Coworkers, meetings and your calendar
“Can you just help Kevin a bit?”
I'm stuck carrying a coworker who does the bare minimum and never gets called out.
What's really going on
- First question: is this actually costing you something? Extra hours, missing credit, a deadline at risk, or just the irritation of watching something unfair that doesn't touch your results? Those need different responses.
- Doing the bare minimum rarely happens in a vacuum. It's often unclear expectations, a manager who doesn't hold anyone accountable, burnout, or simply less ambition than you have. None of that is yours to fix for them.
- Coasting without consequences is contagious. Once one person gets away with it, it quietly resets what "normal effort" means for everyone watching, you included.
- If your manager already knows and does nothing, that tells you something too. Either there are constraints you can't see, or the accountability gap goes above your coworker.
What to say
"I can't take that one on right now, I think that one's yours. Happy to point you to where I'd start, though."
Change the words so they sound like you, but keep the tone.
Still in the guide for this situation
- 7 steps to take, in order
- 4 more word-for-word scripts
- 3 mistakes to avoid
- 2 signs it's time to escalate or leave
Plus the 24 other situations and the bonus chapter.