With one exception, workplace cliques are bad for business. If you allow them to operate behind the scenes, they’ll destroy morale, teamwork and productivity. Yet, as the economy continues in a recession, people’s fear and stress will lead them to band together to find comfort and scapegoats. We usually recognize cliques that use bullying tactics to preserve their turf and to get ahead. Let’s focus on one particular type of clique that will become more prevalent and more destructive as the recession deepens – the Whiners’ Club.
To read the rest of this article from the Portland Business Journal, see: Members of Whiners’ Club definitely bad for business http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/stories/2009/04/13/story9.html
Members of the Whiners’ Club, whether they’re managers or staff, waste time and spread a cloud of negativity and apathy throughout the office. They’re toxic. They complain about everything: the global economy; the country’s education, health care, bureaucracy and legal systems; the company’s leadership and management; their immediate bosses and coworkers; increased workloads imposed because coworkers were laid off; the insecurity of their jobs and retirement funds. You’ll never satisfy them.
The accuracy of the whiners’ observations isn’t the issue. The issue is their attitude towards what they think are facts. These people are professional victims. They’ve decided that since the world is so rotten and the future appears so bleak, they’ll stop trying to succeed. Instead, they give themselves permission to wallow in victimhood. They use their negativity to bully and abuse other staff, to sabotage meetings and to control the workplace.
Does that sound like teenagers who feel entitled to be taken care of?
Often, the strong and clear voice of an outside consultant and coach can empower managers and also make changes compelling. You’ll probably need to train conflict-avoidant managers how to evaluate and remove members of the Whiners’ Club. Once you remove a few of the most negative people, most of the rest can be rehabilitated with the right approaches.
Learn what you can do to eliminate the high cost of whiner’s low attitudes.
All tactics are situational. Expert coaching and consulting can help you create and implement a plan that fits you and your organization.