Dealing with team members who don't want to work

[Anonymous]

I am a new government lawyer. I came from a big law firm and am used to having to make demonstrable progress on tasks quickly. I am working on a team at my new job, and we have so much to get done. Yet nobody takes any initiative to accomplish anything, even when our supervisor asks us directly to do something. My supervisor told me directly that he wants to take advantage of the fact that I'm used to a faster pace and for me to keep pushing to get things done, but when I do that, it clearly upsets the others who have been on the team longer. There is so much passive aggression and shooting down everything I try to accomplish. The tasks are such that I cant just ignore the others and forge ahead, so it seems my choices are to work at the others' glacial pace and make my boss unhappy or try to do what my boss asked me to do and be thwarted at every turn by my coworkers. I have been a lawyer for nearly ten years and have never encountered a situation like this. Anybody have any advice? I'm at the end of my rope.

[Anonymous]

Welcome to the government! I couldn't deal with the mediocre performance of most of my former co-workers so I left. Best decision ever!

I really have no advice other than to say that if it's the culture of your office to work as such slow pace there is nothing you can really do to make it change.

[Anonymous]

Do you have actual authority over these people, or is your manager also their manager?

I've been in the position of having a manager unwilling to use his authority, who instead wanted me to persuade his direct reports to do what he wanted. It's a ridiculous tactic, and proof of incompetence.

If your manager is doing this to you, I think you should push back. Remind him that he has the authority. You can draw up a schedule and present it to your colleagues and to him, but make it clear that he has to be the heavy, not you.

[Anonymous]

I was in a very similar situation after I quit a Big4 consulting firm and joined a corporate finance department. People there were SO slow and underperformed on all tasks - according to my personal work standards. I'd struggled through my entire employment there and ultimately resigned.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Do you have actual authority over these people, or is your manager also their manager?

I've been in the position of having a manager unwilling to use his authority, who instead wanted me to persuade his direct reports to do what he wanted. It's a ridiculous tactic, and proof of incompetence.

If your manager is doing this to you, I think you should push back. Remind him that he has the authority. You can draw up a schedule and present it to your colleagues and to him, but make it clear that he has to be the heavy, not you.

I had a manager like this once. I'd start looking for a new job.

[Anonymous]

OP it's the government, for Pete's sake, that's how it is in many areas of government. Don't let it get to you, do a great job on your own if you like the job and want/need to keep it. Get familiar with other departments and organizations in your office and consider transferring to a better one, if it exists in your realm of govt. Not trying to sound bitchy but I know a lot of govt folks in the same situation and they want to keep their jobs so they don't want to make waves...you really can't change the culture. If your boss wants to change it he/she will do so.

[Anonymous]

OP, I was in the same boat a few years back. What I realized was: 1. I was not going to change the work habits of people who have been there for a long time, 2. the expectations are different. You worked law firm hours because they paid you law firm wages. You are not getting those wages anymore and no one actually expects you to work those hours. I found dialing back to about 70% had let me be a top performer while not alienating my coworkers. What my boss considers to be fast and hard work, I consider to be a vacation after working at a law firm. I don't feel guilt working hours comparable to my pay and neither should you.

[Anonymous]

Are you expecting your coworkers to work overtime? That is just not going to happen.

You may just have to suck it up and figure out a way to get things done without fully depending on others. In the mean time work on transferring elsewhere.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Welcome to the government! I couldn't deal with the mediocre performance of most of my former co-workers so I left. Best decision ever!

I really have no advice other than to say that if it's the culture of your office to work as such slow pace there is nothing you can really do to make it change.

+1