Editor's Note: This article is part of a series of articles by Lynne Eisaguirre that focus on challenging situations that may be facing your workforce. Previous articles include: Dealing with Problem Employees within Employment Law, Addressing Alcohol and Drug Use at Work and After, How to Deal with Rumors in the Workplace Before it Becomes Defamation, Basic Employment Law Principles When Dealing with Workplace Violence and How to Talk to Your Crew about Dress Code, Hygiene and Hairdo's.

What's the first step to managing slackers?  Unfortunately, you have to get to know them in order to discover why they're slacking out.  To do that, seek out evidence of what your slacker employees value. Do they wake up for certain activities but sleep through others? Do you notice them talking animatedly in the lunchroom on some topics? Study their habits and gather clues as to what useful rewards might be.

Another technique is, of course, the obvious one: you could just ask. Some questions to help you discover values might be as follows:

• I've been noticing that you don't seem as interested in your job as you used to be. What company reward might be a good motivator for you?
• I'm curious about your other jobs. Were there any where you felt consistently motivated? What kinds of rewards or incentives were offered?
• What's your dream job? What do you think would motivate you to do your best in that field?

Once you know what someone values, you'll find it easier to motivate them.

Talking With Slackers
If you loath managing slackers you're in good company. In a recent study by Leadership IQ, a training and research organization based in Washington, D.C., 87 percent of employees reported that working besides low-performing colleagues had made them want to change jobs. Further, 93 percent also claimed that working with low performers decreased their productivity.