My team leader is lazy and doesn’t pull her weight. We are a support service and she’s supposed to answer phone calls and e mails but she keeps leaving her desk and I don’t feel I can complain because she’s a Senior and I’m not. The trouble is I sometimes end up having to take a short lunch break or stay on late in order to get the work done by the end of the day.
Anonymous
Answer
This is a very difficult situation for you to find yourself in but there may be some possible options for you consider. The first may be to talk to your team leader; in a calm, non-confrontational way. You may be able to reach an agreement.
Another option may be to look for another job; neither fair on you nor an easy thing to do but it may be worth considering. If you’ve already tried talking to your team leader another option may be to ask for a meeting with your team leader and a manager. This could be tricky because there’s always the possibility it may not go well for you. If you like your job apart from the inconvenience it may be worth accepting the situation and staying. It’s not fair that you have to carry an extra workload but it sometimes helps to consider the whole picture. For example, if you have friendly colleagues, good working conditions, decent pay and a short journey to work then you may want to hold onto them.