95
Asking a Coworker to Improve the Quality of Their Work

STRATEGY

Most of us get along swimmingly with our coworkers, which is why it can be so disconcerting when the quality of a peer's work begins to slide. Where once the two of you functioned like a well‐oiled machine, you now find that either your job is harder to do because (a) you're trying to compensate for their sloppiness, laziness, or inattentiveness, or (b) the caliber of your work is slipping because it's contingent on the quality of their work. The goal of this lifescript is getting a peer to improve the quality of their work without harming your professional relationship and/or coming across as holier‐than‐thou. Your first gambit will be to appeal to their sense of fairness, pointing out it isn't right you should suffer because they're turning out subpar work. That means you'll need to be able to prove their work “isn't what it used to be,” as well as show how it's affecting you. If, after receiving concrete evidence of their lackluster performance they still insist they're the best worker bee on the planet, resort to your most powerful gambit: making the boss aware that the inferior quality of your peer's work is having a deleterious effect on yours.

TACTICS

  • Attitude: Even if you're ready to blow a gasket, your attitude should be one of asking for help. Never resort to begging, yelling, or threats. If you can't kill them with kindness, you could turn the heat up a notch and show how ticked off you are—again, without blowing up. Just be aware that in showing any annoyance, you could alienate them. Cool, calm, and collected always works best.
    Flow diagram depicting a course of action for 95. Asking a Coworker to Improve the Quality of Their Work with an opening statement, situations, and responses.
    Flow diagram depicting a course of action for 95. Asking a Coworker to Improve the Quality of Their Work with situations and responses.
  • Preparation: Before you confront them and tell them in the nicest way possible that their work leaves a lot to be desired, you need evidence that demonstrates not only that this is true, but also that the inferior quality of their work is making it hard for you to maintain your own high standards. Any concrete examples you can point to will be useful, but written work showing when they hit his marks and when they don't is the most powerful.
  • Timing: If you can, try talking to them before the two of you embark on another project together, or while you're in the midst of one. Speak with them alone, preferably not first thing in the morning or when they're dashing out the door at the end of the day. Behind closed doors right after lunch is ideal.
  • Behavior: You might be feeling virtuous because your work isn't inferior—at least it wasn't until they started fouling you up—but whatever you do, don't come across that way. Act as if they're a valued colleague whose help you need. If push comes to shove, make it clear—politely, of course—that you're not going to let them drag you down with them.

ADAPTATIONS

This script can be modified to:

  • Ask a child to improve the quality of their chores.

KEY POINTS

  • Appeal to their sense of fairness, making it clear that their sloppy and/or subpar work is having a direct effect on your work.
  • Be able to provide concrete evidence of above.
  • If asking them to improve fails, threaten to tell a supervisor what's going on.
  • Don't beg, yell, or belittle.
  • Don't lose your temper.
  • Approach them as a valued colleague to whom you're appealing for help.
  • Speak with them alone, preferably after lunch.
  • Be calm and polite no matter how abusive, upset, or defensive they might become.