Employees who complain constantly not only waste their time, but the precious time and energy of their co-workers and bosses. Therefore, being a boss or a co-worker, you must be ready with some strategies to deal with such employees and elicit the desired work output from them, without tampering with your productivity as well as the output of others in your team.
Talk to the complaining employee privately
Complaining people do have a serious adjustment problem and most of them assume that they are always right and the other person is always wrong. It could be the faulty attitude that leads to constant complaining on their part. If you find that it is this habit that is causing them to complain all the time, it pays if you can schedule a private meeting with the complaining person and make him/her realize the mistake. Point out the fact that the complaint is baseless and the person or the incident that is being complained about is in fact not so much of an issue as he/she assumes. Make him/her understand that this habit of his/her’s is causing problems for the other employees and has started affecting the dynamics of the work environment. Many complainers do not realize that they are becoming a nuisance until they are told so.
Suggest ways by which the employee can improve
Complainers do not know or want to find ways by which they can solve their issues on their own. They approach others with their problems and make their life difficult as well. The complaints need not be very difficult to solve as such. Therefore, you can offer solutions to the complaining employee and suggest ways to improve as well so that his/her complaints get reduced with each passing day. It is a good idea to assess the kind of complaints that a complaining employee brings to you and offer hypothetical solutions beforehand to avoid them from bringing similar complaints to you all the time. You must also give complaining employees a set of guidelines as to what to do when they are faced with a particular situation. It is also important to ignore complaints that are very childish.
Developing a positive outlook
Complaining employees are full of negativity and it is this habit that makes them see the negative aspects of everything they deal with. If you find that they lack the eye for appreciating the positive things in their co-workers and other employees, you must suggest them ways to develop a positive attitude in life and also counseling which will improve their behavior and reduce their tendency to complain all the time. If his/her behavior is disruptive for team work and is causing disharmony among the team members, seek the help of the human resources department to arrange for counseling sessions that can benefit the whole team and the complaining person as well. The person might take it as an insult when you suggest counseling. But, it is important for you to make him/her understand the need for such a session as it will help in taking care of his/her negative attitude and work issues as well.
Set aside a time for complaints
At times, complaining employees do have a point and you will have to spend time dealing with it and finding solutions for it if you are the boss. If you find that a lot of your precious time and effort is going into it, it is important to set some time specifically for complaints. This will help you concentrate on your work and avoid disturbances as well. Setting aside time for complaints will also help you avoid wasting time unnecessarily on silly issues related to work. Your co-workers and clients will also stop approaching you frequently for solving issues related to work and adjustment problems between team members.
Keep aside time for regular interaction
Setting aside time for interacting with employees on a regular basis will help you in realizing their problems and find solutions immediately. This will reduce complaining employees as well, as you are constantly in touch with them and address all their problems on a daily or weekly basis before they even have to approach you when the problem turns from bad to worse. Keep aside time every week or month depending on the size of the organization or the group that you work with. This is one of the best ways by which you can deal with complaining employees from disrupting your work schedules. Ensure that you give a chance to all the employees to speak about their problems and suggest solutions during these sessions.
