Some employees are just never happy. Unfortunately, these workers tend to be the most vocal out of the entire workforce. It doesn’t matter how productive their team is, how much money they’re making, or even how much vacation time they have – some people just want to complain. Thankfully, the most effective managers know how to deal with chronic complainers before the negativity spreads to other employees.
These are a few helpful approaches when working with chronic complainers:
- Try to look at the situation from their perspective. In some cases, managers have difficulty seeing the issue from the complainer’s point-of-view. Maybe they feel like their voice isn’t being heard or that nothing is being done about problems in the workplace. Other times they’re complaining because they’re not being reprimanded or disciplined in any way.
- Establish clear standards and expectations. Many complainers are born from workplaces that lack a clear sense of structure or accountability. In this case, it’s helpful to establish clear standards and expectations of your workforce. More importantly, it’s important to hold them accountable when they fail to meet such obligations.
- Gather as much feedback as possible. The last thing you want is to rush into the situation without the proper knowledge. Whatever you do, make sure that you take some time to consult with the complainer’s co-workers and, if applicable, their direct supervisors. Doing so might give you valuable insight into their complaints and their reasoning.
- Provide feedback, coaching, and mentorship. In some cases, workers are complaining because they crave direct leadership. These are the employees that benefit the most from consistent feedback, hands-on coaching, and day-to-day mentorship – try to fulfill these needs as much as possible to achieve the best results.
- Recognize the issue and act quickly. From an employee’s perspective, there’s nothing worse than working alongside a chronic complainer – unless their managers are ignoring the problem. As such, it’s crucial that you listen to the feedback from your staff, assess the situation, and act swiftly – failure to do so could result in even more damage and lost productivity in the long run.
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