Conflict Management - - -
Few things are more annoying than whining co-workers. They constantly point out problems but never act to improve the situation.
To make matters worse, their negative attitudes can have a serious effect on the morale and productivity of those around them.
To minimize whining:
• Start with yourself. It’s difficult to see ourselves as whiners, because we believe all of our own complaints are well-founded. Before you let yourself off the hook, keep a written log of your complaints for 30 days. See if a pattern develops. Did you fix any of the complaints or were you simply letting off steam? There’s nothing wrong with a little of the latter, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.
• Don’t dismiss the whining too quickly. There’s a strong possibility that a trivial complaint could be a cover-up for a real problem. If there’s something you can do to resolve the complaint, do it. If the subject of the whining can’t be fixed, ask whiners to come up with solutions to problems that can be corrected.
• Listen carefully. Give whiners a few minutes to vent. They may be simply trying to relieve tensions. As they unburden to a sympathetic ear, they frequently come to realize that the matter is really only a small annoyance. The result is that whiners talk themselves right out of the gripe.
• Keep your composure. If you lose your temper or show hostility, the whiner may respond in kind. A heated argument will only worsen the situation.
Source: Barbara Bartocci, Bbartocci@aol.com
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