Too much work at work

baseball1988

I started this job about half a year ago and started at the same time with another co-worker.

My manager gives each employee individual projects (which means my co-worker's project rarely affect mine at all).

This month is really busy as hell. I have a lot of work to do already...and I work extremely hard at it. I come in early and leave late hoping to finish....and i don't want to work under pressure when deadline is up. But my co-worker is so slow at finishing up projects...then my manager gives my co-worker's tasks for me to work on...which I'm not happy about. I understand that it's good to help out...But, my co-worker comes on time and leave early everyday. Doesn't work too hard (the relax type). Then, when deadline comes...my co-worker hope someone else can finish it off. This isn't the first time. It has been like this for months.

When my co-worker's tasks are on my plate....my projects will slow down and i'm worried that I will miss my own deadline....then my stress level goes up.

Advice?

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Comments

healthyboy

leave jobs i say whats the point when working so hard and both of u get paid the same amount, i doubt ur manager cares if he does he should pay u more

matt333

this is how I deal with that..
make a list of all your projects ...set importance etc..
any extra projects get added to the bottom
Go down the list.
Talk to your boss and tell him that your going to work on these projects. It is good to help but don't spend to much time on work that isn't your to do. If anything talk to him, I'm sure he will help you out

Roguetadhg

Get your work done first, above all.

Help comes to those that help themselves. If he can't pick up the pace, then maybe he should come in early and leave late?

I'm a bastard, so what can I say?

I'm the same way when it comes to projects and work. I'd rather put in my time for the work early, and then relax after it's done. It's a lot less stressful than waiting until the night before.

afcyung

Are you getting some of his pay? Otherwise whats the point?

higherho

This is how my current Job is and its in a stressful environment to. I believe that you work an 8 hour day, no more or less. If you do more than you should be compensated for it in some fashion. I have 20 hours overtime clocked and still did not make up for it.

I developed a top 5 system for myself. Meaning every morning I come in and write the top 5 things that need to be done and go down the list. Once my 8 hour shift is over, if I have anything on that list then it will carry over to the next day. If its URGENT and needs to be done by the next day for then I will stay past the 8 hours that day but come in late the next.

Hybrid positions are great and all in terms of gaining experience but they truly suck when it comes to your social life / stress levels. Especially if you're the only person.

EDIT

I would report the co worker at some point. Especially if his tasks are getting thrown at you.

baseball1988

healthyboy wrote: »

leave jobs i say whats the point when working so hard and both of u get paid the same amount, i doubt ur manager cares if he does he should pay u more

I'm the type of person who believes in working hard then relax later. Let's say I have 5 projects to work on. Once I finish 3 projects and when I'm close to done...my manager will throw my co-worker's tasks onto my plate (this is happening more frequently). I don't mind doing the work but I do get a bit nervous when deadline is nearby.

matt333 wrote: »

this is how I deal with that..
make a list of all your projects ...set importance etc..
any extra projects get added to the bottom
Go down the list.
Talk to your boss and tell him that your going to work on these projects. It is good to help but don't spend to much time on work that isn't your to do. If anything talk to him, I'm sure he will help you out

Thanks for your feedback. When the work is on my plate, I will need to spend a good amount of time on it (high quality work). I rarely skim through it quickly and leave errors behind. If any problems arise, they will come back to me even though if the project was originally assigned to my co-worker. Anyway, good advice making a list and work from top down.

Roguetadhg wrote: »

Get your work done first, above all.

Help comes to those that help themselves. If he can't pick up the pace, then maybe he should come in early and leave late?

I'm a bastard, so what can I say?

I'm the same way when it comes to projects and work. I'd rather put in my time for the work early, and then relax after it's done. It's a lot less stressful than waiting until the night before.

Yes, my co-worker can't pick up the pace and isn't really a problem-solving type of person. I don't mind helping but not when there is a tight deadline. I remember a few months ago when there was a major deadline and I had to finish up my project on a specific day. This co-worker kept on asking me questions non-stop for the entire day (no idea why), maybe my co-worker tried to slow me down so I can't finish. I could have finished exactly at 5pm but I stayed 2-3 extra hours to finish because my co-worker kept bothering me.

afcyung wrote: »

Are you getting some of his pay? Otherwise whats the point?

No. I don't have a choice. If my manager says "here's a new project for you". It's hard to say "NO, I am already busy as hell". I'm already fortunate to have a job right now so I don't want to whine when a lot of unemployed people want to work these days.

higherho wrote: »

This is how my current Job is and its in a stressful environment to. I believe that you work an 8 hour day, no more or less. If you do more than you should be compensated for it in some fashion. I have 20 hours overtime clocked and still did not make up for it.

I developed a top 5 system for myself. Meaning every morning I come in and write the top 5 things that need to be done and go down the list. Once my 8 hour shift is over, if I have anything on that list then it will carry over to the next day. If its URGENT and needs to be done by the next day for then I will stay past the 8 hours that day but come in late the next.

Hybrid positions are great and all in terms of gaining experience but they truly suck when it comes to your social life / stress levels. Especially if you're the only person.

EDIT

I would report the co worker at some point. Especially if his tasks are getting thrown at you.

Thanks for sharing your story. Yes, I work about 8 hours a day and indeed it is stressful in the past few months. My co-worker does do work. Sometimes I glance at my co-worker's computer monitor and this person is reading news or browsing the internet or reading personal PDF's of some sort (unrelated to work). It's 100% unrelated to work. Do I care? No. However, I do care when my co-worker's tasks are coming my way when this person is being lazy.

I am looking forward to book a 2 weeks vacation to relax.

xbuzz

It sounds like you're running yourself into the ground.

To me, it looks like, because you are carrying the weight of your co-worker, this will never stop. The work is getting done, but it's getting done at your expense, and it sounds like management doesn't care. I would personally take a step back, stop killing yourself on projects. Get your projects done to the best of your ability, but don't rush them. When your co-worker's projects start mounting up it's not your fault. Tell your co-worker you are busy, because you are. Doing everyone elses job doesn't help you in the slightest and you'll end up just hating your job/career and becoming burnt out.

What you're seeing is what happens when there is inept management. Bosses will keep throwing work on their best employees to make up for bad employees, because they don't have the guts/skills to get the person who is slacking to do their job. They're also the kind of people who will never let you be promoted, because they know if they do, they lose alot of productivity. They're more likely to just promote the slacker, just to get them out of the department etc.

I would just stand up for myself. I'd let the co-worker know that I have my own work to do. IF my work gets done early, I will help him, but there's no way im going to be doing overtime on his projects if he's going home early everyday.

One of the above posters said it the best, only help those who help themselves.

techdudehere

I've ran into similar situations myself.

My thoughts:
1) as a general rule it's better to try to be helpful and managers do appreciate the people who get work done without a fuss.

2) However, there is a fine line. If you accept more work than you can do, it will eventually cause you to miss a deadline, perform sloppy work, or otherwise get complaints. Keep this in mind!

3) Staying late is almost never a good idea. If you can't get the work done in 8 hours and you stay 10, what will you do when the work grows to the point it cannot be done in 10? It seems like your making things better but you're actually making things worse since you're preventing them from setting appropriate expectations, staffing, or hours. I make sure to juggle things around so I will have my work done on time. If there's no time to do something properly, I let people know I can't do it and ask them if they want to schedule it for a certain day or find someone else who can take care of it now. Of course, some things can't wait so you have to be smart about it.

4) watch how you are perceived! If you're frantic people may think you're struggling with the work or cannot handle the job. Work hard but make sure you work at a pace where you can come across as professional and listening to others and collected.

GPIT

Can't offer any real advice... only to say that around here at work we have a saying, "it's not my job to do your job."

Devilry

I have a different outlook on this, however please don't get me wrong.

In my personal opinion you are hired to work X hours per week, within those X hours a week you are to do whatever your employer ask of you. A person is not hired to do Y task and stop working while still being paid on Y task. I know that you are not just trying to get out of work, but I think we have jobs that we need to do what we are told and there is nothing wrong with that. In the event that we do not enjoy the job, and feel like we want to be in a different environment, then there are plenty of fish in the sea.

To the people who say we shouldnt do other peoples work, thats bull. Our hiring contracts did not have a asterisk that said "only to do your assigned work, and not work as a team..for better or worse" They said when you are here.. you are expected to do what you are told without question as long as its legal.

If the other person is not keeping up, how can it look bad upon the person picking up the slack? Make sure its documented and presented regularly. Unless you have an absolutely terrible boss it really can't turn out to be a bad thing at some point in time. If that is the case, CC the bosses boss.

higherho

Devilry wrote: »

I have a different outlook on this, however please don't get me wrong.

In my personal opinion you are hired to work X hours per week, within those X hours a week you are to do whatever your employer ask of you. A person is not hired to do Y task and stop working while still being paid on Y task. I know that you are not just trying to get out of work, but I think we have jobs that we need to do what we are told and there is nothing wrong with that. In the event that we do not enjoy the job, and feel like we want to be in a different environment, then there are plenty of fish in the sea.

So are you stating that if your employer asks you to do programming work and you're not a programmer you will just state ok and go with it?

To the people who say we shouldnt do other peoples work, thats bull. Our hiring contracts did not have a asterisk that said "only to do your assigned work, and not work as a team..for better or worse" They said when you are here.. you are expected to do what you are told without question as long as its legal.

Again you sound like you would burn yourself out and work yourself to the ground as long as your employer asks? This is why IT professionals are getting underpaid, overworked, and multiple job duties outside of their job scope because of this type of attitude.

If the other person is not keeping up, how can it look bad upon the person picking up the slack? Make sure its documented and presented regularly. Unless you have an absolutely terrible boss it really can't turn out to be a bad thing at some point in time. If that is the case, CC the bosses boss.

Very true, it will look good on the person taking on all the tasks and being postive about it buts its obviously not good for the employees health / mental stability. Your right you need to report it to your boss or bosses boss and if they react poorly to it then you know your working at a bad place.

tacm

All of your points are valid and there's no reason to not help out other people on the team, but if he's already coming in early and leaving late to get his stuff done, then he's already doing his part. It would be a different situation if he worked 5 hours then had no other work to do the rest of the day. Since he's a;ready putting in extra time, there is no more time to pick up the work of someone who has no sense of urgency.

I say do all of your work and if anyone comes to you with anything extra, let them know EXACTLY what you already have to do of your own work and tell them you can get to it after your work is done and when that will be. If that's too late then that's too bad, they better find someone else to help them or put in some extra hours themselves.

Like I said if you didn't have enough work and were not already putting in extra time this would be different.

Devilry wrote: »

I have a different outlook on this, however please don't get me wrong.

In my personal opinion you are hired to work X hours per week, within those X hours a week you are to do whatever your employer ask of you. A person is not hired to do Y task and stop working while still being paid on Y task. I know that you are not just trying to get out of work, but I think we have jobs that we need to do what we are told and there is nothing wrong with that. In the event that we do not enjoy the job, and feel like we want to be in a different environment, then there are plenty of fish in the sea.

To the people who say we shouldnt do other peoples work, thats bull. Our hiring contracts did not have a asterisk that said "only to do your assigned work, and not work as a team..for better or worse" They said when you are here.. you are expected to do what you are told without question as long as its legal.

If the other person is not keeping up, how can it look bad upon the person picking up the slack? Make sure its documented and presented regularly. Unless you have an absolutely terrible boss it really can't turn out to be a bad thing at some point in time. If that is the case, CC the bosses boss.

Qord

Are you salary or hourly, and do you have to fill out any kind of time report? Make sure you track your time, even if you don't need to. If poo hits the fan, you'll want to be able to provide documentation that backs you up.

Unfortunately good time management will only take you so far, and there is such a thing as not enough time, even though I like to pretend that's no true. (I LOVE to tell the kids "did you sleep? Then you had time...:)) As others have said, try to prioritize projects, and if possible get yours done first. Make sure you and your boss know what you've done, what you're doing, and what you're about to do. Good, healthy communication can go a lot farther than most people think.

KeithC

I feel your pain. It's the same at my job where I see my co-worker displaying poor time management by distracting himself (internet, phone calls, text messages, chatting it up with other co-workers). In the end it lands on my shoulders to get the work done since he's too busy staring out the window in la la land.

I suggest

1: Politely telling your co-worker you are busy and do not have the time to answer their questions. (because you are doing their work . . )
2: Do not offer nor help your co-worker when their project due date is looming (If you have a full plate already why stress yourself out more)
3: Start a list of your projects and split it up into yours and the projects you inherited from your co-worker. After you have a decent list show your manager the list while explaining how you put forth the extra effort (working more then you should & more then your co-worker) and the stress it is causing you.
While talking to your manager you could take the conversation two ways:
Point out how your co-worker doesn't put in the full effort they should by explaining the few times you look over they are not working.
or
Suggest that because of the extra work that is causing the stress you don't want to get burned out and ask for some suggestions.

The above is only if you like the company otherwise just look for another job.

tprice5

higherho wrote: »

This is how my current Job is and its in a stressful environment to. I believe that you work an 8 hour day, no more or less. If you do more than you should be compensated for it in some fashion. I have 20 hours overtime clocked and still did not make up for it.

Overtime? What's that?

In my environment you will never receive over time. It just never happens. If you have to work 4 hours late due to some deadline, then you will be allowed to leave 4 hours early once the deadline has passed. If you accumulate 8 hours overtime before that deadline do you get a day off? Nope. Since we each have responsibilities that must be handled every morning, you will have to split that time between multiple days.

Am I working for Stalin?

cyberguypr

Xbuzz and techdude sum up my point of view. If I had to label this situation with two words I would say bad management. The thought that a manager can live with shoving the slow employee's work onto someone else makes me sick to my stomach. You shouldn't put up with that. OP, the big question that I have is if you have talked to your manager about this. I am curious to see where he stands on this. Maybe he's taking an "I'll keep throwing things at baseball1988 until he complains" approach. Also, have you talked to your coworker about this? That would be my first course of action.

@ Devilry. If that's the way you roll that's fine. Most of us would will gladly take on more responsibility but that does not mean the employer has carte blanche to throw stuff others can't/won't do onto us. With that mindset things can go wrong quickly and people can become disgruntled amazingly fast. An environment like that sounds very toxic to me. It will just perpetuate the existing state of affairs as in the OP's case. I will gladly help out my coworkers if I have the time. If I don't have it, I can't help. It is management's responsibility to provide the appropriate human resources to make sure the workload is addressed. Again, in the OP's case they need either someone who can work in a more efficient manner or just add a third person to the team. Circles back to management issue.

I've shared this story here before but will bring it up again. Several years ago I was doing helpdesk tier 2/3 and my coworker got fired for being clueless. I was stuck supporting hundreds of users by myself for a few months. I was coming in early, leaving late, then going back home and remoting in and working some more. By the second month I was burned out, ready to bail or kill someone. My manager noticed this and called me into her office. I'll never forget what she said: "STOP. You are sending the wrong message by coming in early, leaving late and working from home. If you keep doing that senior management will see things are working just fine and won't haul their butts to hire someone". Best advice ever. I took her advice and slowed down a bit. Tickets piled up that set things in motion.

Devilry

To sum of responses to my post and peoples comments:

All i'm saying is, if you can do it, do it. I'm not saying it makes a good work environment or that it doesn't suck but we need to realize the economy around us and employers are unfortunately driving all employees harder than they should. If you step up to the plate every time, even if its out of your area it will not go unnoticed in most cases.

My words are not to be strict, just of encouragement - hard work pays off. Even the crappiest of bosses and work environments will typically notice you if you abide by those rules.

Should you stay? Most likely not

Roguetadhg

Actually, Cyberguypr's story rings true also. I've been told almost the exact same thing by my manager about issues. Although, I wasn't really going to kill someone :P

NightShade1

Well talk to your boss...
Sometimes i get my proyects and sometimes when my coworker needs help and my boss tell me to help him i tell him okay i can help him
But remenber i got this and this and this, if i help him then those those projects will be done later....you decide what you want me to finish first and what does have priority...
Bealive me i dont just take everything i know what it feels because i work hard here also and its the same thing sometimes here... but i make my boss pick what he wants to be done first... and what can wait... this way i dont have like TOO much work at once, i get out early normally and if i dont finish something in the deadline then well he knows thats its not my fault....

Roguetadhg

It's been proven that multitasking really doesn't get more jobs done faster, either. I think that's an important note. Do one thing at a time, focus on that and what you can't get done - you can't get done.

Google search "Multitasking work" and besides the Apple products, there's a lot of articles about how that multitasking just doesn't give the best results. We've all been here, juggling projects and tickets.

FloOz

maybe have a sit down with your manager and explain the situation??

techdudehere

I'm definitely all for people learning to work on new things and putting in a full days work but going too far out of scope can get you fired, especially in big corporations where teams have delegated duties.

This one happened to me:
1) Department could not keep up with the amount of work.
2) Noticed a few coworkers often browsing pages, texting, etc.
3) I worked like a crazy person trying to keep the department above water
4) Noticed a few mistakes I had made because of the fact that I was working at such a blazing pace.
5) Vowed to slow down
6) Often stayed late and didn't slow down
7) The work continued to increase

Coworkers still goofing off
9) Came to my senses and realized despite staying late pressuring myself to work at an impossible pace, and risking mistakes, things were only getting worse.
10) Found another job that paid 25% more and suggested they implement mandatory performance standards

One place I worked actually sent out a monthly email showing who did the most and least work lol

If you're the manager of a bad environment like this you could simply fire the dead beats, implement some kind of performance evaluating criteria, or bring in temp staff or add employees. As someone else said, this is really a management issue. You have to be a little careful how you point it out. Certainly come from the place of "Hey I have noticed this going on and wanted you to know about it"or "I have an idea that might help our team" or something that doesn't make it sound like your manager is doing a bad job.

m3zilla

Devilry wrote: »

To sum of responses to my post and peoples comments:

All i'm saying is, if you can do it, do it. I'm not saying it makes a good work environment or that it doesn't suck but we need to realize the economy around us and employers are unfortunately driving all employees harder than they should. If you step up to the plate every time, even if its out of your area it will not go unnoticed in most cases.

My words are not to be strict, just of encouragement - hard work pays off. Even the crappiest of bosses and work environments will typically notice you if you abide by those rules.

Should you stay? Most likely not

I agree with your post. I always try to avoid worrying about what my co-workers are doing, and focus on what I have to do. When you start thinking about what someone else is or isn't doing, you start nitpicking and it just make it worse.

Besides, when I apply for a job, I don't apply thinking I'm going to come in, and work for 5 hours and surf the web for the rest. So to me, it really doesn't matter if I'm doing someone else's job as I'm working either way. Having said that, you do have to draw a line somewhere, and I think that's where the OP is having a hard time with. He doesn't know when to stop.

Valsacar

Roguetadhg wrote: »

It's been proven that multitasking really doesn't get more jobs done faster, either. I think that's an important note. Do one thing at a time, focus on that and what you can't get done - you can't get done.

Google search "Multitasking work" and besides the Apple products, there's a lot of articles about how that multitasking just doesn't give the best results. We've all been here, juggling projects and tickets.

You're generalizing here, though it's probably true for most people. I'm not most, my brother and I both are ADD (or whatever they call it these days), among other things. He uses it as an excuse, I use it as a strength. I cannot sit and focus on one task for longer periods of time, I will get bored, my mind will wander, and I will miss deadlines. On the other hand, I can multitask really well and get more work done than most could by doing one thing at a time. I jump between projects and work with speed and efficiency, as soon as I notice myself wandering I jump to a new project. This basically renews me, and I can keep working at the same rate, it's like crop rotation for the mind. Once my boss understood this I never got one task assigned, and I have now completed more than double the work my predecessors had done in a quarter of the time (my first pay raise was 35%, reflecting the extra level of work I was able to accomplish).

To the OP, slow down. I learned a while ago that the faster you get work done, the faster you get more work. Don't miss deadlines, but don't get them done too fast. Find the rate that you are comfortable with and stick with that, stop working extra (especially if they are unpaid) hours. I'm not saying to stop doing anything extra assigned, but it sounds like your getting the extra work because you're doing your own so fast. Get to a milestone in your current project, and take yourself a little break. Read some news, a forum, etc to relax for 30 minutes, then get back to the project. This will help lower your overall stress, without putting you behind. That way, when your boss checks in he sees you still have your own work, and hopefully won't shovel the other guys work on to you.

baseball1988

Thanks for the replies so far. I read all of the comments posted here. However, it's hard for me to reply to everyone.

xbuzz wrote: »

It sounds like you're running yourself into the ground.

To me, it looks like, because you are carrying the weight of your co-worker, this will never stop. The work is getting done, but it's getting done at your expense, and it sounds like management doesn't care. I would personally take a step back, stop killing yourself on projects. Get your projects done to the best of your ability, but don't rush them. When your co-worker's projects start mounting up it's not your fault. Tell your co-worker you are busy, because you are. Doing everyone elses job doesn't help you in the slightest and you'll end up just hating your job/career and becoming burnt out.

What you're seeing is what happens when there is inept management. Bosses will keep throwing work on their best employees to make up for bad employees, because they don't have the guts/skills to get the person who is slacking to do their job. They're also the kind of people who will never let you be promoted, because they know if they do, they lose alot of productivity. They're more likely to just promote the slacker, just to get them out of the department etc.

I would just stand up for myself. I'd let the co-worker know that I have my own work to do. IF my work gets done early, I will help him, but there's no way im going to be doing overtime on his projects if he's going home early everyday.

One of the above posters said it the best, only help those who help themselves.

That's the problem right now. My manager throwing work on the best employees that can work efficiently. I told my co-worker a few times that I am busy doing work. Sometimes this co-worker asks me to rephrase a whole damn paragraph or even a few sentences.

techdudehere wrote: »

I've ran into similar situations myself.

My thoughts:
1) as a general rule it's better to try to be helpful and managers do appreciate the people who get work done without a fuss.

2) However, there is a fine line. If you accept more work than you can do, it will eventually cause you to miss a deadline, perform sloppy work, or otherwise get complaints. Keep this in mind!

3) Staying late is almost never a good idea. If you can't get the work done in 8 hours and you stay 10, what will you do when the work grows to the point it cannot be done in 10? It seems like your making things better but you're actually making things worse since you're preventing them from setting appropriate expectations, staffing, or hours. I make sure to juggle things around so I will have my work done on time. If there's no time to do something properly, I let people know I can't do it and ask them if they want to schedule it for a certain day or find someone else who can take care of it now. Of course, some things can't wait so you have to be smart about it.

4) watch how you are perceived! If you're frantic people may think you're struggling with the work or cannot handle the job. Work hard but make sure you work at a pace where you can come across as professional and listening to others and collected.

I agree with you. It's not that I am accepting more work. The manager will assign mini projects to me through e-mail. So, I can avoid it and say "no". These projects were initially assigned to my co-worker (because I can see it on my co-worker's list). After a few weeks, the project still isn't done so it comes to me. Then, I spend 2-3 days on it and I'm done.

By the way, I didn't stay late everyday. It's only once in a blue moon (maybe once or twice a month).

Qord wrote: »

Are you salary or hourly, and do you have to fill out any kind of time report? Make sure you track your time, even if you don't need to. If poo hits the fan, you'll want to be able to provide documentation that backs you up.

Unfortunately good time management will only take you so far, and there is such a thing as not enough time, even though I like to pretend that's no true. (I LOVE to tell the kids "did you sleep? Then you had time...:)) As others have said, try to prioritize projects, and if possible get yours done first. Make sure you and your boss know what you've done, what you're doing, and what you're about to do. Good, healthy communication can go a lot farther than most people think.

Salary. I don't need to fill out any time-sheets or reports. I do prioritize my work.

KeithC wrote: »

I feel your pain. It's the same at my job where I see my co-worker displaying poor time management by distracting himself (internet, phone calls, text messages, chatting it up with other co-workers). In the end it lands on my shoulders to get the work done since he's too busy staring out the window in la la land.

I suggest

1: Politely telling your co-worker you are busy and do not have the time to answer their questions. (because you are doing their work . . )
2: Do not offer nor help your co-worker when their project due date is looming (If you have a full plate already why stress yourself out more)
3: Start a list of your projects and split it up into yours and the projects you inherited from your co-worker. After you have a decent list show your manager the list while explaining how you put forth the extra effort (working more then you should & more then your co-worker) and the stress it is causing you.
While talking to your manager you could take the conversation two ways:
Point out how your co-worker doesn't put in the full effort they should by explaining the few times you look over they are not working.
or
Suggest that because of the extra work that is causing the stress you don't want to get burned out and ask for some suggestions.

The above is only if you like the company otherwise just look for another job.

Our company use some internal software to communicate with each other. Today, I logged off to minimize any contact with this co-worker. My manager does know who is working and who is lazy. I don't like to backstab others and be sneaky by telling the manager about my co-worker. My previous job (at another company) was like that and it caused a lot of office politics.

My manager is burned out more than me. If our projects don't finish by the deadline, it's my manager who will get in trouble. This is why my manager is transferring my lazy co-worker's projects to me and others.

pruspeter wrote: »

maybe have a sit down with your manager and explain the situation??

I didn't talk to my manager. I am sure my manager is aware about the lazy co-worker. Today, I glanced at my co-worker's computer screen to see what this person is doing. Sometimes this co-worker would check 1) shopping websites and 2) read a novel in PDF format. This person would work for 1 hour then read a novel for 10-15 mins then work 1 hour then read a novel for another 15 mins, etc.

My co-worker is relaxed because 1) knows that SOMEONE ELSE will finish up the work or 2) EXTENDED DEADLINE. I know my co-worker can't handle stress. There was a deadline day and this co-worker called in sick). The good co-workers ended up cleaning up the mess on the final day.

afcyung

If your manager isnt going to change the group dynamic by either fixing this employee's work habits or replacing him, then you need to change it for yourself and move on.

xbuzz

I'm all about helping out people, and not going to management about people, but this dude is doing worse to you. He's screwing you over, by not pulling his weight, and he probably knows it. I hate people that don't pull their own weight, with a passion.

If your boss is under stress with deadlines also, he should look to motivate this guy, or get rid of him. If your boss knows about this guy slacking, but does nothing, even though his own ass is on the line, then he just doesn't like confronting people probably. Some slight pressure by you might just give him the push he needs to correct it, and if it doesn't happen then the above poster is right. Start looking for a new position.

cyberguypr

You and your manager are enabling bad performance and dysfunctionality. Flight or flight my friend. It is crystal clear you are not fighting. One option left. Now, what's gonna happen if you switch jobs and the exact same thing happens? Food for thought.

paul78

@baseball1988 - I have a slightly different perspective...

I tend to get a lot of the extra overflow work as well. I end up doing some of the stuff that isn't part of my primary job role. Or I may be asked to handle something just because someone higher-up said that I could do it.

Frankly, I cultivate that sort of reputation within the organization. There are distinct benefits to being known as the "go-to-guy/gal". It's very flattering and I appreciate the trust that my management places in my abilities.

It sounds like you are actually being assigned the tasks by your manager - to me - that means that your manager must have a higher-opinion of your abilities than your co-worker. When it comes time for a promotion or when raises are allocated - that is going to be remembered.

If you are being overwhelmed - simply be honest when you are asked to do something extra. The conversation with your manager when he/she assigns you something new is to decide which tasks you are currently assigned should be re-prioritized. And if the fit isn't right, offer a suggestion to your manager on how that task/project could get done differently.