What would you do if the people you work with don't pull their own weight?

By Amy
Abernathy, Texas
June 7, 2010 9:35am CST
What if you worked with people who were lazy? Didn't do their job? My husband does. He has a physical job maintaining the planes on base - and he also loads and unloads them, pre and post flight checks etc. He revealed to me recently that that his co-workers don't do anything! I know he won't complain - he only told me because I asked specifically. One guy who does nothing was fired once but he got his job back because he claimed discrimination - because he's in the process of becoming a man - he's still a woman. So that is his ticket out of working but still receiving a paycheck. My husband, unfortunately, the only one of the lot with a good work ethic, has to pay for things like that. People who don't want to work and still want a paycheck. These lazy people don't think about the extra work their co-workers have. So my husband does very physical work, and works six days right now. Good because our paycheck looks better but since he's doing most of the work I worry for him! And as a mom, I need a break - we are far from family and friends but I know that he also needs time to decompress from work. Have you worked with people like this? What do you do? Or what would you do? My husband is a non complainer. He will complain to his brother sometimes - they comiscerate with each other - they have the same job - different states.
3 people like this
10 responses
@ohiocy (214)
• Malaysia
8 Jun 10
hmmm..I would give them a big high five right to the face and better still I'll dip my palms into some paints first. Well at least that is what would happen to my imaginary world when I deal with people like that. But in real life things like that is never going to occur or at least I won't let loose like that. Nonetheless, I think this is where each our faith comes into play. Like for me, I'm a christian and for the record I don't like to start a fight or to be in related to any hatred issue be it being hated by others or hating others. So for me, the only choice is to persevere and at the same time of course I would pray for the Lord to intervene. And all the while I will tell myself this is a good chance for me to learn something new. Hope this can help you.
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
9 Jun 10
He's been contracting to one base or another for about 17 years since being in the airforce. But he does learn about new planes or helicopters every now and again. Luckily his boss changed him to the full night shift and the work is less intense and his coworkers actually work. Who knows what happened to the other folks he was working with before. I bet you have a great work ethic as well!
@ohiocy (214)
• Malaysia
9 Jun 10
Oh.. well that's good news!! Hmmm.. Who cares for the other folks? They have to pay for their own responsibilities anyway, after such a loooong vacation, it's high time they be who they are. Thanks for the compliment!
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
9 Jun 10
Yes it is high time they pay for their pay so to speak! No problem about the compliment, its how I see it from your answers.
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
8 Jun 10
Hi artemis, I'm a lot like your husband so I probably won't be of much help at all to you. I have worked with people that don't pull their weight or at least in my opinion they don't. I don't mind picking up slack. I Just come onto my shift and do what needs doing to the best of my ability. I just pay attention to my own quality of work and sometimes that is not perfect either. I don't think it is my place to pay attention to what my co-workers are doing. My boss has eyes and cameras and mics. He has all the tools he needs to see what is going on. It's not my nature to go running to the boss. If work is left undone on the previous shift, I assume that they were busy or forgot. I don't assume they were slacking. I've never on any job felt that I was the only one who did any work.
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
9 Jun 10
Exactly, if everyone else is sitting around chatting all day and he is doing the work of many day after day...its not safe. I have a feeling either the white shirts noticed or my mil said something to her contact on this base after I mentioned it to her. Because Daniel got changed to full nights - where his work load is a lot less intense - AND - his co-workers do their job! Who knows what happened to everyone else. `
@sid556 (30960)
• United States
8 Jun 10
I guess that does sounds contradictory doesn't it? It is my boss's job to notice if someone is not doing a good job not mine. I know that sometimes it can seem like I'm the only one doing the work and I don't assume that I'm right in that thinking. In your husband's case it's a little different. He is working on equipment where is own saftey or the safety of passengers is at stake. There is not a lot of room for error.
1 person likes this
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
7 Jun 10
I think they are all over. I have some where I work...what do I do? Well I say something.....the boss doesn't mind either! It takes a load off her.
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
7 Jun 10
Yes, I had the same problem at one of the Jenny Craig Centers I worked for - probably now would give me a bad reference -even though the other centres gave me glowing references - because I spoke up - was ignored and finally did the same thing. They - including centre director always came in late - hours late - usually during the time I was supposed to leave - being the only one there I had to stay. The Director would study the book and see exactly when I had a client coming in and say - oh look you can have a break at this time. It sucked when it was a split - when I was supposed to have four hours off in the aft. Some of the excuses were so lame - one girl had her hair done a few times a week - a weave - you do that on your own time - and one girl had frequent fights with b-friend and all of them used car trouble - well take the bus - I did. My schedule also changed each week and many times each day. Inevetibly on my day off I'd get a call asking me to come in for some urgent reason or other. The higher ups who were doing addt'l training with me - all the new things because I had left the company and come back (normal for jenny) were mad at me. I finally did what the others always did - took my break - one day when they came in on time - and I left and called at the last minute to say I wasn't coming in - something they all - including the CE had done numerous times - and she got all - wait you can't do that - I had plans - etc. Like I never did? I had a boyfriend, I had plans but none of that mattered. I left soon after that.
• Abernathy, Texas
8 Jun 10
update - I found out tonight before he left that the night shift is easier. Less work - not as many planes at night I guess and everyone on this shift does their work! Of course I had to ask a series of questions to find all of this out. If I just say, how's work? He says fine no matter what. And asking if things are easier gets a mumble. Talking to him is like pulling teeth. LOL.
• Philippines
7 Jun 10
first i'd like to say "hats off" to you. you are such a loving wife. your husband is surely lucky to have you, ;-) well, i've worked with people who are constantly weaseling their way out of work. and what pains me all the time is that they get better pay. we all both have similar tasks and workload. but the thing is, at times i work more than what i should be only doing. they have their way of getting away from the tasks especially if these are inconveniences to them. worse it, my manager doesn't listen. she sees them as favorable still. welcome to the world of opportunists. hmfpt! well, your husband is too good to you that he doesn't complain to you anymore especially he knows that you also have things that you lug around. if he feels comfortable venting out to his brother, good for you. at least, when he comes home, it's all about you and your family. ;-) so, what do you plan to do to help your husband? shall he quit his job? what is quite painful is that you both have nice paychecks, but the amount of work given to you seems to be not the value in your pay. you should be paid more. i think these kind of people at work should be given a sanction for cheating. they are cheating their integrity at work. is there a punishment for that?
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
7 Jun 10
Thank you for your kind words re my husband and myself. I hope your work starts to notice how dependable and hard working you are! I've had similiar experiences. He has never complained. He's not much of a talker. When he comes home its all about showering and starting his game on the PS3 or comptuer. But yeah. His brother is far away though so they talk on the phone to connect this way - usually they talk about the games they play on the computer or his brother calls for advice on the computer. I think these people should just be fired its terrible that there are laws protecting cheaters of the system. I believe its necessary for the good guys but here's a bad person taking advantage of it.
• Abernathy, Texas
7 Jun 10
I help him by raising our child. By not getting a break - which is not good for ones health. He won't quit he's been doing this work forever - since after he was done being enlisted. He could transfer - but only if he finds something that pays as well. Other positions only pay like 15-18hr and with a family and depending on the states - expensive rents, bills and school loans...
• Abernathy, Texas
8 Jun 10
update - I found out tonight before he left that the night shift is easier. Less work - not as many planes at night I guess and everyone on this shift does their work! Of course I had to ask a series of questions to find all of this out. If I just say, how's work? He says fine no matter what. And asking if things are easier gets a mumble. Talking to him is like pulling teeth. LOL.
@la_chique (1498)
7 Jun 10
I'd start looking for a new job. my partners been in situations like that before and the only way he's been able to find a resolution is unfortunately to look for another job. Sometimes there's just nothing you can do because if your husband did say anything to his bosses, he'd probably just look like a snitch. its very sad that he has to work so hard to compensate for other people's lack of work. I hate people who use their lifestyle choices or health as a way to beat the system like that co worker. Thats just disgraceful.
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
7 Jun 10
He's a military contractor, moving means moving ONCE again out of state. And first we have to find a base that pays the same. You always get paid more no matter what you do - even data entry on a base but this one pays more then a lot. I guess for him its incentive to stay even if it literally breaks his back. Unfortunately, he has other co-workers who also don't pull their weight.
• Abernathy, Texas
8 Jun 10
update - I found out tonight before he left that the night shift is easier. Less work - not as many planes at night I guess and everyone on this shift does their work! Of course I had to ask a series of questions to find all of this out. If I just say, how's work? He says fine no matter what. And asking if things are easier gets a mumble. Talking to him is like pulling teeth. LOL.
• Abernathy, Texas
8 May 18
The only problem it would be for him to look for another job is that he works he contracts to the base and they pay very well and nowhere in the private sector would they pay like that especially here in Texas. In Texas you are lucky to get minimum wage . You wouldn't be able to pay his rent and the bills or help out his son. And unfortunately I think it's kind of the same everywhere you go there's some people with a good work ethic and still others would a bad but they probably start working when the white shirts the managers are around so they look good. He actually was a manager for a little while kind of but he didn't like it because he was responsible for the people underneath them and they never did their job which meant he had to or he was responsible for it. I can totally relate because whenever I was temporarily put in charge when I was in Weight Loss Management I knew just because I knew how others in the firm's I worked in did their job that it wouldn't be done right but I would be held accountable for it because I was in the position to make sure things were done. I would just do it myself.
@angelajoy (1825)
• Philippines
8 Jun 10
I have a coworker who is very lazy, but thankfully I don't have to do her work because no matter how lazy she is she can't get away with not working. Our assistant supervisors assigns our work, and she is fair to all of us. I once argued with my coworker because when her laziness affected my work (we were working on the same thing). She was really embarrassed because I confronted her in front of other people, but I didn't really care because she deserved it. My other coworkers told me that what I did was okay because they were all pissed off at her too.
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
8 May 18
I hope you don't work with her anymore. It can be very frustrating to work with people like that for sure.
@sender621 (14894)
• United States
8 Jun 10
I tcan be frustrating when you have to do your own work and everybody else's too, I 've been there and done that before. It can make you feel very unappreciated. On one hand, you would like managment to know what is going on. On the other hand, who likes a tattletale. If my job were on the line, I would definitely not care about being a tattletale. We all go to work to do our jobs the best we can. Everyone should do their share. it's only right.
• Abernathy, Texas
9 Jun 10
You are so right, everyone should do their share!Luckily his boss changed him to the full night shift and the work is less intense and his coworkers actually work. Who knows what happened to the other folks he was working with before.
• Philippines
7 Jun 10
I've only worked once in my life and it was as customer support agent. This means that it's all about teamwork. Thankfully, everybody I have worked with isn't like those you've mentioned or else our account could have been disintegrated. We have to take calls and the calls aren't assigned to us. We have to share all the incoming calls. Just imagine if a lot of us stopped taking calls, the calls will pile up on the remaining agents. If those pile up, there will be complaints (I'm not saying there aren't complaints already, though). If the complaints grow, the client will be forced to look for another team and if that happens, bye bye account. I'll lose my job. I've resigned though so it's all good.
• Abernathy, Texas
7 Jun 10
You're right - it effects the others your work for whether in obvious ways or not.
@Cutie18f (9551)
• Philippines
7 Jun 10
Don't they have a supervisor who goes around to see how things are in the workplace? I think they should have one to check on them on a daily basis, but if none, I think your husband should make a report. It is not fair to the company nor to him. How can lazy people get hired like that, receiving their paychecks for nothing? I hate to be judgmental but that is unfair to others who are working very hard.
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
8 Jun 10
It is unfair. If they do go around - maybe that's why they changed up the schedule. They changed the schedule - his schedule - so he works full night - in his eight hour shift rather then swing shift. Everyone else on his shift got sent to other shifts. I found out tonight before he left that the night shift is easier. Less work - not as many planes at night I guess and everyone on this shift does their work! Of course I had to ask a series of questions to find all of this out. If I just say, how's work? He says fine no matter what. And asking if things are easier gets a mumble. Talking to him is like pulling teeth. LOL. One guy actually got fired - as I mentioned in my initial conversation starter - but since he's actually a she trying to be a he - he sued for discrimination and won. There are actually some girls on that shift too - and who knows maybe they use discrimination as well as an excuse. I wonder if his mom - who works admin in MS but knows so many people - or his dad, upper management made a call - not because my husband said something - but because I mentioned it to her - made a call and that's why his shift got changed.
• Romania
8 Jun 10
Id talk to em...quiting is not a answer especially here...if they wont listen Id either (in the folowing order) threated to kick theyr buts, kick theyr buts, threaten to report them, report them!
1 person likes this
• Abernathy, Texas
9 Jun 10
Yes he can't quit he has a familly - he could only transfer to another base, but that would mean moving - again - and although you always get paid more if you work for the military - this base pays alot. He's been contracting to one base or another for about 17 years since being in the airforce. But he does learn about new planes or helicopters every now and again. Luckily his boss changed him to the full night shift and the work is less intense and his coworkers actually work. Who knows what happened to the other folks he was working with before.