3 Tips for Eliminating Staff Complaints and Generating More Team Accountability

On a recent Delta Airlines flight to Detroit, I had a bird’s-eye view of the people getting on the plane and the preparation by the flight attendant. She was obviously new because there was another agent showing her where everything was located and giving basic instruction and procedures.

After the door was closed the second flight attendant who had been helping in the rear of the plane came forward and the experienced attendant was clearly aggravated and didn’t hold back. She said out loud, “Now what is she doing? She’s not supposed to be checking anything in my cabin… I’ve already done that. She should make sure things up here are ready to go.” She carried on the entire time the other agent was in the back of the plane. I quietly watched and wanted to see what would happen next.

When the new attendant returned, the experienced attendant didn’t share any of her observations, provide feedback, or coach the newbie. Rather, she shared pleasantries as they finished their preparation. She was happy to complain to others, but not step up to help her partner become better at her job.

Complaining is a big challenge in all organizations today. Many times employees will bitch about a situation within the company, but won’t take responsibility for making a change. Here are some ways you can turn that around.

1. Teach your team to be responsible. Early in my career, when I was a first-line supervisor at The Wiremold Company, I received plenty of complaints from my team about procedures, company policy, management decisions and other workers. They were classic attempts to “put the monkey on my back.” I quickly learned that I didn’t want the monkey.

I began engaging the complainers to get them to take some responsibility for improving the situation. For example, if someone complained about a co-worker I’d ask, “Have you talked to him about it?” (They did not.) “Go ahead and do that first and see if you can settle it.” Or, if he complained about a procedure, I’d ask if he would be willing to participate in a kaizen event to improve the process.

My redirecting their complaints back to them had many effects. For one, I received fewer complaints because my team quickly learned that I would not fix their issues for them. They had to keep their own monkeys. More importantly, my team became involved in creating the experience they wanted rather than moan about it. Some had never been given the opportunity to share their ideas, let alone permission to try them out.  Now, they had a direct role to shape their jobs.

We made a rule that they would not come to me with a complaint unless they also had a suggestion and would be willing to act on it. If yes, I was totally willing to support their ideas. If no, they had to continue working the way things were, without complaining about it.

2. Turn the complaint into positive action. Complaints spread negativity throughout the firm. All organizations have things that can be improved, but those that find a way to tackle them positively have the best outcomes. Here’s the good news—when people complain it means they have a frame of reference for a better situation or alternative. The key is to tap into that perspective in a positive way.

3. Present a companywide challenge. Challenge your employees to go a full week without complaining to anyone. Show them how to recognize when something isn’t optimum and how to take positive, constructive action without complaining. See how many days your staff can go without a complaint. Have your employees vote on who did the best job and provide a reward such as a gift certificate or company t-shirts. A free company lunch would show your appreciation for everyone’s efforts.

When I was an executive at Gems Sensors, a company owned by Danaher, I would have regular lunch meetings with a cross section of people within my operations team, from shop floor hourly workers, to engineers, to managers.  We would openly discuss their challenges and concerns, the company’s vision, and specific actions we could all take.  While I invited their dialogue, I also shared my philosophy that complaining doesn’t add value and expressed my expectation that we not allow each other to complain and instead, bring ideas to solve situations that might be bothering them.  Because these meetings managed to provide an outlet for people to express their frustrations, they also helped to create a “complaint-free zone”.

As you know, complaining doesn’t move the company forward. Meanwhile, the best leaders are those who listen and solicit ideas from their team. Turning complaints into suggestions and listening to your employees can provide a significant competitive edge.

Pete Winiarski is the CEO of Win Enterprises LLC, which helps business leaders transform their results and enable their teams to cohesively flourish and enjoy the fun and exciting journey to business and personal achievement.