HOW TO DEAL WITH THE OFFICE FLAKE

Teamwork – you hear it all the time and rightfully so because your projects may often require input from other coworkers. Which is all good if you have coworkers who know how to pull their weight.

But what if the people you need to rely on are less than reliable?

Enter the office flake. If you’ve never heard of this term before, basically, the office flake is the coworker who overpromises but under-delivers at work. He is also the one who doesn’t exactly do his fair share of the project and depends on others to shoulder the responsibilities. Ultimately, the office flake is the one colleague you know not to trust to get the job done…which can be extremely frustrating if his input is crucial to the completion of the project!

You may be tempted to pick up your coworker’s slack to ensure the project gets done. Great if in the short-term but imagine having to do this each time the office flake is assigned to your team! For one thing, you may be taken advantage off for your generosity. For another, your work might suffer because you’re doing the work for two. Plus, can you really do all that work while your coworker gets the credit for nothing?

Sometimes work is not involved yet the office flake can still be a thorn at your side! He could be scheduling casual meetups but cancels at the last minute. He’s also normally the first to volunteer to help but when it’s time to get down to business, he’s nowhere to be found.

How do you deal with the office flake and still come up on top? Here are our suggestions:

#1 First, give your coworker the benefit of the doubt
Maybe something really did come up and your coworker can’t live up to the end of his bargain. Always give people the benefit of the doubt simply because you don’t know what’s happening to him outside of the workplace. Keep in mind that some people can be going through extreme stress and it’s compassionate for you to be a little more forgiving.

Instead of using accusatory language to find out why your coworker isn’t doing what he said he would, ask politely if there’s something preventing him from doing what he is supposed to. Be firm though so he knows that you mean business at the same time. You’ll be surprised how fast work gets done after you have the chat… or if something is really bugging your coworker that is preventing him from doing his part, then it’s time to see how everyone can help this one time to ensure the completion of the project.

#2 Have it written down
A lot of times, office flakes are coworkers who are not organised and are all over the place. They think they can do it all… until they realise they can’t and it’s usually at the last minute, which means they have no choice but to flake out. If this is what your coworker is known for, give him a little help by working out a good structure to ensure things get done when they should.

Enter the project management tool – there are plenty online! Use the tool to outline the key responsibilities of every member of the team with specific tasks linked to the person in charge and this is key – clear deadlines that are linked to every team member’s calendar. Not only will your coworker get the reminders that his part is due soon, there’s no way out anymore with the popular office flake excuse, “Oh no, I forgot!”

#3 Help them help you
OK, this may sound confusing but stay with us for a while: If you are constantly dealing with the office flake who is supposed to help you lighten the load or run an event together, this is what you do to prevent the flaking – help them so they can do whatever it is that will help you.

For example, perhaps your coworker is supposed to draw up an invite list but till now, you’ve not seen it yet. Instead of sending reminders or constantly bugging your coworker for the list, sit him down and say this: “Hey, I already have about five people I want to add to your invite list. Maybe you can work from there and see who else we can add to it?” By doing this, you’re getting the ball rolling and giving your coworker a tiny bit of push to get the process started.

When following up with the office flake about a promised action, instead of asking for an update, suggest ways to speed up the process – drafting an email on the person’s behalf and adding your coworker into the email so he can follow up after the initial introduction, sharing ideas to get the creativity going, scheduling a meeting with vendors and asking your coworker to lead (this will really get your coworker to get up and get things done!).

#4 Get a higher up involved
We don’t mean go complain and whine about your coworker’s flaky behaviour. We mean getting someone higher up in position involved, whether it is to oversee the behaviour or simply as a point of contact. Your boss might be busy and wished you wouldn’t bug her to do these menial things (that’s what you’re hired for!) but if you’ve been having problems with the office flake constantly passing the buck, do this next time: Schedule a quick meeting with your immediate supervisor to run through how you plan to work on the project as a team. Share what each team member is supposed to be in charge of. This way, you’ve made it known to the office flake that his responsibilities are now known to the big boss and if he flakes out, it means answering to your supervisor and not just weaselling his way out with his coworkers.

Have you had to deal with an office flake? Share how you did it! Also, perhaps you’re the office flake? If so, read our article on how to reflect, react, and realign.

Photo by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash.