Slyly Nudge a Lazy Coworker Back to Work by Offering to Help
If a lazy coworker is hindering your productivity, a sincere offer of help may be enough to rekindle the fire underneath.
It’s frustrating when a coworker isn’t pulling his own weight, but you can’t tell him what to do, and jumping over his head will only cause drama in the workplace. This is why Alice Kalisch from Muse invites you to invite a colleague rather than summon them. It might sound counterintuitive, but offering help might make them work:
There is always the possibility that the reason he is messing around is actually because he is fixated on some idea, or maybe confused by the task or depressed to the point where he gives up. Just say, “Hey, I noticed that you’ve been staring at your computer all day – I’m a little free, can I help you with something?” may be all he needs to get back on track or open up. Or, at best, he might just say back, “No, sorry, just distracted. Thanks! “And refocus on your own.
You also let them know without confrontation that your piece of work is in a good place and that they may need to step up it. However, the trick is not to be passive when offering help. Offer help sincerely and be polite, but at the same time, don’t let them outsource all their work.