Help!!

[dippyd]

Ok, we've all had to work with someone who's driven us mad, but what I'd like to know is how other people have dealt with being stuck in a big hole with someone who hardly lifts a finger. I know everyone has an off day or two, but what do you do when the person you are digging with is always wandering off or leaning on their shovel looking like they're posing for a workwear catalogue?!?

Help!

[drpeterwardle]

Ummm

If I was in a deep hole with somebody worthy of posing in a catalogue I would have just kept on digging and cleared up their loose and emptied their buckets and barrows (and offered to buy them a drink).

If I was in a deep hole with somebody who did not merit being in a work wear catalogue and was continualy telling me what to do I would have kept on digging and have waited till the supervisor came round.
Invariably the "poser" would ask to be moved to somewhere else.

I am assumming this is a summer excavation or similar rather than a professional excavation, in this situation hang loose and wait and see what happens when the contracts get renewed!

Peter Wardle
(who now has a working computer and hoping I dont get barred for the politically uncorrect answer. This happened to me a lot on summer excavations when the person who had been on the dig for a week [their first one] thought they should be supervising all the "new" "volunteers"!!

[BAJR Host]

Political Correct answers aside (hey I remember one dig... down a deep hole with a fab person who always smelled of spring flowers.... sigh... they could have gone to sleep for all I cared.... sigh)

That aside... If the person is not pulling their weight, and you are having to work harder - then a) mention this to your SUpervisor... (can cause friction) b) talk to them... a joke could be enough to get them working..... c) ask to work somewhere else..... d) take a photo of them.... and sell it to a workware catalogue.

This can be a problem in all aspects of life... the workmate that does less work than a small stone. They may not realise that the attitude they exhibit is in fact having a wider impact... if nobody tells them... they will one day either get sacked...or worse... become a Project Manager!

David

[roywhiting]

[xx(]We've had a couple of idle gents working for my unit since last year. Due to the fact we've had a moderately heavy workload and work for a local authority they haven't been got rid of. As a supervisor there's nothing worse than having people idling away, as it increases my stress levels enormously. If you tell them to get on with the work they take offence and do a ****e job anyway.

The idlers never seem to realize they're doing a responsible job. Slowing down a project by pissing around impacts on (i) the supervisor, who gets it in the neck from the managers for not meeting targets, (ii) the other diggers on site who have to pick up the slack, and thankfully we've had diggers with us of late who've been able to do that (iii) management, who get it in the neck from the client/agent/landowner/whoever.

I've always been in favour of a rigorous interview process and a thorough background check to filter out these bastards. Unfortunately good diggers are like gold dust these days and people can't afford to be that picky.

A message for all lazy bastards out there - for ****s sake give up and do something else.

I'm not bitter BTW.

[BAJR Host]

If any of these idelers are on the CVs Online board I would be grateful if information was passed on... 3 separate confirmations of this would lead to removal... or perhaps the first warning might prod action..... comments

[drpeterwardle]

David,

You could start a witch hunt!.

One person's lazy slacker could be another's careful excavator.

Some people just want to hack everything with no finesse or no detailed recording (and that is just the directors/project managers and especially the consultants - its cheaper). What is productivity in archaeology in any event?

As a supervisors tip if I thought somebody was not pulling their weight (very common in the days of MSC programmes) I would work with them to a) find out what the problem was or b) establish if they were idle. Then it was the verbal warning .....

Peter

[BAJR Host]

Peter ... of course you are right... and any complaint could come only after action such as you suggest was found not to work. I quite agree that the best action is direct action.... get the supervisor to work with them... make sure they know that slacking is affecting everyone... either that or join a consultants firm [:o)]

just kidding Peter.

BAJR

[roywhiting]

}I've found the biggest problem with dealing with the idle is that mostly they are generally lazy people who go through life doing as little as possible and it's a major battle to get them to work consistently hard from day to day. A hard days work seems anathema to some people. There are a million ways to slack off and waste time on sites and some of our site staff are more subtle about it than others. Idlers are bad for morale at all levels.

Personally I find it very dificult to tell people to get on with it. It's almost too much of an effort to constantly cajole people in to doing their job.It's a very unpleasant part of the supervisors job but one which I have to do. Generally I try to put the lazy individual next to someone who works like a dervish, which instantly shows them up and shames them in to doing something.:face-confused:

[drpeterwardle]

Many years ago, when I was setting up in business, I discussed with somebody (who always smelt of spring flowers)and was unemployed if they would like to work with me as an administrator. Heshe replied but "Peter I am very Lazy". A positive quality I suggested, but the response needs a different spin - suely you should say "I am a good time manager and will not do anything more than is absolutely neccessary".

The basic premise is surely a fair days work for a fair days pay.

If you have to persuade by flattery or deceit, cajole, somebody to work then there is a basic management problem. Staff have to be motivated by something: money in most jobs.

I have been known to ask why is this project going so slowly?

Are the diggers under the threat of redundancy?

I have also been known to say what do you expect when they are only paid 200 quid a week.

Peter

[peter_derby]

True indeed
I always find the "pay me more and ill work harder" attitude very frustrating - what self respecting employer will see that he/she has a load of slackers moaning all the time about how terrible everything is, and refusing to do anything above the bare basics - will think "i know ill give them all a pay rise"

It doesnt work like that}