NICOLA HORLICK: I admit it – I AM the office slacker – do I say sorry to my boss or just change my ways?

Published on: April 26, 2025

By NICOLA HORLICK

Updated: 21:50 BST, 26 April 2025

Working life today is full of constantly evolving challenges and pitfalls. When is it OK to date a co-worker? Can you tell your team to get back into the office five days a week?

Whether you’re a baffled Boomer, a muddled millennial, or a confused Gen Z-er, our brilliant columnist Nicola Horlick can help.

Dear Nicola,

After some conflict, I realise that I have been behaving rather badly in the office lately. I’ve come to the conclusion that if I do not get my act together there could be consequences in this job and others.

I have been the slacker in my department. I don’t rate some of the bosses, so I have been doing the minimum, gossiping and never volunteering. It’s not been so much ‘silent quitting’ as ‘noisy doing next-to-nothing’.

It dawned on me over the Easter Bank Holiday that none of this is making me feel better about myself. I have been letting my colleagues down, and some senior people who have been trying to help me. I think I’ve been ruining my chances of promotion – which I care about.

Should I apologise to my manager? Or would the best thing be to be super keen, turn up early, put myself forward and so on? I am hoping that there’s a way back.

Yours, Marina

Decision time: Marina realises that she has been behaving rather badly in the office lately

Dear Marina,

Well, the good news is that you have a high degree of self-awareness. Believe me, that’s unusual. The perennial problem for managers is dealing with team members who are convinced that they are doing a good job when they really aren’t.

I think the best route back is to show that you have changed your attitude. You need to prove to your boss that you are totally committed. You should also make sure that you have an unofficial ‘sponsor’ – someone in a senior position who has your interests at heart.

A sponsor is different to a mentor. It’s someone with influence who believes in you and can speak up for you in management meetings. Anyone who really wants to progress in their organisation needs one.

It may be that it will take some time for your boss to fully appreciate your change of heart and the good work that you are doing. But if you are sure that you are in the right job and you want to give it all you’ve got, then you should be prepared to wait.

Given we spend a good chunk of our waking hours working, I think it’s important to enjoy the job and to aspire to greater things within the organisation. Now that you have realised that you do want to do better, I am sure that you can turn things around. I wish you the very best of luck.

Yours, Nicola

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