We all need to manage employees who have a complaint. It is important to handle complaining employees effectively to help resolve the issue and get them back on track. Consider these best practices to manage employees who complain:
- Do not make assumptions. We assume that when employees complain they are unhappy with the job. This is not always the case. Sometimes employees complain because they care.
- Focus on the complaint, not on the employee who is complaining. This is particularly important when employees are angry.
- Listen actively and don’t interrupt the employee. Ensure understanding by asking questions to clarify what the employee is telling you.
- Ask for opinions and ideas on how to solve the issue that is causing the complaint. It is likely the employee has thought about how to improve the situation and will share ideas with you. Plus it is important to get the employee involved in solving the situation rather than simply complaining about it.
- Fix what you can right away. Sometimes small changes can be made to begin to improve the situation. Develop a plan to begin to correct what will take a bit longer to resolve. Keep the employee involved in solving the situation.
Manage the employee and the complaint. And keep in mind that often employees are complaining because they want a solution – they care about the situation enough to speak up. Yes, of course there are employees who just like to complain; but overall those who complain want to work toward a solution and just need help to get there.
