Complaining, officially defined as ‘the act of expressing dissatisfaction,’ is an essential aspect of any organization’s communication. When done ineffectively, complaining can hurt the collective mood, individual relationships and organizational culture. But when done effectively, complaining can help manage risks, provide early red flags, uncover opportunities for growth and change, and even improve relationships and well-being.
Part of being a business leader is handling your employees’ complaints. While some larger companies have extensive dispute resolution and arbitration procedures, informal procedures are often the best method for the small business owner where each situation is dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Whatever method your business uses, if an employee complains about an employment-related situation, as a business leader, you should be prepared to handle it in a fair and consistent manner.
When considering how to handle complaints, it is important to understand why employees complain, and when and how complaining can be constructive or destructive. Different types of complaints have different underlying intents. When faced with complaints from employees, start by identifying the type of complaint:
Productive Complaints
A productive complaint is made with the intention of improving an undesirable situation. Productive complaints can bring in valuable feedback necessary to change practices or behaviors that are harming the organization. Productive complaints are used to improve an organization’s processes, products and services on behalf of all employees and customers.
Venting
Venting is an emotional form of complaining where an individual expresses their dissatisfaction about someone or something to others. The typical intent behind venting is to release bottled-up stress or frustration. Research shows that venting can have a positive impact because it helps people process stress and frustration while increasing team bonding. While managers are often nervous about employees expressing negative feelings about their work, as long as it doesn’t become toxic, these complaints play a role in every organization.
Chronic Complaining
Chronic complaining is when a person seems to enjoy complaining about everything (the temperature, their salary, their manager, or even the elevator speed). Chronic complainers often have pessimistic views of their role, their work, and the world around them. While many of their complaints may seem frivolous, chronic complainers are very good at picking out serious red flags in an organization that others may miss.
Malicious Complaining
Malicious complaining is a destructive form of complaining that’s used to undermine colleagues or gain an unfair advantage. An employee’s own benefit, rather than dissatisfaction with an organizational issue, is the true intent in this form of complaining.
While understanding the intent of a complaint is important, an employer should also have a strategy on how to listen to and act on complaints when they are received. Here are some helpful steps to harness the benefits of a complaint:
Validate and show thanks
Whether an employee’s complaint seems valid or superficial, it’s always important to take it seriously. Showing your employees that you value and respect their concerns – no matter how big or small – increases the trust employees have in you. Thank the messenger for showing trust in you to address the issue. Despite the fact that the message may be wrapped in negative emotions like frustration or disappointment, the fact that an employee would come to you to share their concerns rather than venting to a coworker or friend, is positive.
Be Curious
Make sure you really understand the problem. Allow the employee to talk without interruption, then ask open-ended questions until you have a clear understanding of the facts. Be curious and consider the employee’s intention. Is the complaint intended to fix a problem? Does it offer an opportunity for positive change? Is it a red flag for a future issue? Is it something that several employees have previously mentioned? Is the person just trying to be heard by venting about an unsolvable situation?
Consider a time buffer
When appropriate (and if the complaint isn’t extremely serious), consider implementing a “time buffer” – a short pause to reflect on the grievance, its impact, and potential solutions before having a conversation about it. This gives the employee time to articulate concerns with less emotion, more effectively. It can also allow you to prepare resources and ideas for a response.
Involve the employee in the solution
Involving the employee in finding a solution means asking for their input, suggestions and preferences, and then considering different options and actions together. By involving the employee in finding a solution, you show respect and trust in their judgment, and you also increase their buy-in and commitment to the outcome.
Understanding why employees complain is an important step in handling the complaints themselves. Then, by better managing employee complaints, managers can create a positive, high-performing work environment while monitoring and containing the risks and costs associated with complaining. When employees feel that they are being treated with respect and fairness, they are more likely to accept the solutions you suggest, even if it is not exactly what they wanted or expected.
This material has been prepared for informational purposes only, and is not intended to provide, nor should it be relied upon for, legal or tax advice. If you have any specific legal or tax questions regarding this content or related issues, please consult with your professional legal or tax advisor.
