What advice would you give an employee (non-manager) who is witnessing ineffective working types but leadership is complacent — i.e., they aren’t interested in “making waves” b/c the high performers take care of it? – Designer
It is frustrating when you’re asked to cover for poor performers at work. However, it makes sense in a world where high performers (like this designer, presumably) take care of mistakes or missed deadlines. If there are no consequences to the company, leadership won’t think there is a problem – running the business has enough other problems to focus on!
For something to change, you have to convince leadership that something needs to change. To be seen as a contributor and not just a complainer, you should be part of that change. Finally, to protect your own career, you should plan for what happens if things don’t change, or even change for the worse.
1. Have a ready response that sets your boundaries for unexpected requests
Anticipating that your manager or others will ask you to do more than your fair share, have a response ready to go for whenever you are asked to do something outside your job or not already on your To Do list. This default response should never be Yes. Instead, be ready to highlight whatever it is you’re working on so the other person recognizes that they are imposing. They still might insist you drop what you’re doing and change course, but unless it’s your manager (in which case jump to Point 2 below), your default response to presumptuous colleagues should be, “I’m working on [Your Project]. You’ll need to talk to [Your Manager] about getting help for [Their Project].”
It’s important to train others that they just can’t pull you into whatever it is they’re dealing with. You have your own schedule, workload and priorities. It’s also important to train yourself to not to give in so easily. You may be inadvertently encouraging poor performers to rely on you when you are always ready to help.
2. Ask your manager to make tradeoffs so you maintain a more sustainable workload
If your manager is the guilty party asking you to cover for poor performers, then remind them of everything that is already on your plate, and ask them to take something off. For an item not critical to advancing your career, suggest giving that item to the poor performer. Work with your manager to restructure your workload back to its original sustainability.
If your manager insists you do all your work and others, let your manager know what the new delivery times will be because of the extra work. Don’t ask for a deadline extension. Don’t work past your typical day to meet extra demands on the original timeline. These moves just train your manager to expect you to go above and beyond. Instead, train your manager to see how much work there really is and how long it reasonably takes.
3. Start an email trail to capture when poor performers impact work assignments
Each and every time your manager asks you to fix someone else’s work, send an email to confirm what they are asking. For example, if they drop off a colleague’s bad work product on your desk and tell you to fix it, after your verbal exchange (remember Point 2 above!), follow up with an email that states what you just discussed. Even if your manager doesn’t respond, you now have a time-stamped record of any schedule, workload and priority changes.
In your performance review and other meetings with your manager where you discuss career plans, make sure to review all of the times that you were asked to do more. Your manager may not realize how much they’re relying on you – they can’t give you credit if they don’t realize it’s due! Your manager may also be prompted to make changes once they see how lopsided the workload is.
4. Enroll the support of HR and other leaders
If your manager isn’t willing to make changes, you’ll need to rally others to help you. Don’t start with a formal complaint to HR because that escalates the situation, and you may be able to make a change without the drama. If you have a friend in HR or at least a regular contact, ask for some coaching on how to handle the situation yourself. This informs them of the situation but without the requirement that they do anything yet.
If you have a mentor within the company or a leadership contact outside your manager, then let them know what’s going on. They may have advice you hadn’t considered. They may know your manager and have ideas on how to convince them to more equitably distribute the workload.
5. Block time on your calendar to focus on your long-term career
Whatever happens in your day-to-day job, you should also reserve time and energy for your long-term career. This includes advancing your career, whether that’s a promotion where you are or looking elsewhere. Marking yourself to market – i.e., paying attention to what your compensation should be and negotiating for more if needed – is another career area to focus on. Maintaining a strong network, including relationships outside your department, company and even industry, should also get your time and attention.
By minding your relationships, strengthening your financial foundation and advancing your individual career goals (not just your company’s goals), you increase your marketability. This will help you land a new job if things don’t improve where you are.