Complaining at work often gets a bad rap, but actively listening to workers’ grievances can serve as a hugely valuable tool for leaders to improve the overall employee experience. Here are four types of complaining HR might come across at work.

Have you ever encountered an employee with a knack for finding fault in every aspect of their job?

Responding to employee complaints is an unavoidable part of life in HR, but finding the right way to manage a chronic complainer is no small feat. Employees who see the negative side of every situation can drain colleagues’ energy and even jeopardise their psychosocial safety.

However, while there are instances where complaining does amount to a behavioural problem, there are also instances where employee complaints are an opportunity for improvement, says Karen Gately, Founder of HR consultancy Corporate Dojo.

“Labelling complaining as ‘whinging’ is a convenient get-out-of-jail-free card that leaders pull out too often. Rather than being willing to actively listen, sometimes they’re distracted by the mode of delivery of the feedback because it sounds like whining,” she says.

“The first step for [HR and managers] is to recognise that, regardless of how it’s delivered, feedback is feedback. And sometimes the squeaky wheel is squeaking because it needs oil, not just because it’s in the mood to.” 

Four types of complaining

When it comes to managing a complaint at work, a useful first step is to assess the intentions behind it.

A recent paper published in the Harvard Business Review broke down employee complaints into four key categories. Understanding the nature and intent of each type of complaint can help HR and managers decide on the best approach to tackle them. 

1. Productive complaining

The main thing that sets productive complaining apart from other forms of complaint is a genuine desire on the part of the employee to help find a solution to their problem.

For instance, an employee who flags that they have an unsustainable workload should not be labelled a ‘whinger’, since this is useful information that can be acted upon for the benefit of the employee and the wider workforce. 

But how can managers discern productive complaining from its less-productive counterparts?

“As a starting point, it comes down to your broader observations about this human being and their reasonableness. If you get repeated complaints around the same issue from somebody who is typically balanced, considered and pragmatic in their point of view, that’s a pretty strong tell,” says Gately.

In these cases, it may be more sensible for HR to treat their grievances as feedback rather than complaining, she says.

“I would be careful before labelling things as complaints… If somebody wants to be part of the solution, then they’re not really complaining. They are advocating for change.

“We can help and encourage people to reframe these things as opportunities for improvement. And we want to be really clear that we’re inviting that feedback from our organisation.”

2. Venting

Unlike productive complaining, venting has one core purpose: the release of pent-up emotions. 

Employees who vent might emphatically express their dissatisfaction about something or someone, but generally do not do so with an idea to address the issue – instead, they simply wish to offload their frustration. 

Another possible intention behind venting is to form emotional connections with colleagues over shared grievances.

A 2012 study by the European Journal of Social Psychology found that emotional venting after a bad experience has multiple benefits, including temporary relief from stress, enhanced social integration, less loneliness and the overall impression of feeling better.

However, in spite of these benefits, Gately recommends approaching this form of complaining with caution and consideration for those on the receiving end of it.

“We are naïve to think that people never need an emotional outlet for frustration,” she says. “It’s how they go about it that we need to influence and manage. 

“If people are routinely venting, and they’re loud, it’s disruptive to the rest of the group’s energy levels and sense of confidence. [In that case], we need to coach them to have a different pressure release. But, at the same time, we can also create the space for people to safely vent.”

For example, she suggests encouraging employees who feel the need to vent to do so in a controlled environment, such as a private meeting with their manager, where they can have moments when they’re less than emotionally rational.

“As long as they’re maintaining common decency and respectfulness in their conduct, and you maintain a very clear understanding that you don’t bring that into the team environment, then you can give people some room to do that from time to time.”

“If somebody wants to be part of the solution, then they’re not really complaining. They are advocating for change.” – Karen Gately, Founder, Corporate Dojo

3. Chronic complaining

Sometimes, complaining is the result of a person’s mindset rather than an objective problem. This is true in the case of the ‘chronic complainer’, whose tendency to pick holes in every situation never seems to fade, even when their grievances are addressed. 

This form of complaining can be frustrating and harmful to the listener, whose energy may be zapped by the negative rhetoric and who may feel powerless to help, since new gripes continually crop up to replace old ones. 

Therefore, to manage this type of complainer, Gately suggests looking at the person’s attitude rather than the things they find fault with.

“Sometimes people complain about things that just are. So it’s about coaching them to accept reality, and coaching them to come up with solutions… [HR should] help people to see that they have the power to choose a different mindset and perspective,” she says.

“If you constantly come to me with a complaint, my first question needs to be, ‘What solutions do you imagine we could be putting in place?’ So straightaway, I’m asking the person to think for themselves around what the resolution is.”

Managers should offer ample support and guidance to help the employee adopt a more balanced, solutions-oriented attitude, she says. 

4. Malicious complaining

While chronic complainers can inadvertently harm those around them, malicious complainers do so deliberately. This type of complaining serves the self at the expense of others, and contributes to a psychologically unsafe working environment.

“The approach to this would be similar [to chronic complaining], but much firmer,” says Gately. 

“We need to nip this in the bud right away, because it’s bullying, it’s unlawful and it’s devastating to a culture and team spirit.”

For employees who routinely exhibit this behaviour, managers will likely have to make the tough call, she says.

“Maybe for a one-off event, we can be empathetic [and say], ‘Okay, you got a bit nasty, you got a bit vengeful, you got ahead of yourself here.’ We can still give people the opportunity to realise that that’s not okay and  correct their own attitude.” 

But if you get to a point where you realise this person’s malicious behaviour isn’t going away, you will need to consider more serious consequences, such as your official disciplinary process. 

Rethinking your approach to managing complaints

As well as assessing the type of complaining that they are dealing with, Gately advises HR to apply some big-picture thinking to the way complaints are addressed in an organisation.

“What I would be doing as an HR director is influencing a culture of learning. And that’s from the CEO down: everybody having curiosity around how we can keep evolving and improving.

“As long as I choose to keep somebody around, and they’re on my team, I should have a level of curiosity around how they are thinking, how they are feeling and what’s driving that.”

A culture of curiosity can take the bite out of complaints and prevent them from being blown out of proportion, she says.

“For some HR people, when they hear [complaining], their bullying radar immediately goes up. And they think, ‘Oh, this is a formal complaint.’ But not everything has to be scary and kick-start us into risk management mode.

“That can be part of the reason why people stop complaining. It’s like road accidents; what they tell you in first aid is to go to the people who are quiet. If they’ve stopped complaining, they’re in a more serious state.”

So employees continue to see the value in speaking up, Gately suggests making it clear that you welcome the feedback and keeping the employee in question up to speed with the resolution process.

“Communication is key. It’s about leaving the individual feeling as though you’ve heard them, you’ve understood what their feedback is and there have been actions taken. That’s not always a solution or a change, but they need to know it went somewhere.”

By maintaining open lines of communication and avoiding an overly reactive stance, HR can navigate complaints with empathy and proactive problem-solving, ultimately fostering a more harmonious and productive workplace.

Explore how to effectively identify, manage and resolve team-based and interpersonal conflict in the workplace with this short course from AHRI.