05/31/2024

Three Ways Leaders Can Make the Most of Complaints

Look inward to see what you should do differently

For some reason, complaining has a negative connotation. Some people vent just to get a particular concern off their chest, while some are habitual complainers. Either way, is complaining a bad thing? Absolutely not. To complain about one thing or the other is natural and, to some extent, normal. Show me a person who never complains about anything, and I will show you a person who is not daring. Complaining is synonymous with curiosity. It is easier to complain about something unfavorable than to correct the issue.

A complaint generally has an underlying message. Sometimes, it is a sign of a prolonged and unresolved issue. The longer an issue lingers, the weightier the complaint. Some people complain a lot, others not as much. Overall, everybody complains in some fashion or another—even those who don’t want to admit it. Think of a time when you complained about a nagging colleague or some condition at work.

In the workplace, if an associate says, “I don’t like my job anymore,” it is generally due to a work-related relationship challenge, which could be linked to an excessive work demand. In other words, it has to do with a subtle disagreement between at least two people who share competing values. In this case, a worker complains about an excessive work demand, but their supervisor did very little to balance their work. The first place to investigate is the leadership of the company—the direct supervisor or manager. You have heard the saying, “People don’t quit a job—they quit a boss.” Their job is not generally the reason for the complaint; rather, their manager paid minimal attention to their work-related complaints. Even worse is when the manager blames the associate for the issue. Over time, the associate starts to lose trust in the management team. If nothing is done about it, the associate starts to internalize their boss’s action or inaction. Unfortunately, such inaction from the management could lead to the associate feeling emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction and burnout.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Psychology Today.