Head in Hands - flickr: Alex E. Proimos via VisualHunt. employee engagement“Complaints are negatively stated solutions.”

 

This was my main takeaway from Leigh Branham’s, The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave: How to Recognize the Subtle Signs and Act Before It’s Too Late.

 

 

Negativity Rules

The world seems to thrive on negativity. Read a newspaper or watch TV and you’ll recognize it. It’s the negative stories that make the headlines and cause people to watch or read. Positive stories are relegated to the last few minutes of a news broadcast or are buried within a publication.

 

In the workplace, negatively appears in the form of complaints. Complaining is easier than addressing what’s needed to make improvements.  And worse, complaining begets more complaining. It’s maddening that this is an accepted, normal practice.

 

 

How to Turn Complaints into Something Useful

Complaints can be leveraged as a way to identify potential solutions.

 

In a previous series of posts, 10 Weeks to Better Engaged Employees, we discussed the importance of feedback. While Tenet 5 – Feedback from Customers is a Gift addressed customer complaints, it could easily apply to complaining employees.

 

“Candid and constructive feedback is a gift and should always be welcomed even though it may not be easy or comfortable to hear. Although we may make every effort possible, we may not always be able to provide a solution that completely satisfies every customer.  When we miss the mark and receive constructive feedback, it provides us with the opportunity to examine our business practices to determine how they can be improved.  How can we fix what’s not working if we are unaware of the problem?”1

 

While complaining may not be seen as constructive feedback, it is still a gift that will help you recognize where improvements are needed. And this “gift” may not come to you directly. It’s important that you keep your eyes and ears open if you want to keep your employees engaged.  According to Gallup, “Managers Account for 70% of Variance in Employee Engagement.”2

 

“Winnowing all employee complaints down to their root causes, Branham has identified seven reasons, which are simultaneously best-known and most hidden, for workers disengaging and leaving their organizations:

(1) the job or workplace does not live up to expectations

(2) a mismatch between the job and the person exists

(3) too little coaching and/or feedback

(4) too few growth and advancement opportunities

(5) feeling devalued and unrecognized

(6) stress from overwork and work-life imbalance

(7) loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders”3

 

 

Let see how some common workplace complaints relate to these seven reasons.

 

 

  1. Complaint: I’m just a cog in the machine.

Reasons:     

(2) a mismatch between the job and the person exists: Help the employee understand the importance of her role and its impact on the company/ customers. Employees want to feel like they are part of a larger cause.

(3) too little coaching and/or feedback: Companies believe they do a good job of communicating with their employees.  Employees think that companies are communicating enough. It’s up to you, the manager, to deepen the relationships with your direct reports. Your people may feel isolated or left out. As Gallup said above, a poor manager-employee relationship is one of the biggest factors in employee turnover and in employee disengagement.

(5) feeling devalued and unrecognized: Employees want to be recognized for their contributions. Provide ongoing feedback that reinforces the positive aspects of an employee’s work and its impact on the company, coworkers, and customers.

 

 

  1. Complaint: I’ve got too much on my plate.

Reasons:

(3) too little coaching and/or feedback: Understand the employee’s current workload and determine if it is representative of coworker workloads.  Employee want feedback.

(4) too few growth and advancement opportunities: Help the employee set priorities and suggest potential training. Employees want development opportunities.

(6) stress from overwork and work-life imbalance: Review the current processes and determine if they can be modified to reduce, combine, eliminate, or reassign tasks. Involving employees in potential solutions can positively impact employee engagement.

 

 

 

  1. Complaint: This company doesn’t pay well.

Reasons:

(1) the job or workplace does not live up to expectations: Help the employee understand how pay is determined and administered. Discuss the total compensation package (benefits, bonus program, discounts, and other incentives available).

(3) too little coaching and/or feedback: Use the performance management process to demonstrate the relationship between pay and performance. Frequent performance management discussions set the stage for a more comprehensive view of an employee’s performance over the course of a year.

 (7) loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders: A lack of information can lead to mistrust, rumors, and disengagement. While most companies assume they effectively communicate, most employees would prefer more frequent and timely communications.

 

 

  1. Complaint: My boss is driving me crazy. He is such a micromanager.

Reasons:

(4) too few growth and advancement opportunities: Help the employee establish a development plan and suggest potential training. The manager may need to incorporate actions into his own development plan. Managers who are more self aware will be able to recognize their own developmental opportunities and understand how their actions impact others.

(5) feeling devalued and unrecognized: Both the employee and the manager need to discuss the situation openly and honestly. Frequent manager-employee conversations are key in order to build a positive working relationship.

 (7) loss of trust and confidence in senior leaders: The manager needs to recognize that there is a trust issue and should work to rectify the specific reasons behind it. Performance reviews can be a forum for mutual discussion. Managers play a big role in the success of their employees. Employees know if managers truly care about them.

 

 

Summary

As you can see, there are multiple opportunities to address each employee complaint. Listening is key. You can’t identify opportunities unless you know about what employees are complaining. You need to be alert to complaints so that you can address them, as well as pass along suggestions to others that may not be privy to the complaint. “Feedback determines what business practices and actions please [employees] and it provides the opportunity to make adjustments or changes where needed.”1

 

Is complaining helpful? Yes, if you use complaints to bring about positive change.

 

 

 

What complaints are you hearing? How will you use this feedback for positive change?

 

 

1 Simpson, Gregory F. “Tenet 5 – Feedback from Customers is a Gift.” Agent in engAGemENT. N.p., 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 July 2014. <www.agentinengagement.com/tenet-5-feedback-customers-gift/>.
2 Beck, Randall, and James Harter. “Managers Account for 70% of Variance in Employee Engagement.” Gallup.com. Gallup, Inc., 2 Apr. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2016. <http://www.gallup.com/businessjournal/182792/managers-account-variance-employee-engagement.aspx>.
3 Brown, Linda Morris. “The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave.” Business Book Review, Business Book Review, LLC, 2015, www.keepingthepeople.com/pdfs/7HiddenReasons_BBR_Full_Review.pdf.
4 Simpson, Gregory F. “Tenet 5 – Feedback from Customers is a Gift.” Agent in engAGemENT. N.p., 6 Nov. 2013. Web. 9 July 2014. <www.agentinengagement.com/tenet-5-feedback-customers-gift/>.

 

 

 

Let’s Engage! 

I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory F Simpson.

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