Dealing with an Underperforming Colleague
Dealing with an Underperforming Colleague
Q: A colleague hasn’t been pulling his weight at work for several months, and it’s having a bad impact on my work. I don’t know if he’s just temporarily overwhelmed or if he doesn’t have the right skill set to do the job. What do I say to him? Do I ask him what the issue is? How can I bring this up to my boss without throwing him under the bus?A:
Almost all employees have highs and lows, whether every day, every quarter, or every year—sometimes we’re running on all cylinders, and sometimes we just can’t get it together. It may be that your colleague is experiencing stress from a personal situation, such as a health or family issue, that you are unaware of. But once his inability to fulfill the responsibilities of his job starts affecting your work product, it becomes your problem, too.
Your first step is to have a conversation with your colleague. You might say something like “I don’t want to intrude, but it seems like you’re not at your best right now. I’ve seen you do great work and there seems to be something else going on. Is there anything I can help you with?” Be as supportive as you can. If he’s comfortable sharing the issue with you, you’ll gain a better understanding of his difficulties and how best to lend a hand. If you feel able, you can offer some temporary assistance with his work, but know and respect your boundaries—you’ve already been helping the past few weeks by shouldering the burden of an underperforming coworker.
By talking to your colleague and voicing your concerns directly to him, you open up a crucial conversation. You ultimately want to be able to convey how the situation is impacting you and your work and then, ideally, find a solution to alleviate the burden that has been put on you. You should also encourage your colleague to speak with your manager about the issue, if he is comfortable doing that. He may be looking for another job, which may be why his performance at work has dropped. If that is the case, you can say “John, I appreciate that and won’t say anything, but again, this is impacting my job and I can’t let that go on because I can’t risk my job.” Whatever the situation is that is hindering his work, urge him to bring it to the manager himself, rather than you bringing it to the manager. But also clearly inform your coworker that if he can’t turn the situation around, and your work is impacted, you’ll need to discuss why with your manager.
If the problem doesn’t get better after a direct approach, it will be time to loop your manager in. When you do, don’t say anything about why your colleague isn’t carrying his weight; don’t try to offer your interpretation or speculation about his motivations or personal issues. Instead, frame it strictly in terms of the impact on your work: “The information that I used to get from John in a timely manner has been late and incomplete recently. I spoke to him about it, but the situation hasn’t improved.” You want to let your manager know that you tried communicating directly, but there hasn’t been any resolution. He or she needs to approach John. This way, you aren’t revealing anything sensitive about John to the manager but are informing her of the basics of your situation and encouraging a conversation between your manager and John.
Managers don’t welcome employees who throw colleagues under the bus, so it’s always a good practice to approach your coworker first to learn more about the situation and hopefully find a solution together; if the necessary improvements don’t materialize, then it’s best to get manager support.
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