Useless Coworker Solutions…Please!

OP suck his dick. Your talents will make him act rite.

Speak up. Talking to us does you no good.

Go tell that broke-dick boss of yours to straighten this shit out, or you're walking.

Yes, listen to R2. Great advice. Give the boss an ultimatum. Then, once you start 'walking', I'm positive R2 will help you find a well-paying job.

The other option is to job-hunt, which I would consider. You don't have a coworker problem, you have a supervisor problem. Maaaybe if you have a good relationship with the boss's boss and trust that it would be handled well, you could reach out to that person and explain how things are going. But the best choice may be to just get out of there.

I agree with R4. By the sound of it, it looks like you have let this go on for far too long. Not much you can do at this point but plan your exit with a nice new job lined up.

Either that, or perhaps that lazy coworker is unionized and your position isn’t (?). If that’s maybe the case, guess whom your boss will suggest should take a walk, unfortunately… 😟

The only choices are: -talk to your supervisor about your coworker’s weaponized incompetence, and how they’re not doing anything about it. Ask to Demote coworker or put them on performance improvement so they have to meet expectations; -If your supervisor is also too incompetent to handle any kind of performance improvement plan for coworker, or lazy, or both, you either do what you can while looking for a job or shut up about it and do what your coworker does. Stop giving so many shits and do the bare minimum you have to do, while looking for another job, do not make it easy for either of them and make sure everyone knows who is assigned what and who’s not doing what. Push back on the hard projects. “This is a good learning opportunity for numb nuts “ -Quit if you can and go on the ho stroll / gig work / etc

At my place of employment, I'm considered 'management' even though I'm not (I'm office admin assistant). We have 750 union workers who went on a 100 day strike and just returned yesterday (after reaching an agreement last Friday). I never want to work through a strike again. It was worse than the pandemic.

It sounds like your supervisor knows he isn’t very good, but it’s possible your supervisor isn’t thinking about the impact his poor performance has on you. The supervisor may be thinking that you should be trying harder, given that your coworker is so lame. Is there a specific reason your supervisor cuts your coworker so much slack?

So you could point that out, carefully. Present it as, “because I have to spend extra time doing x, y, and z, I’m less able to take advantage of opportunities to do a, b, and c, which are activities that could help propel me to the next level. Can we brainstorm about work arounds that would allow me to achieve this?” Or, “Because we get negative feedback about mistakes and lateness on x y, and z, I feel like my achievements at a, b, and c are overlooked by our internal partners. Can we discuss some projects I might be able to take on that don’t depend on shithead’s contributions?” Get a colleague who has an objective view of the situation to coach you. Make the supervisor aware and see if there is any improvement at all. If not, then you should find another job.

But you should first ask yourself, DOES his poor performance have a negative impact on me? Or does it just piss you off that he gets away with it? I spend way too much time infuriated at mistakes and bad practices at my job when I should just be ignoring what a shitty job my department does and concentrating on sucking up.

Just curious, did you have a similar situation in real life, like brother who did very little and got all the praise, while you cleaned up all the messes and nobody noticed you or praised you? Or has this happened before in any way? I think sometimes we find ourselves in situations that feel familiar and it keeps us enmeshed in the pattern of behavior. Depending on your age, you can break free by finding another job. This one doesn't sound very good, yet you stay in it.

I doubt anything is going to change in your job, regarding your co-worker, or your boss. It seems like a no-won situation.

*win

Do you have good rapport with your boss’s boss? Would you feel you’d be stepping on toes going around him? What if you take one of the people who your supervisor told to stop complaining? Sounds like you have 2 problem colleagues.

It also sounds like your boss is intimidated by your weak-link colleague, who should be fired or put on notice.

Whenever you want to change something at work you have to frame it so it benefits the manager. Otherwise he hears it as a problem for himself.

So try to find an angle. Get him worried about his budgets, productivity or deadlines with a deadweight on the team.

Say the coworker reflects badly on ALL of you. Don’t make it about yourself and your needs. Remind him the other department knows he sucks.

When he asks again if [John Doe] can handle the [Williamson] project, put on a Noir voice and slowly say, “If he CAN’T handle Williamson he DAMN WELL shouldn’t be working at CORPCO! And light a Chesterfield.

Quit or suck it up.

…another ripoff of the terrible Anna Holmes column in the Times. Zzzzzz

Here’s an Ask Dottie type reply:

OP, while you claim to be doing all of the work, I can see by your timestamp that you are bellyaching on company time.

You also tipped your hand by fuming that your colleague gets all of the easy jobs, yet YOU call HIM lazy!

It’s clear your boss resents your nagging and heaps praise on your simpleton coworker to piss you off.

What you need is better team spirit and better manners. Formulate an apology to your colleague, who is simply trying to create healthy boundaries and a good work/sloth balance by saying no. Now get to work. What do you think this is, France?

Do you have a 7th floor?

If so open a window on that floor.

Come get that co-worker and show him the 7th floor. Pretend there serving cake and ice cream on that floor. To lure him. And do a Putin.

Nothing will be done, OP. No one wants to rock the boat. Your supervisor/manager is inept which, alas, is part of corporate life. Even if you and your disgruntled work colleagues banded together to moan to management, it won't help.

Either suck it up or leave the job. If you do nail a new job, don't give notice ---burn the bridge for good. Fuck being professional. You'll be the talk of the company for weeks, if not longer. You might even inspire others to leave and finally the supervisor will be scrutinized by upper management and the lazy co-worker will finally get his comeuppance.