While driving to an early morning appointment, I glanced up and noticed a construction worker hiding on the balcony of an active project. It was barely past sunrise, definitely too early for a break. I hit a red light at the perfect time to capture the shot. If it is your project, you have a CAO on the job you should be aware of.

In 2019, I explored the issue of time theft in the workplace and calculated its impact. For example, if an employee earning $20 per hour ($41,600 per year) steals 30 minutes, five times per week, it results in an annual loss of $2,500 (based on a 50-week work year). Multiply that by 10 employees, and the business faces a total loss of $25,000 per year—over half the annual salary of a full-time employee earning $20 per hour.

Hiring Risks

According to TeamStage, since COVID-19, the amount of time wasted by employees has increased because of several factors, including remote work, increased distractions and blurred boundaries between personal and professional life. A significant rise in time spent on non-work-related activities such as browsing the internet and social media has been reported. In fact, in some cases, it was reported that as much as 48% of an employee’s working day is now spent on these activities. Additionally, employees spend unnecessary time in informal and unstructured meetings.

The Chief Avoidance Officer title is a fictional or humorous role attributed to someone who has perfected the art of avoiding work and responsibilities. This person is a strategic expert in dodging tasks, sidestepping obligations and finding creative ways to stay under the radar, all while maintaining the appearance of being busy or engaged.

Key Characteristics:

• Strategic Procrastination:
  A true Chief Avoidance Officer (CAO) excels in delaying tasks without raising suspicion. They know exactly when and how to defer work to others or push deadlines without consequence.
• Master of Excuses:
  The CAO has a mental library of plausible excuses, ready to deploy whenever asked about unfinished work or absence from key meetings.
• Invisibility Tactics:
  This person is adept at making themselves scarce at the exact moments when they are needed, using a mix of stealth, timing and subtle diversions to remain unnoticed.
• Busy Appearance:
  The CAO is skilled at appearing to be working hard without actually producing much. This may involve setting up an elaborate desk, sending emails with vague tasks or scheduling meetings that lead nowhere.
• Delegation Expert:
  A CAO can delegate their work to others, often without those people realizing they’ve taken on extra responsibilities. This is done with charm or manipulation or by shifting focus away from the CAO.
• Quick Reflexes:
  When caught off guard, the CAO can quickly pivot, come up with an impromptu reason for their absence, or jump into action just enough to divert attention from their avoidance tactics.
• Social Charisma:
  The CAO often relies on their charisma and strong social skills to maintain good relationships with colleagues, ensuring any lack of productivity is forgiven or overlooked.
• Adaptability:
  This role requires the ability to adapt to new situations and find fresh ways to avoid work as the circumstances or expectations evolve.

The Cost of Employee Time Wastage

According to recent statistics and an article on Enterprise Apps Today, US employees waste an average of 2.9 hours per workday on non-work-related activities. This wasted time costs businesses millions annually, with a company of 100 employees losing approximately $1.7 million per year, over those who make more disciplined hires and have accountability measures in place.

While this role is meant in jest, the characteristics could be exaggerated traits of people skilled at getting by with minimal effort and still collecting their paycheck. That is until they are finally busted and hopefully terminated. The most difficult part for us as employers is when we find out others knew yet chose not to address for too many reasons that would fall into another category itself to write about.

What Are Three Ways You Can Avoid Being Labeled a Chief Avoidance Officer?

1. Prioritize and Complete Your Responsibilities Proactively:
   Focus on tackling high-priority tasks first and meeting deadlines consistently. Demonstrating initiative and ownership of your responsibilities shows you’re committed to productivity.
2. Communicate Clearly and Frequently:
   Regularly update your team and supervisors on your progress. Transparency about what you’re working on prevents any perception that you’re dodging responsibilities. Second, communicate with friends and family that, although you would love to communicate more often with them, doing so at work could cause you hardship.
3. Manage Time Effectively:
   Minimize distractions, such as excessive social media use or unproductive meetings, and structure your day with clear goals. Use time-blocking or task-management tools to stay on track and visible in your contributions.

If you are a CAO, you may hear from your supervisor or others in the workplace things like:

• “I’ve noticed you’ve been a bit hard to reach lately.”
• “Can you walk me through what you’ve been working on?”
• “Let’s set some clear goals for this week to ensure we’re on track.”
• “I’d like to see some more updates on your progress.”
• “We need everyone fully engaged on this project.”

Promoting Honesty and Transparency in Construction Projects

If you’re supervising a “Chief Avoidance Officer” but lack the authority to fire them, here are some strategies you can implement to address their behavior and improve productivity:

1. Set Clear Expectations and Accountability:
   Establish specific, measurable goals and deadlines for their work. Regular check-ins or status updates can create a sense of accountability and prevent avoidance behaviors.
2. Increase Visibility and Responsibility:
   Assign them tasks that require collaboration with other team members or more public-facing responsibilities. This can reduce opportunities to avoid work and make their contributions more visible.
3. Provide Support and Feedback:
   Offer constructive feedback and support. Sometimes avoidance stems from feeling overwhelmed or unsure about tasks. Coaching, mentoring, or offering resources might help them regain focus and confidence.
4. Document Behavior:
   Keep a record of their actions, including missed deadlines, lack of productivity, or disengagement. This documentation could be important for formal performance reviews or discussions with higher management if the situation escalates.
5. Foster Open Communication:
   Have candid conversations to understand any underlying issues or challenges they may be facing. Addressing their concerns can sometimes lead to better engagement and productivity.

By implementing these strategies, you can help guide the individual toward better performance without relying on the option to fire them. This is especially important if you are seeking time to get to the end of the project or find the right replacement candidate.

Noble Traits of Successful Construction Leaders

Addressing a “Chief Avoidance Officer” as a co-worker requires tact, diplomacy and a focus on collaboration. Here are three approaches:

1. Be Direct but Respectful:
   Approach them with a solution-oriented mindset. For example:
   “I’ve noticed that we’ve had some delays on our project. Is there anything you need help with to keep things moving?” This approach will initiate a conversation without being
2. Encourage Collaboration:
   Make a statement like:
   “We’re all in this together, so if there’s anything that’s holding you back, let’s work through it as a team.”
3. Set Boundaries:
   If their avoidance is affecting your workload, assert your boundaries politely:
   “I’ve noticed that I’ve been handling a lot of the tasks lately. Let’s make sure we’re dividing things evenly so we can both stay on track.” This indicates that their behavior is impacting you.

If you employ, supervise or work with a Chief Avoidance Officer, you know there is nothing funny about it, and those individuals are hurting the company and all those associated with it. Wherever you fall on the organizational chart, doing your part to foster a culture of openness and accountability will make it easier for you and others to feel protected and find it easier to report concerns about avoidance behavior in a constructive and non-punitive way.

To eliminating the CAO title in your workplace,

Suzanne Breistol