The Big Ugly
by Kevin Franks

There is one question that no one really wants to ask, employers and employees both dodge it. For companies it is the 400lb gorilla - It's simply this - How much work really gets done in your workday? We all know that many days we don't give it our full 8  hours. Generally we make an excuse and strive to do better tomorrow. The occasional slacker is not what I am addressing we all have off days.

Let's understand that it's not PC (politically correct) to use a term like lazy employee anymore. So we make excuses like calling them unmotivated, ineffective or burnt out. It's simple work ethics; employees are paid a wage for a specific reason. It is normally not to take care of personal business, surf the net, talk to their spouse or write their memoirs. Leaders continued tolerance of these less than average contributors can have negative ripples throughout a company. Workplace slackness is a cancer and its appetite is voracious. Continued exposure and your entire organization will be infected. So for the rest of this my very un-politically correct opinions read on.

Working Smarter not Harder
Time management studies abound to tell us where and how to better focus our attention. Employers routinely hire efficiency consultants to devise better systems to manage workflow. As an employer and manager for over 20 years let me just say working smarter sounds great in theory but in many cases just working harder would have been truly wonderful. These exceptionally creative and talented individuals have discovered more ways of avoiding work than can be imagined. I have broadly characterized them as follows.

Fluffing
Making task seem bigger than they are is a common technique with many employees and even quite a few managers and executives.  Admittedly many times the fault lies with the manager for not having a realistic understanding of a tasks actual requirements. With common office tools great gains have been made in productivity. Employees should understand that increasingly more is expected. If you suspect someone of "fluffing" have them actually go through a sample process from start to finish in front of you to see how much time and attention is really involved.

Dodging
Out of sight out of mind....these artful dodgers have mastered the ability to always be out on assignment, in the warehouse on the phone. Always seeming busy and definitely unavailable for additional work. The end result of all that activity is usually very little but they can quickly point out how "busy" they have been. I once worked in a plant that was pretty obviously overstaffed. First day there my supervisor advised me to always carry a file folder or a legal pad and walk fast - that way everyone would assume I was doing something essential.

Best In Show
Over the years these have become one of my favorites to observe. This two-legged version of mans best friend always know exactly what the boss is going to look at. They have perfected the art of looking the part of the lead dog. No matter that they may have to steal others headlines or be shortcutting their real work. They tend to cover their tracks well and exposing them for what they are tends to take some digging on your own. Often they are not discovered until they have been promoted to a point where real leadership and work skills are needed.

Not be confuse you but a related but separate type to this is the adorable lap dogs you know the type, they go by many different names - likes to socialize with the boss away from work. Always ready to show public support for them, knows the birthdays of the bosses spouse and children. Amazing abilities to stroke egos from across a boardroom. 

The Historian
Typically a well entrenched veteran of the workforce who at some point contributed greatly to the company. No one is really sure of what they do anymore but it must be vital. Any serious questions always seem to lead back to that last great accomplishment. Their tenure seems to put them above reproach (at least in their eyes). Typically they tend to have a voice in management functions and often love to cast a suspicious spotlight onto others.

Conscientious Objector
Perhaps the saddest of the bunch, these employees are generally very talented but for some reason have a grudge against their job. Could be they don't like some aspect of the company direction, a new policy, a co-worker or maybe their last review. There work habits may simply be a deliberate slow down or choosing which of their task to actually do. An isolation may also be noticed with these associates. Since you are not facing a character trait but instead a real issue an observant manager may actually be able to find a cure for this one.

Short-Timer
You can spot these from across the room, they are working a notice and everyone but the boss knows it. While they may or may not have an actual job lined up - their attitude is already two steps out the door. Rarely happy for very long, always looking for greener pastures. Focus is usually on everything but the work at hand. Other telltale signs of the short-timer mentality: incomplete work weeks, increased sick days, longer lunches, leaving early, etc. Left unchecked all manner of issues can develop ranging from blatant disrespect to an outright undermining behavior. Disloyalty is doubly corrosive and no matter what the talent or service this person possesses you may likely be better sending them off to that next opportunity.
 

Keep in mind the really crafty ones may combine elements from several types.

Solutions for Employers

Who is to blame?
Other than just a basic lacking of work ethics many issues may drive an individual to fall into one of the above stereotypes. Experience tells us normally it's because that is what worked for them in the past. Somehow they found out that doing "just enough" was good enough; that doing too much really didn't get you ahead. As employers we may have to accept some portion of blame and then be prepared to take action. We must not only correct the individual behavior (or replace them) but to shape a workplace that rewards real contributions and discourages slackers. Continued acceptance undermines all workforce management, profitability and will damage the workforce as a whole. The general belief that a companies rules don't apply to all and expectations aren't fair can kill a company dead.

Not Important / Not Appreciated
Given repetitive seemingly meaningless task will eventually get old for anyone as will doing task that never gets noticed at. Everyone wants to feel like they contribute to a company's success; that they are vital to the big picture. If the job is really that monotonous see if it can be automated, eliminated even or at least shared between others. If nothing else review with the associate why it is essential and have someone keep track of progress. Also be careful as you hand out praise....it's easy to recognize employees on the positive side of a business. The sales person's contributions may be known by everyone but what about the intern working in collections.

Unbalanced workload
No one wants to feel taken advantage of and if work task, pay, hours or any significant component of a job is perceived as unequal for similar employees you will have created an environment ripe for disillusionment. Watch for significant growth (or contraction) in job task and respond accordingly with additional help or task reassignments.

Unrealistic Expectations
Putting unattainable goals on any employee can have a demoralizing affect. Sometime you may briefly do it just to really test capacity but back it off to something more reasonable as soon as possible. Stellar employees need pushing too, maybe even more than average ones even. Often they can coast at a level that makes them seem like overproducers. For all employees though managers must recognize the warning signs and know when to back off.

Parting Shot
There is no single right way to manage your time or an employees. Accomplishment is not the sole measure of effective management; executives may achieve their professional goals at great cost to their health, personal activities, or relationships. With creative time management, the same goals can be met but with added time for leisure activities as well as improved--and more satisfying-personal relationships. Who knows the big ugly truth could cease to exist.