ARGHLast year I read Leigh Branham’s,The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late. My big Aha! moment was: “Complaints are negatively stated solutions.” I began to think about my own complaining. Yes, admittedly, I complain. Fortunately, I have made vast improvements in changing my focus from the problem at hand to the opportunity available as a result.

 

Negativity Rules
The world seems to thrive on negativity. Read a newspaper, watch TV, observe people’s driving habits in New York City, etc. and you’ll be hit with it. People prefer to complain rather than focus on what is going well. And complaining begets more complaining. It’s maddening that this is an accepted practice.

 

How to Turn Complaining into Something Useful
I chose to take Leigh Branham’s view and see if I could leverage complaints as a way to identify potential solutions. In a previous series of posts, 10 Weeks to Better Engaged Employees, I discussed the importance of feedback.While Tenet 5 – Feedback from Customers is a Gift addressed customer complaints, it could easily apply to complaining employees. “Candid and constructive feedback is a gift and should always be welcomed even though it may not be easy or comfortable to hear. Although we may make every effort possible, we may not always be able to provide a solution that completely satisfies every customer.  When we miss the mark and receive constructive feedback, it provides us with the opportunity to examine our business practices to determine how they can be improved.  How can we fix what’s not working if we are unaware of the problem?”1

 

Let see how we can apply this to some common workplace complaints:

  1. I’m just a cog in the machine.

Recognition opportunity: Make an effort to provide ongoing feedback that reinforces positive aspects of the employee’s work. Employees want to be recognized for their contributions.

Communications opportunity: Make an effort to deepen the relationship with the employee. They may feel isolated or left out. A poor manager-employee relationship is one of the biggest factors in employee turnover and in employee disengagement.

Purpose opportunity: Help the employee understand the importance of her role and its impact on the company/ customers. Employees want to feel like they are part of a larger cause.

 

  1. I’ve got too much on my plate.

Manager opportunity: Understand the employee’s current workload and determine if it is representative of coworker workloads. Managers have a direct impact on employee engagement.

Training/Development opportunity: Help the employee set priorities and suggest potential training. Employees want development opportunities.

Process Improvement opportunity: Review the current processes and determine if they can be modified to reduce, combine, eliminate, or reassign tasks. Involving employees in potential solutions can positively impact employee engagement.

 

 

  1. This company doesn’t pay well.

Communications opportunity: Help the employee understand how pay is determined and administered. Discuss the total compensation package (benefits, bonus program, discounts, and other incentives available). A lack of information can lead to mistrust, rumors, and disengagement. While most companies assume that effectively communicate, most employees would prefer more frequent and timely communications.

Manager opportunity: Use the performance management process to demonstrate the relationship between pay and performance. Frequent performance management discussions set the stage for a more comprehensive view of an employee’s performance over the course of a year.

 

 

  1. My boss is driving me crazy. He is such a micromanager.

Manager opportunity: The manager needs to recognize that there is a trust issue and should work to determine the specific reasons behind it. Performance reviews can be a forum for mutual discussion. Managers play a big role in the success of their employees. Employees know if managers truly care about them.

Communications opportunity: Both the employee and the manager need to discuss the situation openly and honestly. Frequent manager-employee conversations are key in order to build a positive working relationship.

Training/Development opportunity: Help the employee establish a development plan and suggest potential training. The manager may need to incorporate actions into his own development plan. Managers who are more self aware will be able to recognize their own developmental opportunities and understand how their actions impact others.

 

Summary
As you can see, there are multiple opportunities to address each employee complaint. Listening is key. You can’t identify opportunities unless you know about what employees are complaining. You need to be alert to the complaints that you can address as well as pass along suggestions to others that may not be privy to the complaint. “Feedback determines what business practices and actions please customers and it provides the opportunity to make adjustments or changes where needed.”1 Should Complaining Be Encouraged? No, but it can be useful in bringing about positive change.

 

 

1 Simpson, Gregory F. “Tenet 5 – Feedback from Customers is a Gift.” Agent in engAGemENT. N.p., 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 July 2014. <https://www.agentinengagement.com>.

 

 

P.S.  First time here? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement site. Thanks for taking the time to stop by!  I hope you’ll explore the rest of the site.Let me know what employee engagement topics interest you.

Other recent Agent in Engagement articles by Gregory F Simpson:

 

Let’s Engage!

I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory F Simpson.

I’m excited about this opportunity to connect with fellow “Agents.” Subscribe to the RSS Feed to receive the latest updates and/or register  to comment on posts.

 

GFS site photoYou can follow me @agtinengagement.
Email me at g…@a…t.com.
Learn more about me at www.gregoryfsimpson.com.