eLeadership

Leadership is the art of getting
someone else to do something
you want done because he wants
to do it. – Dwight Eisenhower

3 Ways to Deal With The Slacker

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Oh….the slacker. I’m sure you work with a few of them that you could name right now! They are the worst type of employees. Most of the time they are extremely smart and very creative when they want to be but for some reason, they lack motivation. So what do you do? Do you fire them or just tolerate them because it’s too expensive to hire and train someone else? Evading the problems may decrease the moral of the staff or even worse, encourage other employees to join in and follow their footsteps. Changing this type of behavior in the workplace takes committed support from the manager to stay consistently on top of their performance until the situation improves and is corrected.

If you have slackers that you have to manage, and you have determined that 1. It’s not an underlying issue of whether or not, they like or dislike their job. 2. They’re not having difficulty working with others. 3. There is no physical or mental matter enabling them from doing the job successfully and consistently. 4. And clear lines of communication about the role and its responsibilities have been communicated appropriately, here are a three tips from grindstone.com that I’ve used to hold the slacker’s accountable.

Invite the employee to describe the adverse consequences of the behavior
  • According to the article – Leigh Steere and Peter Friedes, co-founders, Managing People Better, states “After talking with the employee and the behavior isn’t a surprise, you can say, “Good, I’m glad you know about this issue. What do you feel are the consequences of your procrastinating?”.

The article made a great point, this gives you the opportunity to hold a mirror up to the employee to show them the impact their procrastination and the effects it has on you as the manager, the team, your clients, and work quality. The article also stated that if the employee seems to be really hearing you, you can then pose this question. “Is this something you’d like to work on changing?”

If the answer is YES, you both are on the same side and working for the same change.

Come at it from different perspective
  • Ryan Holiday, Director of Marketing for American Apparel said, “For me, handling a slacker involves presenting the work in a way that appeals to the slacker’s self-interest. It’s almost a way of saying, “This is first and foremost for your own good.”

It’s important to present yourself to the employee as someone who cares about them, and the company cares about their well-being. Ryan Holiday in the article indicated that – it’s a matter of walking the line between tough over-the-shoulder and obvious disinterest. It’s a push and pull dance with the employee, and if done correctly, the slacker should start to rise to the occasion to fight for themselves proving they are fit for the job.

Concentrate on results, not just being busy
  • Focus on the deliverables to keep your slacker employees on track, said Brad Karsh, President of JB Training Solutions. He indicated that If things don’t improve within the time period established, consider letting them go. Monitor the progress and provide encouragement. “If the behavior is not corrected in the timeline agreed upon then don’t be afraid to release this person to succeed elsewhere,” said Mary Hladio, Founder and President of Ember Carriers Leadership Group.