There’s good and bad in every comment
By ALLISON ROGERS
Humans are hard-wired to complain. Even the brightest of optimists will gripe on occasion. Some doctors suggest that humans complain in excess because of significant gaps between their expectations and reality. It’s a classic tale: expecting a masterpiece and getting a mess; anticipating a diamond and getting cubic zirconia. We’ve all been there.
Some people are chronic complainers—and they know it. Others are not as keenly aware of their own actions. But sometimes—and all of us can be guilty of this—we just don’t realize how much damage our complaints can do.
It’s no secret that constant negativity and dissatisfaction leads to an overwhelmingly toxic atmosphere. Think about how exhausting it would be to hang out with a friend that did nothing but complain. You share the details of a delicious take-out dinner you got last week; they counter your blissful remembrance with a story of stale cereal they ate for breakfast. You rave about your new favourite show; they switch it up and tell you how awful the movie they saw last week was. No one wants to hang out with a storm cloud—and few are keen to work alongside one, either. That’s a sure-fire way to nix motivation in any business.
If they seep through the cracks of your business, your employees’ complaints can do serious damage to your company’s reputation. Not everything stays between the walls of the workplace, no matter how much you trust your team. If complaints or any internal issues slip out to your customers, your organization’s entire image is at risk. Notoriously, public images aren’t all that easy to clean up. Avoid the headaches later by addressing issues and stopping complaints at the source.
But complaints can’t be seen as all bad. Scientists also say that complaining is a key component to community. If two or more people are mutually dissatisfied by something, they have something to connect them. To elaborate: if you, as a decision-maker in your workplace, are aware of some frequent or repetitive complaints, your team clearly feels comfortable enough to be transparent with you.
Use this opportunity as a chance to address tension or unresolved conflict to avoid strained relationships, decreased collaboration and, ultimately, dwindled productivity. A happy, listened-to crew works better than a team that’s grimacing through the pain of being at work.
