10 Signs of a Slacker Employee

In small business, it is hard to hide employee traits of being unproductive and under-performing.  But it certainly does occur, and the effects on the owner are traumatic, either financially, emotionally, time-wise, or all of the above.  So let’s look at 10 signs you may be a slacker employee:

• Your boss has to do some of your work.  You are hired to do a job, but you don’t perform it fully, so the boss has to complete it so it represents the reputation of the business.  The boss is now using his or her precious time to do what you are supposed to do.  Think this is the boss’s fault?  Maybe somewhat, but why can’t you take responsibility?

• Someone has to fix your work because you didn’t get it right.  If your coworkers are covering for you, how do you think they feel about you?  My guess is that you are resented and derided.  You are bordering on useless.  Is that the way you want to be known?

• You make mistakes resulting in scrap, rework or repair.  This is similar to the first two signs above, but the effect here is on the competitiveness of the company you work for.  Your sloppiness is causing more expense, which means the business is less competitive, which means your job, such as it is, is at risk.  Do you care so little about the future of your employment?

• You don’t know what performance is required of you.  Yes, your boss should be explaining this fully, but you have some responsibility, too.  If you don’t know, ask!  And think!  Look around and see what is needed to help the business perform at a high level.  Then just do it.

• You argue regularly with your boss and/or coworkers.  If this is you, I’ll bet you think everyone’s out to get you, don’t you?  Well, guess what the common denominator is in all this conflict.  It’s you!  Why not put your energy into resolving conflict instead of causing it?

• You take sick days when you aren’t sick.  Just because “everyone else does it” does not mean it’s the right thing to do.  If you get paid for not working, it is either a precious privilege which the business has offered as part of your compensation, or you are stealing from the business.  The difference between the two can be a very fine line, but don’t you think your reputation is worth knowing the difference?

• You don’t pitch in to help, or to do something that is “not your job”.  Businesses are ultimately only as good as their employee team.  Just like a football team, you might have a superstar or two working there, but it takes the entire team to win.  If you don’t help, you risk being cut.

• You spend time at work doing personal things or engaging in “play”, such as games or personal activities.  But you are paid for engaging in work needed for the business to succeed.  Here’s a proposal for you: Send me a check every week for the privilege of not doing work for you.  How would that feel?

• You are “disengaged” (that’s the current politically correct word for “slacker”).  You perform work slowly, with just enough effort to get by, and feel you are entitled to be paid just because you show up.  Take a look at the resume you used to get your job.  I’ll bet it claimed you to be an “action-oriented, progressive, creative, proactive, engaged, thought leading, team-oriented” dynamo.  Did you lie?

• You show up late and/or leave early.  Yeah, you’re a slacker.  Enough said.

Unfortunately, not too many slackers will read this, nor recognize themselves in these clear signs of their poor work ethic.  But now let me turn the tables.  Business owners and managers who read this have some responsibility, too.  Our businesses cry out for us to eliminate slackers, but too often we put up with them either because “hiring is too hard”, or “deep down inside they are really nice people”, or “I just don’t have the heart to fire them”, or some other excuse that means the business suffers, or you personally sacrifice your time or your money to support this waste in your business.  What are our responsibilities?

• Make it clear what performance expectations you have, and how they will be measured.

• Train relentlessly.  Unfortunately, people learn best by repetition.  If you’ve explained it once, great.  Now explain it again.  Expect improvement, but not instant perfection.

• Measure performance.  How much scrap, rework and repair is being produced?  What is the percentage of billable hours vs. total hours paid for?  What level of output is achieved?  What gets measured gets done

• Engage with your employees if you expect them to engage with you.  If you are holed up in your office all day, how can you expect your employees to get as excited about the business as you are?

• Work on creating a team that can help do some or all of the work you do.  Creating a well-functioning team is different than simply hiring individual, disconnected technicians.

• Stop putting up with slackers.  They are sucking the life out of your business, and possibly out of you.  Get rid of them and put your effort into finding employees you can be proud of.

Tough talk, I know.  But men weren’t put on earth to be slackers.  We are here to be creative, productive beings.  Go and use your talent as a manager to find and build productive achievers to work for you.