Ask HN: Boss won't fire a chronic slacker. What should I do? | Hacker News Reader

Ask HN: Boss won't fire a chronic slacker. What should I do?

18 pointsdominotw17 comments

I love my job, its the best job I've ever had except this one issue that has been bothering me a lot.

One of my coworkers has been employed for over 2 yrs and has produced nothing of value. I am having to pickup the slack and I feel a little overworked because of this.

I've bought this up to my boss many times, he acknowledges it but refuses to do anything about it. I am really puzzled by this.

I am at a loss as to what to do about this. I really don't want to quit over this.

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Get the co-worker out of your mind. That's got nothing to do with you. You're not the boss. It's not your problem.

If you're overworked, that's the problem. Decide how much work you can do, and let the boss know. If he needs more than that, that's his problem not yours; he can either hire someone else or do without.

Just to underscore this point.

This particular co-workers slacking might be annoying, but there will be entire departments that might strike you as useless in the future. (They might even work hard, but you might think that they are aimed at the wrong goal.)

i agree with this.

o.p., if you have not told your boss how much work is your limit, then obviously they are going to continue giving you more.

Is it possible your boss might like your coworker (to your chagrin) and might even resent you for expecting _them_ to do something about it?

Might your bosses' attitude be: 'I wish they'd both work as a team' or 'why should I take one side over another?' Consider your bosses' incentives and interests: Bosses looks good to their bosses when their teams work together.

All sorts of intangibles add value in the workplace. You'd be surprised how far being the hardest worker falls behind things like: somewhat hard work with super supportive attitude, prior working relationships, nepotism, etc. Some of them aren't right, but you have to learn to work with them instead of against if you want to build influence. You need influence to make change. The best book is How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

In short, there's nothing you're really in a position to do except your own work and generate your own value and work with the people who want to work with you. That's leadership in a nutshell.

Welcome to employment. I've been employee, manager, and now self-employed. I want to stay self-employed because I like who I get to work with (me).

> I am having to pickup the slack

Why is that? Why is this person not accountable for his/her actions?

Perhaps try to distance yourself and fully separate your task at hand from his/hers. Make sure you set these expectations in front of your boss. If shit hits the fan, stay professional, but clearly let your boss and the individual know that you were depending on them completing their task. Repeat this 2 more times (as in 3 strikes you're out). If this behavior continues arrange a meeting with your boss and let him/her know that you are having issues that you cannot depend on this person since they consistently fail to meet their targets set in your planning.

It is important to give your boss a sense of control, give him/her the final decision and do not pressure them into any specific actions. If you don't like the way they handle it, then your boss is the problem. Either change your boss within the company or move to a different company, as your boss not being able to resolve such an issue is a symptom of a much large organization problem.

Are you a developer? Advocate for pair programming.

It could be that this guy is bright and your boss is blinded by potential/flashes of greatness, but dude just isn't able to sustain it. Common in this field. Maybe I'm your co-worker.

If you code, pair-programming may actually make the two of you more productive as a unit than you could be individually. I never would have believed it until my current job.

If nothing else, at least you can force him to actually do some work.

Looks like the bottom line here is that you are being overworked because reasons.

I submit that "reasons" should not really matter to you. There will always be reasons - lazy coworker, new customer onboarding, big customer coming but only if we have a new feature X, other initiatives from sales, marketing etc etc.

Whatever the reason, the fact is that you get more work on top of your existing work. Nothing unusual with that.

Not much you can do but accept it. What you can (and for your own sanity, must) do is that, when you get more work X from your boss, spend some time with him/her to go over your timelines and adjust them. This is also a good time to ask which has higher priority - should you do X first, or do it when you are done with your existing stuff?

This often works. Even the most Dilbert-y PHB will likely accept that you need more time to do more work.

If not, well, I guess it's time to re-evaluate the situation.

Never bring your "boss" a "problem" without a solution to go with it.

What is your ideal solution? What is a solution you can live with, and what's an untenable answer?

> One of my coworkers has been employed for over 2 yrs and has produced nothing of value.

It's possible your Slacker Coworker thinks you lack respect for them and their contribution to the team. Evidently, the Boss still has confidence in the Slacker.

If your goal is more equitable work loads, try working on your influence skills. Start by understanding people without judging.

Insist on accountability, and that tasks and responsibilities are assigned to specific people. Then stop picking up the slack.

If your organization won't hold people accountable, or unfairly holds you accountable, you should consider your options elsewhere.

Don't pick up the slack.

I would strictly divide tasks between him and me (so if he doesn't get stuff done it's clear it's him) and stop picking up his slack. It also seems to me your boss is pretty weak btw.

you can complain about an obstructionist, but be careful.

never complain about the useless people. be happy they are happy to stay out of your way. its the companies problem to deal with costs and benefits.

if you feel overworked, then its probably just you. clearly they don't have a problem with people who do less. relax, cut deeper, or encourage them to being in more talent.

How bad is the situation? How many hours a week are you having to work beyond 40 due to this?

Stop carrying. If they haven't fired him then you probably have nothing to worry about.

Stop picking up their work.

You are a wage slave. Your boss cares about your happiness, but only insofar as you are willing to work for your current wage.

The truth is, your boss pays you to do your job and I highly doubt "worrying about the output of your coworkers" is in your work contract. Therefore, you are admitting to spending time thinking about something that you simply should not be thinking about if you're doing your job correctly.

I'm sorry man, but this is the reality of the working world. The only way out of it is to be your own boss.

Good luck!

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