Sloths – according to wikipedia – are renowned for their slowness. Like some employees, maybe !!
People often refer to some people being faster than others. In reverse then, there must be people who are much slower than others. Who do you have in your team. As it’s international sloth day (there appears to be an international day for most anything these days) we thought we’d take a look at why some people in the workplace seem slower than others.
Have you ever stopped for a moment and thought it might be because of you? No, I thought not.
If you’re a leader, manager or business owner, Have a read of the blog – and maybe, just maybe, ask yourself some searching questions.
Slow employees? Or just badly managed?
International Sloth Day! A day to honour the adorable slow-moving, tree-dwelling, leaf-eating mammals.
A ‘Sloth’ in todays language, can also mean reluctance to work or make an effort.
Sloths have survived for 64 million years. They have done this by staying still and moving slowly in the hope that they go unnoticed by predators. Being the life and sole of the jungle can be appealing, but sometimes the most successful person is the one who knows when to shut up!
The word ‘SLOTH’ can also be broken down when looking at a person within your business, who you think may appear ‘reluctant to work’.
S – Solutions. This employee may need a bit more micromanaging. Depending on his or her response, try and create solutions to fix problems. Maybe they need more of a set schedule or to report to someone daily, rather than being left to complete a project entirely on their own. Maybe they need a helping hand as the task is just too large or daunting. Maybe they haven’t got the correct tools for the job. Sometimes a simple conversation can begin the solutions process.
L – Learning. Learn about the employee. Maybe they have something else going on in their personal lives which is making them ‘go slow’. Maybe they haven’t liked to tell you that they don’t understand the task in hand and need more guidance and learning.
O – Organisation. Sometimes a tidy mind is helped by a tidy environment. Getting and staying organised requires forming new habits, which take practice over time. Write out your priorities and practice assigning a place for all of your important tools and paperwork. Something so simple like this can be so effective.
T – Teamwork. Part of working within a team involves working and communicating with others to meet a common goal. Listen to others’ perspective and make compromises to facilitate success. Sometimes everyone seems too busy with their own work to check in with their colleagues. Poor management and lack of communication may cause tension to rise resulting in employees giving up and not having the urgency to complete tasks.
H – Humour. Humour adds a much-needed dose of humanity, even, when it falls a little short. Attempting humour in any situation can be risky but also has huge benefits. It can lighten the mood, reduce stress, make employees feel a sense of belonging at work and overall form closer relationships. This in time would mean that the sloth in the workforce, who isn’t in fact lazy or reluctant to work, actually could feel close enough to open up about their struggles within the workplace.
Therefore, the sloth life is certainly not the lowest form of existence, but as strategic as that of any other animal. They are energy-saving mammals (great in the current climate!) taking life at a slow pace to avoid the rush and tumble for food, while subscribing the movement patterns that help them avoid being identified as prey.
I’m not suggesting anyone is a sloth – but surely there must be a lesson somewhere in that for all of us!!
