Irresponsible workers

[Rachel Adams]

Hello.

What expression or a verb would you use to describe someone who avoids their responsibilities at work? I am talking about a situation when people miss their job, are late for work or ask a colleague to do something at work instead of them.

 

[tedmc]

How about: irresponsible staff or staff with poor attitude.

 

[Rachel Adams]

How about: irresponsible staff or staff with poor attitude.

Thank you. I also need a verb.

 

[tedmc]

Thank you. I also need a verb.

Shirking duty/responsibility

 

[Skrej]

Such actions can be informally be described as 'goldbricking'.

 

[Rover_KE]

That's new to me. It seems to be almost exclusively AE at present.

 

[Skrej]

That's new to me. It seems to be almost exclusively AE at present.

Merriam-Webster attributes the 'shirk' definition to US Army soldiers circa WW I, so it may well have always been just AmE usage.

 

[Rachel Adams]

That's new to me. It seems to be almost exclusively AE at present.

Then what do you use in BrE?

 

[emsr2d2]

I can't think of one word that would cover all the scenarios you mentioned in post #1.

We do use the phrase "shirking one's responsibilities" but it wouldn't be used for being late for work or missing work. At a stretch, it could be used for someone who gets other people to do their work for them but it's not a great fit for that either.

I wouldn't be likely to use a verb for any of them. I'd use a noun for the person. He/She sounds like a waste of space, a waste of pay and a nightmare employee.

 

[Rover_KE]

That's new to me. It seems to be almost exclusively AE at present.

Then what do you use in BrE?

A shirker is often called a skiver or a scrimshanker.

Both 'skive' and 'scrimskank' are also used as a verbs: She's skiving (off work). He's scrimshanking again.

 

[Rachel Adams]

I can't think of one word that would cover all the scenarios you mentioned in post #1.

We do use the phrase "shirking one's responsibilities" but it wouldn't be used for being late for work or missing work. At a stretch, it could be used for someone who gets other people to do their work for them but it's not a great fit for that either.

I wouldn't be likely to use a verb for any of them. I'd use a noun for the person. He/She sounds like a waste of space, a waste of pay and a nightmare employee.

But why are "shirkers" called "skivers" if to "skive" means to avoid work or school and "shirk" isn't used for missing work?

 

[emsr2d2]

I didn't say "shirkers" were called "skivers". For me, a skiver is someone who takes a day off work or school without a good reason - they usually say they're sick but they're not. They're said to be "skiving off".
As I said in my previous post, I don't think "shirking one's responsibilities" is a great fit for the work context. At a stretch, again, for someone to be shirking their responsibilities at work, I would say they actually turn up but then simply either don't do what they're meant to or somehow persuade someone else to do it.

I'd be far more likely to use it for something like an absent father/mother who doesn't pay maintenance to the other parent or fails to keep contact appointments with the child. I'd use it for moral responsibilities rather than employment responsibilities.

 

[Tdol]

Then what do you use in BrE?

We use shirker/skiver, but I have not heard of goldbricker in BrE. We also say that people are workshy.