Taking A Second Look at Complaining

My daughter, who I've mentioned before and lives in a small Colorado rural town, was recently offered employment in that town. Other than being very happy over the job offer for her, I was also impressed by something her prospective employer said in the interview process. He made it clear that if she had any complaints or issues with anything relating to her job that he encouraged his employees to come to him immediately and they would sit down and talk about it. He did not want one of his employees to let a problem fester when maybe a simple discussion could solve the issue. His take on it was if an employee is unhappy then it affects the entire operation and that affects his customers. I haven't heard that philosophy in a long time. Oh I've heard lip service, but genuine commitment to listening and working things out? Refreshing.

Which got me to thinking about the complainers in the workplace. I'm not talking about the constant naggers who would complain even if in heaven, no no....I mean the employees who complain because there are real problems that affect the workplace. Part of being an effective manager is being an active listener. I'm finding that more and more managers ignore or even worse, hide from those employees who have issues that need to be addressed. Whether this is from inexperience or insecurity in their position or just plain overwork, ignoring the problem will never make it go away. How much better it would be to take a proactive position. Really listen to the employee and what they have to say. Most people don't like complaining and if they are complaining then they feel there is a genuine problem. Value their input, respect and listen to their issues, and don't dismiss the employee out of hand. Discreetly investigate the complaint. You may find that just by listening you can diffuse the issue, or maybe action is needed. Either way...just because an employee complains doesn't mean that they are a troublemaker. Take the opportunity to be a trouble solver.

Thanks for listening,
Lindy