# Question for managers **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 25, 2013, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860 "2013-06-25T11:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860/21 "2013-06-27T15:12:23Z")
> [@MandaJo](#): > > I think the point is that the reason they have NO FREAKING IDEA how much their laziness affects things is because others pick up the slack. From their point of view, everything is working fine. And the better others are at picking up the slack, the less likely management or the slacker are aware that there is a problem, and the harder it is to demonstrate poor performance. Whoops, the hamsters ate my original response! In my experience very few managers were able to handle such employees, either because of inexperience or not wanting to rock the boat with TPTB. At one point I was one of those employees who always covered for the slacking on the premise that “this is what the job is and if it’s not done heads are going to roll”. Didn’t matter if I was actually doing the slacking employee’s job on top of my own – the whole point was EVERYTHING had to be done in X amount of time, and that fed into my “gonna be a hero” thing I had at the time. When it was pointed out that my own work was suffering as a result, that’s when I stepped back. The acid test came when I was out for a time on short-term disability and things literally fell apart. Management was on pins and needles as to when I’d be returning because they didn’t want to deal with the slackers – they just wanted everything DONE already. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2013, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860/22 "2013-06-27T15:27:47Z")
> [@Doggo](#): > > I don’t get workers that “pick up the slack”. They should just leave him/ her to do their job, or not, and let the managers do their job of running the place. So let’s say the slacker is the “bottler”, the guy who sends the 22 tonnes of product from the reactor to the storage tanks. You’re saying the other workers in that line should just let the line stop? ---
**Author:** ![Doggo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@Doggo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doggo)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860/23 "2013-06-29T12:50:19Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > So let’s say the slacker is the “bottler”, the guy who sends the 22 tonnes of product from the reactor to the storage tanks. You’re saying the other workers in that line should just let the line stop? Absolutely. Then management are going to know there is a problem and deal with it. Managers don’t care if everyone else is doing the slacker’s job as long as the work gets done and they get their bonus. ---
**Author:** ![Dereknocue67](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/6de8d8/32.png) [@Dereknocue67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dereknocue67)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860/24 "2013-06-29T14:52:56Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > I would meet with the other people that are supposedly “picking up the slack”. If they all concur, I would address the problem. I don’t need to observe it if several people are experiencing the same issues. Not to mention that it is amazing how fast and furious everyone works when I am around. I don’t get much information at all that way. Fully agree. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860/25 "2013-06-29T15:23:15Z")
I give my coworkers as much lead time as I can possibly can give them when I need something from them. With plenty of friendly reminders. If we’re barreling close to the drop-dead deadline and I still haven’t gotten their work, I will send them a firm email asking what’s up (making sure to cc the boss). If my boss asks if we’re on schedule and I still don’t have all someone’s work, I’m going to tell him no and tell him who hasn’t submitted what. And then let him handle it from there. What I will not do is cover for the coworker and let the poor workmanship reflect on me. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860/26 "2013-06-29T15:25:42Z")
> [@Foxy40](#): > > Not to mention that it is amazing how fast and furious everyone works when I am around. I don’t get much information at all that way. Machines seem to do that with me. I get a lot of “Hey Joey, can you come take a look at the cardboard compactor/furnace/scale/forklift/cooler/[freezer] compressor/garage door etc, it’s making a noise/rattling/not working/really hot/broken”. Almost every single time, as soon as I walk over the problem is gone and the thing is working perfectly. Like, not even worth my per-emptivly looking it over to see if I can tell what _was_ wrong that prompted the person to call me over to begin with. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/question-for-managers/661860.md?page=1)