Complaining
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
My son works as a bartender in a restaurant. Another bartender on a previous shift apparently has a habit of sending very critical texts to people accusing them of improper behavior when turning over the bar for the next day. He didn’t verbally complain to his co-worker or other co-workers. He showed the text sequence
to his manager and asked, “Is she right,” and then asked, “Is this the correct way we should be speaking to one another?”
At work, complaining to people who can’t do anything to improve it is a waste of time. Nothing good comes of it. You are seen as a complainer. You are speaking to people who can’t change anything and thus what you are doing is asking for them to become co-conspirators in your frustration, taking them down and doing nothing constructive.
However, if you ask them for advice about the issue, it is different.
“Am I missing something here,” said in a way that is not accusatory but curious should precede any conversation with a colleague about an issue at work.
In my son’s case, as a newer and younger bartender with less clout, he asked his manager whether he made a mistake and whether being harshly criticized was acceptable. On both subjects, he was told no.
Sometimes, the right thing to do is to gather additional information to learn why a decision was made. Sometimes, it is to make sure what you think you heard was, in fact, what was said. Sometimes, it is to confirm policy with management.
When I worked in search, I found one of my co-workers stealing information and selling it privately. A friend forwarded screenshots of payments made to the person and, when they were fired, uncashed checks were found in their desk drawer.
Now, if management doesn’t act based on the information you provided, you have a choice—tolerate the situation or leave. Complaining to others won’t solve anything.
Ⓒ The Big Game Hunter, Inc., Asheville, NC 2022
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice globally. That can involve job search, hiring staff, management, leadership, career transition and advice about resolving workplace issues. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2500 episodes.
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