Everyone complains; most people don’t like listening to other people complain, and we all think it’s just a harmless expression of our feelings. Unfortunately, this couldn’t be further from the truth. While a good vent is needed sometimes, chronic complaining can lead to a toxic work environment.  

Complaining breeds negativity

It’s simple when you think about it – the more you focus on what’s wrong, the more negative feelings you will ultimately have. By focusing on your problems long enough, they eventually become more prominent than they are and occupy more space in your mind. This continues to multiply with each new complaint, and when you consider an entire team in that headspace, you’re facing an abundantly negative culture. 

Complaining doesn’t solve anything.

Despite how good it can feel in the moment to express frustration, it doesn’t fix the problem. It just brings it more into focus through the lens of anger instead of productivity. As complaining becomes your team’s primary choice for expressing themselves, you’ll hear about more problems with fewer solutions, which will ultimately cause more complaints.  

Complaining makes people hard to work with every day.

Even if you don’t have a chronic problem in your workspace with complaining, you may still have one or two employees who bring down the vibe. These are the people who make others silently groan when they approach, knowing they only want to come and complain. This is taxing on your team who try to remain positive problem solvers and, if left unchecked, can lead to them being so frustrated they start looking for something new.  

Leaving complaining unchecked in your organization can lead to turnover and toxicity, but there are solutions for improvement.  

Start with clear expectations and open lines of communication.

Complaining will frequently spread in a company where the expectations appear to be minimal, and management doesn’t want to listen. Despite their harmful nature, it’s easier to see where they’re coming from in this environment. Always make an effort to make responsibilities clear and to listen to your team. Help problems get solved, and don’t be overly dismissive.  

Watch, listen, and ask.

This doesn’t mean become a micromanager, instead take the time to pay attention to your employees and their frustrations. Ask for input when needed and never assume that all the issues will come to you. Being actively engaged can make a big difference.  

Don’t be afraid to deal with complainers.

If you’re doing everything you can to improve your environment and most employees seem to be responding well, you might need to have specific conversations with the team members who still live in the world of complaints and negativity. Listen to them, try to help, but don’t be afraid to enforce punishment if they aren’t on board with working toward solutions.  

Find the right people with Staffing Resources!

We know you want to build your team with positive employees, whether they’re temporary, contract, temp-to-hire, or direct hires. Trust Staffing Resources to deliver. Contact us today to learn more about our staffing capabilities.