She’s forced to pull too much weight

Dear Joan:
I take pride in my job and feel I do my fair share; earn my pay. People, I feel, are taking me for granted. Just because I am a good worker, the night shift workers will pass a lot of the work on to me - jobs that maybe aren't as "fun" to do as others that have to be done. (It might have something to do with the fact that I'm a woman). I'm getting tired of this situation and I really am starting to think I'm fighting a never-ending battle.

I've tried doing the "bare minimum" but then I don't feel right. I've tried dropping hints of a meeting (haven't had one yet) and I've thought of asking for a raise but that wouldn't solve my problem either.

Should I tell the boss and put everyone on the line? I've worked here for four months now. I like my job, but if this continues, I will have to quit.

I cannot work with people who do not do their fair share. Am I too much of a perfectionist looking for the perfect work situation?

Answer:
Perfectionist or not, you sound like the perfect employee. Your company is lucky to have such a self-motivated, responsible worker. It's unfortunate your night-shift counterparts don't appear to share your work values.

Before you do something as drastic as quit your job, however, let's explore some other possibilities. You didn't indicate the kind of job you're in but perhaps these ideas will help:

Take a deep breath and try to step back from the situation. If you feel persecuted and paranoid, your own performance and personality may sour.

Make sure you have all the facts before you say or do anything or you may wind up with egg on your face. Because you've only been in this job for four months, make sure you clearly understand who is responsible for what. Sometimes new hires are so eager to begin a job, they only hear the "fun" duties and tune out the less desirable responsibilities, only to be rudely awakened later.

Worse still, it's possible your boss neglected to fill you in on some of the negative aspects of the job.

In any event, you could ask your boss for a clear statement of duties. This can be done innocently and for your own information "to be certain I'm doing everything that's expected."

You may want to approach the senior member of the evening shift (if it's a peer), but I'd suggest a non-blameful approach for starters. Armed with a written list of responsibilities that have been outlined by your boss, you might try something like this. "Because I'm new, I want to be clear about what I should have completed for you at the end of the day and vice versa. Here is a list of the things I've been told I should do in preparation for the night shift." After he agrees that those duties are necessary, you are then in a better position to ask him for the things you need done by morning.

If it's clear that your night shift co-workers have been taking you for a ride, make a suggestion that a meeting of the two shifts be held "to clear up the inefficiencies this confusion has created." Point out that others on your shift share your view.

Perhaps there are some additional burdens the night shift has that you or the boss are not even aware of. A joint meeting may bring many issues to light.

If you're certain you're being taken advantage of and it's clear nothing will be done about it, you may want to look for a more appreciative employer. Good luck!

Confronting poor performance, or difficult behaviors, is difficult.  Joan Lloyd’s How to Coach & Give Feedback learning system is a step-by-step approach to giving feedback to your employees, your coworkers, or even your boss.  Actually reduces defensiveness and encourages open communication.  Now available in CD!