The average professional spends up to five hours a week dealing with complainers in the workplace.  Does this sound familiar to you?  In today’s career focused episode of the Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Thom Singer is joined by consultant, speaker, and negotiation expert Linda Swindling for a conversation about why people complain and how to set the boundaries that will help improve- or limit- your interaction with these energy drainers. Linda defines the five types of complainers and shares the tools that will help you tackle the whiners, controllers, and other complainers that may be in your workplace. 

 

On today’s podcast, you will learn:

Why does anyone cause workplace drama? 

• Everyone has a negative side that has the potential to appear in the workplace. 
• When we are at our best, we use our superpowers for good. 
• When we are stressed or otherwise at our worst, we use those superpowers to get what we need the most. 
• Complainers tend to live in the negative space where they are constantly trying to fill a need. 

 

5 types of complainers and how to interact with them

• Whiners, complicators, prima donnas, controllers, and evil toxics all make appearances in the workplace.
•  Whiners have to have their hand held through the workday, and they’re seeking relationships through negative connection. 
• You can turn these negative relationships around by listening, showing empathy, and then putting the control back in their hands. 
• Complicators seek to keep things stable and in their control. 
• Slow down communication with complicators by acknowledging their efforts and including them in change. 
• Toxics have an illogical approach to relationships, you need to aim to protect yourself from your interactions with them.
• Watch what works for others but steer clear when necessary. 

 

Handling a negative boss, peers or coworker

• Identify the level of negativity that you’re really dealing with. 
• If it’s manageable, look for the need they are trying to fill with their negativity. 
• Ask these questions- Why are they acting this way? Is it them or is it me? What are they trying to address? 

 

Starting a conversation about change

• The average person spends upwards of five hours a week dealing with complainers, wasting almost a month of every year. 
• Start conversations about change by creating rules around what will be tolerated in your work environment. 
• Value positive styles of communication and take time to develop them in yourself and your team. 
• Identify what works with various complainer styles and implement those tactics wherever possible. 

 

4 takeaways to tackle the complainers today

• Identify who you’re dealing with to calmly assess why behavior is happening and how to best approach a conversation with them. 
• You have to negotiate this behavior so that you can stop it before it gets worse. 
• Most people are dealing the best they can with the situation they’re in, the rest of them have to be stopped or removed from your workday. 
• You are the only one that is going to fully take care of your career. You have to set up your own boundaries. 

 

Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at www.DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.

Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series

Visit stopcomplainers.com or text ASK to 42828 for more resources and links to help you navigate workplace drama.