Wants the Work Done for Them

A character complains about something they want done that hasn't been done yet, but isn't willing to lift a finger to do the work themselves. The character Wants the Work Done for Them.

This is often done by the Lazy Husband or the Lazy Bum, and the Dirty Coward will sometimes be this way about a task that takes more courage than he can muster. It is never shown as being a positive character trait.

Someone who Wants the Work Done for Them is sometimes used as the focus of an episode's plot, with the end result commonly being An Aesop about the value of integrity, honesty, and doing things yourself.

Compare with Wiki Magic, where somebody does as much as they can and then trusts that other people will finish the job; Stone Soup, where the character sets up a situation where other people both do the work and share in the benefits; Fence Painting, when the character attempts to manipulate others into doing the work for them when whining and complaining don't work (or he already knows they won't work); or (looking at the matter from the other end of the interpersonal dynamic) The Load, when a character has no option but to do somebody else's work for them.

Advertising

 * At first glance, this trope appears to be inverted by ads for Scrubbing Bubbles cleaning products, with the slogan "We Work Hard So You Don't Have To". But Fridge Logic shows that the trope is played straight - it's the customers being targeted by these ads who want the work done for them, and the company knows it.

Anime and Manga

 * During the second-year summer vacation in Azumanga Daioh, the summer-house key is accidentally-on-purpose lost in tall grass. Yukari - the only person who doesn't help look for the key - complains when it hasn't been found as quickly as she wants.
 * In K-On!, Sawako-sensei never makes tea, and neither does Jun when she joins the light music club in the manga. On the day that the other club members are learning about the previous year's club, Azusa gets upset with Sawako and Jun when they complain that nobody's made tea.
 * Momo in Girls und Panzer insists on everything being done immediately and to her satisfaction, but rarely does any of the actual work herself (outside of Girls und Panzer der Film, when she has no other option). Since she's part of an Absurdly Powerful Student Council, she never gets called on her behaviour except indirectly by other Student Council members.
 * Genma Saotome of Ranma ½ (the shown manga chapters and anime episodes, not the backstory) almost never bothers to do anything besides loaf around, eat, and play shogi, leaving his son to handle any problem that pops up. Even if Genma caused that problem in the first place.

Film

 * In many versions of Cinderella, including Disney's 1950 film version, Ella's stepsisters do nothing all day and leave the work for her, with no repercussions.

Newspaper Comics

 * Wally from Dilbert is a master of wanting people to do his work for him. Alice lampshades his attitude in this strip when she mentions "all of your ideas make everyone but you work harder."
 * Calvin and Hobbes: "I didn't come out here to work!" And again here.

Web Comics

 * Eerie Cuties has Chloe - while undergoing a power rush - ordering people to do things she wants done. This page has one of those people lampshade Chloe's behavior. Nina occasionally used the Elemental Duo as minions of opportunity too, first by obliviously hijacking their own plan to the opposite purpose, and later to try summoning Chloe back… which is how they got Tia. Then Tia managed to break them up and use Cessily as a minion for a while — later she addressed Cessily's sisters as minions, but that was mostly delusional on her part, as they helped her because it obviously gave opportunities for pranks. There may be something about Cess and Laura that prompts people in need of minions to take them for granted.
 * Bun-bun in Sluggy Freelance plays with this trope - instead of complaining until somebody else does the work, he threatens them. The end results are the same.

Real Life

 * Anybody who has editing rights on a wiki - any wiki - and uses them to complain that the wiki doesn't have the pages they want to see instead of creating the desired pages, or who complains about a page not being balanced instead of balancing the page themselves. (Wiki Magic exists to help, not to carry the entire load. You Could Always Edit It Yourself.)