Employee receives 7% while coworkers get 13%, starts slacking off and expecting them to cover: 'They used to do 6 tasks in a day, now they do 2'

Ally Perry • Writer and Editor

Jun 13, 2026 7:45 PM EDT

Is there anything more annoying at work than having to cover for a coworker who won't do their job properly?

A lot of employers put a lot of emphasis on their employees being good team players, and that is often for good reason. It only takes one bad actor in an office for a workplace to be inundated with conflict and complaints. You may not want your coworkers to be your best friends, but it is important to feel like you can rely on them to do their jobs and that they are relatively pleasant to be around.

Some of the most frustrating colleagues are not the ones who are the most combative, but rather those who are checked out of their job and expect others to pick up the slack. Almost everyone has lazier or less productive days in the workplace, but this becomes a problem when it is a regular occurrence that directly affects other people.

The likelihood is that a slacker coworker is not going to rectify their behavior just because it inconveniences others. It leaves their colleagues in an awkward position, where they don't have the authority to get them working again, but they can't work with them effectively as they are.

via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

_{^{A representation of an employee sitting at a computer desk, closing his eyes and clasping his hands behind his head}}
A work team received their yearly raises, with most getting 13%. However, one coworker who seemed to sometimes struggle with their job had only received a 7% raise. They soon realized that almost everyone else had received a bigger raise than they had.
In response, they significantly reduced the amount of work they were doing for their team. They did fewer tasks per day, and were harder to reach and communicate with. One of their coworkers felt like they were doing more work to make up for their laziness, and they were wondering if there was any way that they could successfully address this change in attitude.
Colleague stopped working after latest hike numbers

via WastedTalents1
via WastedTalents1
via WastedTalents1
$So now that they reached the "Find out" stage of "f\*ing around", their efficiency has cratered, like if they used to do 6 tasks in a day, now they just do 2, and are constantly with "away" status on teams like 6hrs out of 9hrs they are away.$

via WastedTalents1
via WastedTalents1
via WastedTalents1
via Getty Images (Unsplash+)

_{^{A representation of an employee sitting in front of a computer screen with a graph on it and looking at his phone}}
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