How to Deal with People (Friends and Officemates) Who Are Whiners
When you are very serious about the task that you needed to do, what can be more annoying than to have a colleague who constantly complains about his or her tasks? Whiners are people who seem to be so concerned about their own difficulties that they tend to forget that they are not the only ones who encounter these challenges.
It is not bad to complain. The problem is when a person complains about almost every single problem that he or she encounters – whether it is about the boss who demanded a 20-page report to be submitted in one hour, or that defective vending machine in your cafeteria. While there are times that we might find it amusing how creative these whiners find something to complain about, there are more times that these whiners are more annoying than amusing. You can deal with workplace whiners in various ways.
Some people complain annoyingly in order to get your support regarding a certain issue. If you feel that co-worker’s whining has valid reasons, you may give your support to your friend and to his or her complaint. Show the person that you understand where he or she is coming from.
Some whiners, when ignored feel that there’s no use to whining. So in order to stop fueling this behavior, you have to focus on your own work and ignore the minor complaint of your officemate.
Have a heart to heart talk with the whiner
Tell the person the result of his or her actions. However, you should do this with utmost care so that you will not sound like you are blaming your friend for the problems.
Present possible solutions to the problem
People whine because there is a problem. If you can figure the problem out, you may also try to find ways on how to resolve the problem. Suggest the possibilities to your friend and help him or her pick the best option.
This is one of the most effective tricks on dealing with whining. After listening to the usual complaint monologue, say, “That sounds so bad. I don’t know how you can handle all of those issues.” Usually, the whiner will respond with, “It’s not as bad as it sounds,” or something which is on a more positive note. This is because the person has already gotten what he or she needed – empathy.
These are just some of the ways by which you can deal with you whining friend. Observe the situation and the issue carefully before deciding on the strategy that you will use.
Photo Cedit : New England Secession
RELATED POSTS
Office Budget Cuts – Getting through times of office budget cuts.
Difficult Subordinates – Get through to subordinates who are being difficult.
Demanding, Insensitive Bosses – Dealing with very demanding bosses
Criticism at Work – How to take and get over negative criticism at work.
Job Layoff – Getting through layoff from work
RELATED SITES’ POSTS
Self Esteem – Building self esteem to deal with others
Personality Management – Dealing with various personalities
About Complainers – Complaints and problems with other complainers
Positive Thinking – About positive thinking in sports