
Ask HN: Boss won't fire a chronic slacker. What should I do? - dominotw
I love my job, its the best job I&#x27;ve ever had except this one issue that has been bothering me a lot.<p>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.<p>I&#x27;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.<p>I am at a loss as to what to do about this. I really don&#x27;t want to quit over this.
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rwallace
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.

~~~
projectramo
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.)

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johnwheeler
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).

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NickHaileyEvans
> 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.

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y0y
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.

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carterehsmith
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.

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itomato
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?

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JSeymourATL
> 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.

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kogir
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.

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probinso
Don't pick up the slack.

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mherrmann
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.

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convolvatron
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.

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

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

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borplk
Stop picking up their work.

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stevenwiles
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!

