So this morning I answered a question on LinkedIn about managing a whiny employee. I thought I would post that answer here. The person wanted to know how to manage a person who seems to whine over the most trivial things – like having to change their password regularly. My initial thought was clearly they are not the person who wrote Diary of the Happiest Employee on Earth. So I crafted a response.
And here it is:
Take him out back and beat the crap out of him
OR…….
What’s wrong with saying…… John, you seem to be bothered by so many trivial things. Why is that?
or
John, you’ve used your whining credits for this month
or
John, maybe this isn’t the place for you to work with all these policies and rules.
or
I could email you a picture of my cap that says “Are You Done Whining?” You can make a joke of it and when he or someone whines you can hand them the picture. Make copies of it. You can have a contest. The one with the most copies of the picture each month has to buy the Virtual Friday Office Bagel Platter from One Less Meal, Inc. operators of The Double D Diner: The World’s Only Virtual Diner Fighting Hunger
As I hit the button to post my answer I thought to myself………..Why not? This could actually be fun. Why not turn what is becoming an unhappy employee experience for some into something good for others.
So over there —-> is a picture of the hat. Feel free to download it and copy it.
And if you have one or two whiners in your midst, you now have a little fun new initiative to implement. I’d like to say I wish The Double D didn’t have to get a donation because of some annoying people you work with, but hey, let’s turn something negative, trying, and tiresome into something fun while adding a bit of social good.
Now of course, it is Friday, and you could retroactively collect payment and make that donation anyway.
