Working a job you don't like can be a drag. Here's a sad statistic for you: according to LinkedIn, 85% of employees don't like their workplace. Whether it's their boss, the location, their colleagues, the customers, or just the nature of the job itself, many people would rather slack off or do something else instead.
When a person hates their job, they probably don't do it very well. That's where the subreddit "Not My Job" comes in. They collect the best and funniest instances where employees are doing the absolute bare minimum that's in their job description. And today, we're featuring the best of the best pics from the community. Work smarter, not harder, right?
To discuss the 'Not my job' attitude in more detail, Bored Panda reached out to Louise Carnachan. She's an organization development consultant and award-winning author of Work Jerks: How to Cope with Difficult Bosses and Colleagues. Carnachan told us more about why some people feel unmotivated in the workplace and how employers can increase their motivation.
More info: Louise Carnachan | LinkedIn | Facebook
#1 Got The Chatbot Working, Boss
Image credits: iwannadie469
Organizational development consultant Louise Carnachan says that the r/NotMyJob subreddit is full of woefully executed work we've all probably seen in daily life. She says the "I'll show you" type behavior the subreddit is famous for can be the consequence of being micromanaged. However, while it's one way to claim power, it's not a particularly healthy way, Carnachan says.
"Obviously, some of the images [are] of acts committed by the inattentive, disinterested, or vindictive. But it's unlikely that all were saying 'Screw you, boss' or were a consequence of incompetence. Some workers may have been assigned jobs for which they had no training [and] were given poor or no instruction and/or inadequate materials."
"Some of the goofs are clearly process problems, such as not having sweepers move debris away before the road striping truck came through. In other instances, I suspect the worker was never clued into the big picture, so their part was out of context and executed inadequately. Or, they just didn't apply common sense and think about what they were there to accomplish and why," Carnachan adds.
#2 Fixed The Broken Clock, Boss
Image credits: theglasscat
#3 Workin For The Big Man
Image credits: parkinsonslaw
"Mistakes involving language are ubiquitous in our global economy," Carnachan notes. These types of mistakes, she says, are often done by accident. "Mistranslations abound, spelling errors aren't caught, sometimes word orientation is upside down or sideways. (You'd hope signs could be hung up accurately, though.)"
"No doubt we've all been the recipient of form emails sent without the personalized information inserted, reminiscent of the speaker who begins their talk with, 'Greet the audience and say your name.'"
Other times, mistakes, whether they're intentional or not, can have a pretty funny result. "Typos are the best," Carnachan says. "As demonstrated on a sandwich label stating it contains 'Criminalized onion relish.'"
#4 Security Dog
Image credits: Karm_Me_up
#5 Not My Job To Add The Subtitles
Image credits: til-f
#6 Made The Name Tag, Boss
Image credits: SandiPsych
Mishaps can happen in any and all work settings, of course. "No one job classification has the corner on poor performance, but some jobs certainly have more public visibility," Carnachan tells us. "And some workers are self-motivated to be high performers, while others are not."
When scrolling through the r/NotMyJob subreddit, some people may label these types of workers as lazy. Yet, the reality is much more nuanced. "Effort is hard to evaluate because we only see results. We can't measure an individual's exertion," Carnachan explains.
"One worker may put in a lot of effort yet achieve mediocre results, while another puts in less effort but obtains good results. Skill, ability, training, and personality traits impact this. There are people who are just in the wrong jobs," she also adds.
#7 A New Hobby? Alright
Image credits: BlueYoshiFox6
#8 Care To Elaborate??
Image credits: NeitherBandicoot
#9 Amblivious
Image credits: Anonymous
However, even the most dedicated and hard-working employees might not produce the best results sometimes. "There are many factors out of the worker's control," Carnachan notes. "Examples are the quality of the training and materials provided and how compensation or rewards are calculated (i.e., tied to production quotas or quality measures?). If I get paid by the piece and there aren't any real quality standards, I'll put out a lot of pieces."
#10 Edited The Picture, Boss!
Image credits: beerbellybegone
#11 Got The Actors Boss!
Image credits: TheGasMove
#12 Packed The Violin Bow, Boss
Image credits: selective_mutist
Workers should get this information from their supervisors, Carnachan says. "Managers and crew leads are responsible for communicating the 'why' of the work and how it ties into an entire project. When people have no idea of what follows their labor, they work in a vacuum, and then, it's easy for them to make assumptions and bad decisions."
#13 A Fork In The Road
Image credits: animatorguy2
#14 Placed The Sticker Boss
Image credits: its_brookelol
#15 "I Decided It Was Faster To Draw The QR Codes, Boss"
Image credits: speederaser
In an office environment, corporate culture also comes into play. Carnachan lists some questions that might impact an employee's performance. "Is teamwork expected? Are folks responsible for noting and correcting mistakes regardless of who made them? Are service and customer satisfaction important, or is the mentality to just mark it [as] done?"
#16 Made The Engraving, Boss
Image credits: awesomeduuuu
#17 There, That Should Do It
Image credits: bopaqod
#18 That’s Good To Hear
Image credits: InternalEssayz
Seeing others do the bare minimum at work might be entertaining. That is until it happens at your own workplace. Indeed, sometimes, people might adopt the "Not my job" mentality to the extreme, and that might even be dangerous to others.
"The willful desire to create a safety hazard for others is beyond 'Sticking it to the man,'" Carnachan tells Bored Panda. "If it's a training issue and can be remediated, that's okay -- if not, this is the wrong person for the job, regardless of their motivation."
#19 How I Bang Your Mother
Image credits: reddit.com
#20 Clothing Display Done Boss!
Image credits: inste0
#21 I Mean, It’s Important To Follow Safety Protocols
Image credits: HertzFrequently
"When people are treated poorly, they tend to want to act out by sticking it to the boss," Carnachan explains the possible cause of the "Not my job" mentality. "But pushing back by refusing to do unpopular chores, like [taking] out trash, wash[ing] up, or restock[ing], becomes childish. 'We'll just see how bad it gets before somebody does something' should turn, instead, to a discussion about what needs to be done, who is doing it, and when."
#22 Installed The Light Switch, Boss
Image credits: TyrTwiceForVictory
#23 Sorted Out The Emergency Phone Boss!
Image credits: Professional-Stick82
#24 They Will Never Know The Difference
Image credits: HeartyHemlock
"Every job has elements that are less interesting, even downright unappealing," Carnachan points out. "But if there's a fair distribution and rotation and everyone knows what the rules are, it goes better. If the boss won't step up to [initiate] this conversation, then a staff member can."
#25 Made The Title For The Ad Boss
Image credits: kings005
#26 I Posted The Job Offer Boss
Image credits: Kadus500
#27 Tbh This One's Kinda Impressive
Image credits: ShitStainedBallSack
"Job descriptions don't get into details like restocking the printer," she adds. "It's up to the manager to set the stage for teamwork in their department and the expectations for communication, dealing with disagreements, being attentive to safety, owning the work of the entire team instead of just their own contribution, and [contributing] to the little tasks that are required for a smooth operation."
#28 Finished The Road Surfacing, Boss
Image credits: Nikoklis
#29 The Clock In My School’s Band Practice Room
Image credits: Hawkthemanaaaaaaa
#30 Just Put Monday
Image credits: Toukoxxx
Carnachan says that a team should adopt the view that each member "owns the work of the team." Employees, thus, should have a less individualistic approach to their work. "When people feel responsible solely for their own work, coworkers may start evaluating each other to monitor who they think is not pulling their weight."
"If a colleague's inattentive or their inaccurate work compromises safety or the team's outcomes, speaking to the manager about your concerns makes sense. But withholding help or engaging in stupid power plays to punish the colleagues or the boss isn't okay."
#31 This Kind Of Belongs Here
Image credits: Grufffinance15
#32 Installed The Playground Boss
Image credits: IcyLaw651
#33 Painted The Lines Boss
Image credits: Riresurmort
#34 I Dressed The Mannyqween Boss
Image credits: Rickqw22
#35 My Contract Never Stated I Had To Move Rocks Away. Thank You Very Much
Image credits: ZeCerealKiller
#36 Added Subtitles, Boss
Image credits: -ksguy-
#37 Put The Signs On The Fuel Pumps, Boss!
Image credits: TragedyMaskBand
#38 Rail Installed, Boss!
Image credits: theshrike
#39 Made The Error Message Boss
Image credits: PainOfClarity
#40 Cr*ppy Submission:
Image credits: dbnp19
#41 Fixed Bridge, Boss
Image credits: Leandropr
#42 Just Told The Whole City No Crime Boss!
Image credits: Tommy_Adams09
#43 The Brids
Image credits: elikessler
#44 Thanks, Associate's Name
Image credits: tacochickenstrips
#45 The Chosen One
Image credits: ilostmyremote
#46 Updated Our Working Hours, Boss
Image credits: destinyspie
#47 Installed The Water Faucet, Boss
Image credits: CoolJabez0404
#48 Delivered The Package Boss
Image credits: nims_2525
#49 Ok What The F**k
Image credits: Aztery
#50 Completed The Road Marking Boss
Image credits: lekshmikutty
