3 Ways Leaders Can Make the Most of Complaints

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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.

The second place to investigate when an associate is complaining about a job-related issue is job misalignment. Many people work in jobs they do not like. This job misalignment over time could lead to workplace problems including people not working at their maximum capacity, always looking for opportunities to work elsewhere, losing interest in interacting with coworkers and management, and thinking they have outgrown their job position. Job misalignment is a big concern in the corporate world. Here are three simple ways to address the issue of workplace dissatisfaction that results in complaining:

1. Self-reflect before making a decision. Most team members do not complain for the heck of it. A workplace is a reflection of the leadership. When a department is not progressing or producing, review the leadership of that department (not necessarily the entire company), because people react or respond to their environment. That is why one department may be doing well while another department in the same company is not. When an environment is not satisfactory, the behavior of the people (including the management) in that setting will reflect it. Management ought to introspect before harshly approaching their team members. After all, nobody wants to be treated harshly.
2. Treat your associates like you care. When was the last time you had a non-disciplinary-related conversation with your associates? Better said, how often do you talk with your associates about their families or how they are doing? While the workplace is not a social space, some associates marry their co-workers, go golfing together, go fishing, hang out at the bar, go shopping, attend a co-worker’s funeral service, or simply attend their children’s graduation parties. Even if you don’t socialize with coworkers, knowing something about their lives outside of work can humanize your relationships. Treating team members like they matter can transform a workspace into a healthy work environment.
3. Allow your associates to teach you what you may not know. Just because you secured a higher position does not mean you have nothing to learn. Most authority figures were once associates of the company before getting promoted into a higher position. The challenge is that the higher your rank, the humbler you ought to become because you also have to report to your team members from a position of humility. Authority figures have to be relatable and pragmatic. One way to measure your managerial or leadership success is to know how many of your associates are dissatisfied with their work. Looking at financial standing may tell you how a company is doing, but finding out how satisfied the workers are may give important information about why the company is performing as it does.

In summary, not all complaints are bad. People complain to get their concerns in the open. Others complain because nobody is listening to them. A cumulation of complaints could be a symptom of a bigger issue in the organization. Ignoring or labeling an associate as a complainer is simply a recipe for workplace toxicity. Some ways you as a leader can address this issue are by looking inward to see what you should do differently, by finding ways to treat your associates better, and by allowing your associates to teach you what you might not know about how to work with them effectively.