Venting is an emotional form of complaining where the individual - often vigorously - expresses their dissatisfaction about someone or something to others. To a manager who’s willing to listen, productive complaints can offer valuable information and highlight problems that need to be addressed early before they spread through the organization. Productive complaints, also referred to as “voice,” can result in valuable feedback that’s necessary to change practices or behaviors that are harming the organization and to improve processes, products, and services.įor example, employee complaints about a lack of natural light in the office, an unsustainable workload, a new product’s functionality, or a team member’s inappropriate behavior can highlight potential problems and generate ideas for positive change. Productive complaints are made with the intention of bringing to light and improving an undesirable situation.
When faced with complaints from employees, start by identifying the type of complaining and its drivers: Productive complaining The Forms and Functions of Complainingĭifferent types of complaints have different underlying intents (both conscious and unconscious) and downstream effects. Here we’ll explore why employees complain, when and how it can be constructive or destructive, and offer some practical tips for managing destructive complaints and harnessing the constructive ones. But when done effectively, complaining can help manage risks, provide early red flags, uncover opportunities for growth and change, and even boost relationships and well-being. Indeed, when done ineffectively, complaining can harm the collective mood, individual relationships, and organizational culture. Complaints tend to be viewed negatively and can be perceived as whining when the complainer doesn’t propose a clear solution. Do you ignore them? Express sympathy? Tell them to just “toughen up”?Ĭomplaining - the act of expressing dissatisfaction or airing grievances - is an essential and often unavoidable aspect of organizational communication. (As the saying goes, misery loves company.) If you’re on the receiving end of ongoing workplace complaints, you might be wondering how you should handle them.
Do you have a chronic complainer on your team? Most of us have worked with someone who can find something negative in every situation and loves to discover others who will commiserate with them.
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