Social Loafing and the Healthcare Team

Abstract

We’ve all encountered employees who put in less effort and allow others to take up the slack. These “social loafers” can create a host of problems for your healthcare team and the bottom line. This article defines and describes social loafing and provides a brief history of this interesting social psychology phenomenon. It explains what causes social loafing and describes work environments where it is more likely to occur. It also explores how culture, gender, and other individual factors influence social loafing. This article then profiles social loafers by type and describes how social loafing affects team performance. Most importantly, this article provides 12 strategies that prevent social loafing and suggests how to identify social loafers who may be flying under the radar. It offers readers techniques for managing social loafers and clarifies the difference between healthy socializing and social loafing. Finally, this article provides 35 sample questions readers can use to administer a social loafing survey to their employees.