Co-worker a brown-noser and a slacker?

Last year, Bill could have easily won the Cantankerous Employee of the Year award. Lately, though, he’s all smiles and sunshine.

Attitudes have changed for the better in many offices, where the fear of layoffs still runs high.

But what happens when those employees become so busy kissing up to the boss that they stop pulling their weight at work? How are you supposed to deal with a kiss-up, do-nothing co-worker?

1. The “Look at Everything I’m Doing!” co-worker. She talks and sends e-mails about all the things she’s going to do, but doesn’t actually accomplish them all.

What you can do: Ask your boss what he’d like you to do to pitch in. Maybe another department could use help with some of their projects.

“At the end of the day, what an employer’s really looking for is a person who’s going to add value and work hard,” said Thom Burke, senior vice president of human resources at staffing firm MPS Group.

And tell yourself that it’s only a matter of time before leadership sees this kiss-up employee for what she is.

2. The “All Glamour, No Elbow Grease” co-worker. He spends his time working on extraneous, high-profile projects, but drops the ball on necessary, day-to-day work.

What you can do: Continue to find ways to streamline a process to save time and money. That’s ultimately what your boss—and your boss’s boss—want. Can you find a way to bring a project in under budget? Will a new technology help your company bring in new customers?

When the “glamour” projects fail to bring in new business or create value, this employee won’t look so good.

— Adapted from “Why Sucking Up Won’t Save Your Job,” Michelle Goodman, ABC News.