Do you work with someone who takes extended lunch breaks, makes numerous personal calls or naps at their desk?Or perhaps they make regular visits to the rest room or browse Facebook all day while you bathe in your blood sweat and tears working hard to meet your targets? Such a lazy work colleague is headache for everyone in every office.

It’s not uncommon to come across a lazy colleague and they’re not always easy to deal with. Complaining and gossiping about this won’t get you anywhere- but there are a few things you can do to prevent issues like these from arising.

Here are some tips and tricks that help with dealing with a lazy co-worker.

Recognize the real issue with lazy work colleague

Don’t let the little things get to you. You must understand the difference between completing a task with little dedication and going above and beyond to complete a task to the best of your ability.

Either way both methods result in you finishing something. So if your co-worker completes tasks that are not adequate enough (in your opinion), they may in fact be meeting the  ‘pass criteria’.

May be  your standards are too high? ? ?

You should also bear in mind things like the working conditions and culture.

Ask yourself why your co-worker feels so unmotivated. Is it because of the surroundings or office space?

Perhaps they are not happy with the communication within the office or the office environments.

Don’t get distracted

Try not to spend your whole day focusing on the fact that your co-worker is constantly doing everything but working. Try to blank them out and focus on the work you should be doing. It can be hard to divert the distraction made by your colleague but spending time concentrating on them won’t change the situation. You should instead focus on being the best you can be.

Adding to this point, sometimes it’s important to try and give your co-worker the benefit of the doubt. Jumping to conclusions and getting involved in certain situations can in fact damage the relationship you have with your colleagues.

You don’t know what’s happening in their life.

While it is very easy to assume that nothing is being resolved, you are unlikely to know what is going on behind the scene. Managers don’t tend to announce actions being taken and most employees don’t go around talking about the fact they have been warned about their laziness.

You must remember that this is not the type of information that will be broadcasted to you. Their personal life is also something you don’t have an idea about.

Don’t encourage laziness of co-worker

If you are a good worker you can find it hard not to resist the urge to help certain employees if they are slacking at their job. If you do this you’ll make it easier for the problem to get brushed under the carpet. You should politely decline to step in and help your co-worker with their work load. This way you’ll make it easier for authority figures to notice what’s going on.

Talk to someone who has the power to make a difference.

It can get frustrating if you have a colleague who doesn’t pull their weight but moaning to your co-workers or the perpetrator isn’t a good idea. Chances are, you’ll make things worse.

It will cause unnecessary drama and resentment that could in fact be avoided if you went straight to a manager or authority figure.

Everyone is different. We all work at different paces and different levels. A lazy colleague might not be as lazy as you think she is. ( Possible, right ? )

Our goals are different, and although it’s without a doubt frustrating when you have a team member who isn’t as determined as you are, these tips will help you keep focused and productive no matter what kind of attitude your colleagues have.

– Carly Buxton

( Carly is our guest blogger. )