It is natural at work to get frustrated and want to complain to someone. But just random complaining is not useful and in fact can frustrate the other person. Here’s some advice on this topic:

It’s ok to complain about something, but bring a solution or at least some brainstorming ideas as the next step.

As a people manager, business leader, or technical lead, you will be placed in a point where people bring their problems to you. And that’s ok, that’s your job, to help solve those problems. But whenever I’ve been in that role what makes me nonplussed is when people basically just complain about a situation, and there’s no input on a way forward.

Look, I understand the complaining. Work can be frustrating, impediments and roadblocks can be difficult to navigate. But if all you’re doing is complaining, it makes me wonder what value you are bringing to the table.

Here are some simple recommendations to make your complain-fest have a more productive outcome.

First, tell the person what you’ve already tried. This shows that you have already attempted to address the issue. When you are collaboratively brainstorming new ideas, it also saves time because anything you’ve already tried won’t be rehashed. Also, conveying what doesn’t work actually might provide more insight or data.

Also, even if you don’t know exactly what to do next, state what the actual outcome you are trying to achieve is. IF you’re stuck trying to write a document, what are you trying to do with that document? Is it a white paper for a customer? Is it an internal decision document? Is it going somewhere else for approval? Is it something to be baselined and displayed somewhere, like a design document?

And lastly, be sure to clearly tell the person you are looking for help. Conversely, if you’re not, then tell them you don’t want help, you just want to vent. When you complain to people, if you haven’t made that clear for most people their inclination is to try and solve the problem. But if you tell them you just need to vent, then you can reframe the conversation as you just need some help by then being a “Rubber Duck”. People also like to be asked for help, I’ve noticed.

So in short, if you’re going to complain at work, structure and approach your complaining to make it productive and constructive.