Stop Complaining, Be Smart – The Art Of Complaining About Coworkers

Complaining has two broad purposes- The positive and the negative. The art of complaining about coworkers is how you can get over the habit of complaining and still be smart about your purpose. Malicious complaining with ill intent is bad. It is harmful not only for the person who does it but also for the organizations. Most people just fail to realize that by doing this they are harming no one but themselves only. On contrary, highlighting the truth or problems involved sometimes gets perceived as part of complaining. Though the intent is good but the way people put things highlights badly on their personality. It is in this scenario that the art of complaining about coworkers comes into picture.

Complaining is such a peculiar habit that sometimes people don’t even realize how badly it gets rooted into their behavior. These people have nothing to talk but crib and complain. Such people are generally most hated and other prefers to sideline or ignore them. The purpose of this post is to develop a healthy habit of presenting the things the way they are without judging them at one’s own end. The onus then lies with the person who is in a position of authority to take decision rather then we becoming a GOD and judging things on our own way.

Let’s talk more about this art and see how it has the potential to change things for better

Why do people complain?

1) When they see something is not happening right

2) When they see something is not happening according to their own way.

3) Purely out of jealousy or to serve ones own ill intent

As said earlier, the purpose of this article is to show way to people who

1) Are genuinely interested to remove anomalies from the system

2) Want good things to prevail rather than bad

3) Want peace and goodwill rather than malice

So, If you fall in this strata then this article is for you. Lets carry on

When you see something bad happening that concern your coworkers

1) You try to mend it your own way

2) You talk with your coworkers

3) In end, if nothing happens, you generally complain to your boss or management

If you are genuine and if this being your first time there are chances that people would hear you and they may take action according to suggestions. Things gets resolved and you become a happy person.

But problems comes when

1) You continue to complain about it

2) Variety of your complaints increases

3) Intensity of your complaints increases

And frustration grows further when

1) No one listens to you

2) You Boss or management takes no action

3) You start to face humiliation every time you talk

Let’s look on the other side now.

The other side is the person, presumably your Boss, to whom you have been complaining

1) He hires people to support him. In sense everyone is equal and dear to him

2) Whenever someone complains it is none but against his team member and the one he has hired

3) He has built his own picture about people which is nothing but a strong belief

So when you complain – What essentially happens?

1) You put him in defensive mode

2) You challenge the belief of your Boss.

3) You want him to initiate an action which he may not want to take

4) You question his management practices

5) You put across a point that may not have a single supporting factor

6) You give your opinion which is not his opinion

You never know what relationship your boss share with the other coworkers and how things work between them. Thinking that the Boss would take everything at your face value is nothing but foolishness.

To a Boss every team member is like their own children. Like sensible parents no one want to punish one child just because the other child wants that to happen without valid reason.

Yes, what is valid for you may not be valid for your Boss.

The Big Question Now is – What to Do in such situation?

The Answer is Simple- It works like this

1) Talk about the process and the potential problems

2) Talk about the bad things that has happened, in a polite manner, without taking names

3) Make sure to report it in a manner that ill will against any person doesn’t gets reflected.

By doing this you

1) You Put the ball in your Boss court

2) Make him ask intelligent questions to which you can reply (again in a polite way)

3) Let him see through the things on his own rather than guiding him with your own words

And never ever

1) At any point speak bad about the any person

2) Never do that even if your boss wants to do

3) Acknowledge what he thinks but don’t go further then that

Your Boss Would be left with no other option but to

1) Formulate his opinion

2) Mold his thinking

3) Take decision based on what he perceive to be right

And all along you need to do nothing but –

Keep Guiding Him towards the Direction You want him to go.

Yes, this is an art of being diplomatically right and making sure things go your way only.

I have myself found in my career that complaining always puts you in bad shape. You should always be neutral and talk good about person who has done wrong. The weight of the judgment and the subsequent decision then shifts to your Boss who then would do nothing but take obvious decisions.

Don’t ever make your Boss defensive by criticizing your coworkers. Present him with facts that should help him to understand the situation better.

So if something is wrong, it would get mended- Your Purpose solved

So if something is not wrong, nothing would happen- You would be saved from doing wrong.

It is important to stop complaining and be smart about what you do and the manner in which you do certain things. The art of complaining against your coworkers is nothing but putting the facts in front of the person rather than judging things on your own end. The sooner you learn it, the happier and more successful you would become in your career. It is that simple.

Photo Credit- timsamoff