Society for Human Resource Management

Be careful how you deal with that worker because, according to management experts, the old saying about one bad apple is true: Complainers can spread negativity through the workplace like a contagious disease and infect even the most optimistic and productive employees. The ultimate result: dropping productivity along with the slow erosion of corporate culture, even in offices that recently had good morale.

"A company culture can go from being very optimistic (‘Oh, we love our work, we do great things') to the reverse (‘It will never get better') in the space of six months," says Jenifer Callaway, senior instructional designer for CareerTrack and designer of the seminar "How To Overcome Negativity in the Workplace."

The root of the problem

A case in point: layoffs. Lower employee morale is the most common result of restructuring and layoffs, according to the 1996 Job Security and Layoff Survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management. Of all the respondents, 62 percent said morale at their organizations decreased because of layoffs.

"In many organizations, people don't know what's coming down the pike, they don't know if or how long they will have a job when restructuring occurs, which certainly breeds bad feelings," says Callaway. Once employees start discussing how they are getting "the shaft," the notion rubs off, explains Callaway. "The people who are naturally optimistic start thinking, ‘Hey, is it really worth it? Maybe those people are right.'"

Homing in on communication

North Central Door Co. in Bemidji, Minn., had morale problems when Michelle Lasha was hired less than a year ago as its first HR director. Part of the problem was that company policies and procedures were not always followed, causing many employees to feel that work and rewards were unfairly distributed.

"Employees felt that work standards were not being met by everyone," says Lasha. "Performance reviews had never been conducted, and people really wanted to know where they stood." What's more, she notes, management's focus was on production, so there was a general lack of communication—even when there was good news to be shared.

Now, communication is a cornerstone of North Central Door's workplace. When management calls a meeting about an issue that will affect employees, the entire plant attends. Employees at all levels participate in committees to discuss improvements, bottlenecks, safety and other workplace issues.

One of Lasha's biggest accomplishments has been to work on the negative attitudes among long-time employees. That is especially critical, she notes, "because long-time employees are the ones that are going to communicate to new employees. If the communication is negative, the cycle of poor morale continues."

Lasha succeeded in altering the tenor of the workplace by "involving employees in the decision-making process, allowing them to come up with solutions," she says. That curbs "the tendency for low morale and negativity because the employees feel empowered. They feel they can make a difference and make valuable contributions," she says.

Currently, a number of North Central Door employees—chosen by their peers—are working with management to revamp the company's compensation system. Other employee committees work to solve more everyday, production-oriented issues.

Lasha admits she couldn't have done it alone; she needed management support. "Management was first to admit there were morale problems, and I had their complete support from the beginning," she says. "The CEO and management really care about employees and wanted to hire an HR person who could work on business areas that were more people-oriented vs. production-oriented. They knew that improving morale, ultimately improves production," she says.

Deal with the complainers

Albert Bernstein, a clinical psychologist turned business consultant and author of Dinosaur Brains: Dealing with All Those Impossible People at Work (Random House), offers these additional tips on dealing with complainers.

• Practice creative ignoring. When you're surrounded by people screaming, yelling and demanding somebody's head, do nothing. That response is much more thought-out and creative than agreeing with them.

• Answer bad with good. When an employee makes a complaint, counter with a positive observation. That might cause the complainer to stop and think. Answering good with bad is also a good way to "cover yourself," Bernstein explains: "People who remember the situation later might see you as the only one who didn't lose his head. You might be considered the leader when everybody calms down."

• Ask the magic question. When people expect you to agree with them or rescue them, ask: "What are you going to do about it?" If they expected you to take on their problem, this response will stop them dead in their tracks, says Bernstein. They will have to think about the situation and what they expect.

Control your own negative feelings

• Question your own motive. When you start looking for someone to blame, ask yourself: Once I find out who's to blame, what will I do next? What will I gain by punishing someone for this? Is thinking this way to my advantage? If you aren't satisfied with your answers, ask: How else could I look at this situation? What can I learn here?

• Check your goals. When you hear yourself complaining or blaming, ask: Why am I saying this? What is my goal here? What effect will this comment have on the people listening to me? What kind of reaction do I expect? Do I want them to agree with me or rescue me? What am I trying to accomplish?

  Decide what action you could take to make the situation better, says Bernstein. "Then," he recommends, "put up or shut up."

Work through the negativity

At a Minneapolis-based engineering firm, employees in the communications department try to create something constructive out of the act of complaining. Whenever employees complain, they toss a quarter in the "Complaint Jar." At the end of the month, the department goes out to lunch for a complaint-free, fun social experience. The complaint jar picks up the check.