5 Great Tips to Manage and Motivate Lazy Employees

It can be easy to manage hardworking and dedicated employees, but sometimes the other end of that spectrum can prove challenging and draining. Face it – everyone deals with lazy employees. While complaining about them can cause temporary relief, ultimately, they are still on your team and still a problem. More importantly, it’s likely you had a hand in hiring them. Instead of considering them a lost cause, try these five tips to manage and motivate your lazy employees.

1. Be a good manager to all employees

Some managers will claim they can manage good employees, but they can’t seem to deal with the lazy ones. If you can’t deal with every member of your team appropriately, you’re probably not as a good a manager as you think. More than just how you relate to your team, think about how well you know them. An employee might appear disconnected, but if you don’t develop a relationship, you might not see the underlying issues. It’s better to know the whole story than assume why they aren’t doing well in your company.

2. Be honest

Once you notice behaviors that lean toward nonproductive, it’s time to have an honest conversation with that person. It’s never easy, especially when you’re calling them out, but the benefits are worth the discomfort. It allows you to discuss what you see, find out what’s going on and provide them with the chance to change. Ignoring the issue may cause your employee to think their behavior is fine and lead to ongoing issues.

3. Set goals

Instead of assuming the employee will reach the appropriate deadlines on their own, try setting up unique goals for your team, both collectively and individually. This will hold them accountable and hopefully motivate them to produce work at a faster pace.

4. Give more responsibility

Occasionally you can attribute laziness simply to work that isn’t challenging. Complacency is a close friend of laziness and one that is easy to combat as an employer. If it seems like he or she is simply bored, try giving them more work that challenges them beyond what they currently do. You may find a grateful employee who’s willing to work harder.

 5. Reward them

While being paid for your work is a nice reward, sometimes something above and beyond is appreciated. Taking the time to celebrate an employee when they do well may re-engage an employee and encourage them to work harder.

Find the right employees today

The reasons that cause an employee to become lazy vary, but a way to do your best to fight that is hiring the right people first. When it comes to services like home healthcare, you want to make sure you have someone who is dedicated to their job. As one of the most trusted home healthcare companies and staffing agencies in Michigan, we want to find you the employees you can depend on – find out more today!

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