How to deal with the forgetful co-worker in the workplace
Absentminded baffoons are some of the most irritating of office menaces. It's surprising these people are able to make it through the day, let alone the week.
Forgetting to make a round of coffees for the team, forgetting meeting invites, passwords, reading emails, returning a phone call, turning up to a meeting or people's names is regarded as criminal and despised by fellow co-workers.
Carrying these cretins can have a significant negative influence on workers who already have a lot on their plates. For some people, it can be a nightmare to continually be interrupted by requests like "Remind me again where the meeting room is." Or "I forgot my computer log on credentials again."
Rule number 1, there is no such thing as a bad memory.
Rule number 2, there is no such thing as a bad memory.
Laziness is the only excuse for the forgetful worker. Letting others remind you of the simplest things is an easy way to make their life easier. This is very similar to the quick favour co-worker, accept that quick favour co-worker has a great memory as they always remember to ask you for a favour.
James Mason
The forgetful people come in all sorts of shapes and sizes and are normally individuals in roles like, estate agents, sales associates, account managers, car dealers, croupiers, mortage advisors, accountants, directors, chefs, etc.
Accounts and sales managers have the tendency to phone you up out of the blue and ask how a particular process should work or if you can provide them with some information they need.
''Do you happen to have a clients contact details available?''
"Could you send me that email regarding the seminar invite?"
"Do you know the name of my own boss?"
Think about how you would feel if you met these people for the first time after they used the restroom and neglected to wash their hands.
How to deal with the forgetful people
Once you make it apparent that you are unable to assist, forgetful people are quite harmless and simple to deal with. If they do manage to persuade you to carry out something for them that they have forgot as they can be charming. Make sure you don't remember to fulfil their request.
There is always a danger if your boss happens to be forgetful or someone higher up the chain in the business takes a shine to you and relies on your memory to make their day more productive, what do you do?
There's not much you can do, just make sure you don't forget.
Dealing with a forgetful co-worker can be easier to manage but of course can be frustrating, especially if it is impacting your work or the team's productivity.
Here are a few tips for how to handle this situation:
Be Supportive
It's critical to have patience and accept that everyone experiences bad days and occasionally forgets things. Don't let it affect you, and try to be patient. Stick post it notes in large numbers all over their workstations reminding them to bring their brains to the office today.
Communicate clearly
Be sure to speak effectively and to give your coworker all the information and specifics they require to do their responsibilities. This may lessen their propensity to overlook crucial information. Ask them to repeat back to you what you said word for word after you have spoken up to ten times to ensure they have comprehended what you have asked of them. You could even assign them a written test with a time limit at the end of the day to make sure they achieve 95% pass mark.
Follow up
If you've asked your co-worker to do something, it can be helpful to follow up with them to make sure they haven't forgotten. You can do this via email or in person, depending on what works best for you. Phone your co-worker up in the middle the night. write it on their face book so that their friends can see which will help them to remember. Message them on Linkedin or in Slack. Turn up at their house if you really are concerned that they might forget.
Offer assistance
If a coworker is having trouble remembering things, you may offer to help them stay organised or provide them tools, like a planner or to-do list, that could improve their memory. I would advise starting with the book listed below from Amazon.
Michael Kurland
