Mind Your Own Business at Work: Pay Less Attention to Slackers and More Attention to Yourself

The workplace has become very non-traditional, with the explosion of opportunities to work via the Internet. Now businesses can be run from home, over a web cam, on the road, even over the telephone. For those of us who do have office jobs, there is still a lot of daily, one-on-one interaction with others. By co-existing with the same people everyday, I noticed I have a tendency to pay too much attention to what my co-workers are doing.

More specifically, I pay more attention to what they are NOT doing!

Although we all work in different fields, slackers can be found everywhere. Even though they may have a full-time schedule, we can expect to see them only on a part-time basis. Slacking takes a tremendous amount of talent. A slacker's ultimate goal is to do as little work as possible during a long period of time, without losing his/her job.

The slackers I know can charm their way out of nearly any situation. In the meantime, Management continues to give whatever work the slackers do not (or rather can not) complete to those of us who lack all slacking abilities. Of course, Management is to blame in these instances. Management does not care how a project got done or even who did it - as long as it was completed. A shady slacker may even take full credit. There should be no hesitation in challenging a slacker who is a compulsive liar.

Continue being the hard worker and reliable employee that you are. It is not worth it to get the "if you can't beat 'em...join 'em" mentality. Hard work really will pay off in the end. Even if you do not stay at your current job for the next 30 years, like many of our parents have, the skills you acquire today will transfer over to future employment. Also, if you eventually own your own business, realize that having a slacker as an employee is a complete waste of your payroll. You need dependable employees who show up on time, meet deadlines and achieve goals. An excellent employee is a representation of what your stand for - your brand.  Have faith that your employer knows where their bread is buttered.

Take pride in what you have accomplished and know that it is better to be relied upon than to be thought of as a total joke. Continue to set the bar high for others and to set good examples. Your attitude toward what you do on a daily basis will improve tremendously. It may even show in the work you produce. You can't always control others, but you can control your own behavior. It does help to discover something you enjoy doing outside of the workplace. Do not take the issues at work home with you.

It will take a lot of effort, but you will be pleased with the outcome. It is not healthy to worry about how the slackers are spending their workday.  Trust me...the slackers are not concerned with how you spend yours.