helping this individual.

If you feel like you need to get human resources involved, do it. The more people that know what you are trying to accomplish, the better.

Set Your Own Expectations

Once trust is established and you’ve evaluated the situation fully, set expectations.

You are not expected to take this person under your wing forever. You are making an attempt to change a situation that is disrupting your environment.

Create a timeline with goals. Correcting your co-workers habits should not take a year. It may take months, depending on what the initial issues were and how many of them there are.

It will help you stay motivated if you set a cut off date for each issue your co-worker has.

Set a final goal of when you plan to have your co-worker 100% at where they need to be so that you can live your work life in peace.

When It Doesn’t Work And They Leave

Some people are unhappy in their chosen career. This may have been one of the originally issues that your co-worker shared with you.

Others do not want to evolve with the changing environment.

Let them know that no one should feel stuck in a position that they hate. Your co-worker simply has two choices.

• Start their job search, find another job, and leave
• Stay and change

I will say that I see people who are challenged, fail, and quit in response. I hate to call this a win, but it is a win on your part if you took this person under your wing, showcased your leadership skills, and that person chose to leave.

This co-worker leaving will likely strengthen the environment among the remaining co-workers.

When It Doesn’t Work And They Stay

There may be a few reasons this doesn’t work out.

Your co-worker could have gotten defensive in the first meeting you and you were never able to get them to open up.

You could have spent hours, days, or weeks putting your effort into helping them and zero progression was made.

Perhaps they’ve disrespected you and you were the bigger person time and time again. Now you’re done.

Go to their boss and let them know how this co-worker is bringing down the vibe in the office. An employer of choice is not someone who allows a single employee to take advantage. Make sure you have documented all of your interactions with your co-worker.

Note that an intervention type meeting may be necessary. Gather other employees that feel the same way you do about this co-worker’s office habits.

Key Takeaways

Putting your prior feelings aside for this co-worker won’t be easy. Especially when they’ve been building up over time.

Know that people will notice the effort that you are putting in. This may make some others frustrated with you.

Be open with your game plan. Tell others your goals and plans of trying to make the culture of the office better by getting this person up to speed.

If you can accomplish this, I would suggest putting the success you had on any future requests for increases or promotions. You are showing true leadership skills by working with a person that many others have most likely given up on.