This is why that slacker at work gets away with it

What's your guilty pleasure? Is it chocolate? Or eating against your doctor's instructions? Is it trash TV? Or is it listening to lewd lyrics on Gengetone? Are you still stalking your ex even though you're already married? Perhaps you are the doctor pimple popper addict or you are into celebrity gossip? I'll take this moment to admit to mine. I visit Reddit Relationships to read people's love problems. This week, some guy came online to complain about a unique problem.

He is working from home with his wife. She has an intensive job and he has a chill job. The longer they've worked from home, the more she realised just how much free time he had. He worked for one hour a week. She had grown resentful of him because she couldn't understand how he did so little work. She thought he was lying and was unemployed. 

More Ambition

When they finally had a sit-down, he explained that he's managed to coast through work for the past few years. At their office, he would just talk to co-workers, walk around, make phone calls, and read. He was now at home working for an hour then spending the rest of his day doing whatever fancied him. His wife was now mad because she wanted him to have "more ambition." She was also cross that he got away with doing almost nothing for the same income she had to sweat blood and tears for.

The wife may appear jealous and one who creates issues where there are none. I mean, the man is living the life of legends. He gets to enjoy full-time pay and spend the rest of the time doing things that make him happy. I want to know where he works because I would kill for a job like that. 

I sat back and let his reality sink in. Is he a slacker? Doesn't he remind you of that workmate who gets away with doing the bare minimum at work? There are many people out there who sit like tentpoles in a wedding and expect everyone to cover for them. 

The habit of slouching 

I once worked with someone like him. She came in immaculately dressed and was well-liked by everyone. Months later, I still wasn't conversant with any of her competencies. I couldn't figure out what she did for a living in that office. Over the years, I have met men and women who have mastered the art of doing almost nothing. Interestingly, most get away with the slouching habit the whole of their careers. My uncle refers to it in two ways- a) the art of management and b) the art of motion, not to be confused with progress.

You probably work with someone like that. So how do they manage to fool everyone? The truth is that it's a skill and most of these people will even get promotions out of doing nothing, while you work your ass off. They've figured out the art of bulls**t (forgive my French). They've figured out who to schmooze up to and whose rear to kiss. 
Not everyone can do it. A friend who worked in senior management in a company in South East Asia quit after about a year because he said he was bored. I was confused. This was a dream job for most people in their 40's. She was 26. He said that the job itself paid handsomely but it was structured in such a way that he could do nothing all day and get to supervise a team of 50 people. He felt that his Ivy League degree was being wasted. Most people would have stayed at that job and possibly risen to Secretary-General level but he was bothered by these pesky little things like work ethic and taking pride in the work of his hands.

How to deal with slackers

Slackers have embedded themselves so well into management's good side and licked their boots so well that they have no saliva left. Sometimes, it's advisable to let it slide. 
Most often if you try to smoke them out, you're going to be out of a job writing social media posts about how you hate capitalism because it's exploitative, while playing cat and mouse with the house agent. Professional slackers will always get away with it so you can either stay mad or just laugh at the game and move on.