There was a post on March 17, 2023.
My first summer job was at a grocery store. I used to complain to my boss about the cramped space of mechanical rooms and the amount of broken glass. The heat was unbearable.
When Larry, my boss who worked for the pop company, heard of my complaints, he told me to stop complaining about the heat and focus on how uncomfortable things are.
I initially disliked his advice but eventually realized he was correct. Complaining didn't make any difference.
These days, there is too much complaining. The average person complains at least once a day. It is possible that we have turned into a nation of complainers if that is correct.
We complain about the weather. We complain about the pay, lack of information, and how someone's mistake caused us problems. Difficult customers are what we complain about. It can hurt us and our workplace if we continue to complain.
I was doing customer service training at a company outside of state. The CEO said employees and supervisors complained all the time. Customer service was being hurt by all the complaining.
They complained about the work itself, which involved continually working together, as I sorted through the core problem. The world of imperfect people and imperfect organizations were mostly damaged by their complaints.
It's possible to be dissatisfied with your life due to chronic complaining at work. If you are constantly unhappy at work, that unhappiness can carry over into other areas of your life and lead to a sense of gloom.
It's time for all the complaining to stop. Five ways to be more content with life are listed.
- Be grateful for what you have learned or can learn from the job. Lacking an attitude of gratitude blisters our vision to see the good things, which can hinder us from imagining and implementing solutions to real problems. If you aren’t staying long term, at the very least, look at what you can learn from the job and gain everything you can.
- Look at the situation objectively. The managers and staff of my client mentioned earlier were able to figure out what was causing miscommunication problems by examining their situation objectively. Having a clear understanding of the problem, they discussed concrete ways to improve customer service and establish better habits among colleagues – ultimately boosting morale. By being objective, you can see your work more realistically and improve your attitude.
- Take time to appreciate what you have. Acknowledging that there are tasks you’re not particularly thrilled with is natural, but actively identifying opportunities for personal growth within those tasks is vital for future success. You have tenfold better chances to find fulfillment in life and success in whatever you pursue if you replace complaining with appreciation.
- Change “have to do” into “get to do.” Work becomes annoying when you see it as aggravating tasks that ruin your motivation: “I have to work for that boss” or “I’m always doing someone else’s work.” Instead say, “I get to work with my boss in this job” or “I get to learn tons.”
- Leaders set the pace – so stop complaining and griping so much. In my experience, leaders can be some of the worst complainers in the organization. Leaders can help everyone’s mental state by fostering a positive work environment and motivating people to bring their best to work each day. To do that, all layers of management must be a positive example to employees with the right attitude toward work.
If your boss drives you nuts or your customers are a pain to deal with, think again.
Mark is the president of Consultant Board Inc. Mark is reachable at mark@markholmesgroup.com
