應對職場抱怨的玄機

There are always some people exuding negativity in the workplace. For them, the temperature is never right, the boss is always a jerk, the canteen food is lousy, and they are always treated unfairly.職場中，總有些人會怨聲載道。對他們而言，辦公室里不是太冷就是太熱，老闆難伺候，食堂伙食太糟糕，總是境遇不公。

Career experts say such chronic complainers are highly contagious and that their attitude can easily affect an entire team in a company.職業專家說，這種習慣性抱怨會在人與人之間傳染，抱怨者的負面態度很容易就會影響到公司整個團隊。

「While some complaints might be reasonable, others are taken from thin air. You need to discern between these different types and adopt the right tactic towards each,」 said Li Ling, HR manager at Walmart (China) Investment Co Ltd.「有些抱怨或許恰當合理，而有些則是空穴來風。你需要分辨這些不同類型的抱怨，並採取正確的策略應對。」沃爾瑪（中國）投資有限公司人力資源經理李玲（音譯）說道。

It』s especially hard to deal with complaints at work because you can』t just walk away or dismiss your colleagues』 grumbling. If you do, it will hurt your co-workers』 self-esteem and you might be isolated. In a team-based company you belong to a group and need to behave accordingly.這些抱怨在你工作時尤其令人難以招架，因為你不可能充耳不聞或讓同事噤聲，否則，你會傷害同事的自尊，很可能會被孤立。在以團隊為基礎的公司中，作為小組成員之一，你需要「見機行事」。

But don』t show too much sympathy. Listening passively to others』 complaints could damage your image and give others the impression that you agree with them.但不要表現出太多的同情。總是被動地聽取他人的抱怨可能會損害個人形象，也給別人留下一種你也有同感的假象。

Whining can negatively impact on work productivity and even your health. This is similar everywhere. The Wall Street Journal reported in September that 18 percent of US employees complain about their colleagues, according to a Gallup poll of 31,265 employees.滿腹牢騷會對工作效率甚至是身體健康造成負面影響，普天之下皆相似。《華爾街日報》九月份的一篇報道稱，在一項由31265名職員參與的蓋洛普民意測驗中顯示，有18%的美國人對自己的同事抱怨連連。

The research shows that 「work groups with a high rate of negativity tend to have lower productivity and higher rates of absenteeism and quality defects」.該調查顯示，若是工作群體消極情緒比例很高，往往會導致工作效率偏低，缺勤率偏高，質量缺陷較多。

「Listen to the whiners actively,」 says HR Li. 「Help them find a solution, or see if there are ways to improve the situation.」身為人力資源經理的李玲（音譯）說：「積極應對抱怨者，幫他們找到解決之道，或考慮一下是否有改善現狀的方案。」

Zhai Min, 24, a software engineer at Kingdee International Software Group in Shenzhen, found that three elderly workers liked to complain about everything, from prolonged working hours to cheap hotels on business trips.24歲的翟敏（音譯）現為深圳金蝶國際軟體集團有限公司的一名軟體工程師。她發現，公司里有三名老員工總是抱怨連連，從工時延長到出差住的經濟型酒店。

「I let them talk about their opinions,」 she said. 「They feel better when they can tell someone how they want things to be.」她說：「我讓他們說出自己的看法，當終於可以對別人直抒己見時，他們感覺好多了。」

But listening actively is far from enough. Wang Dianxue, 27, is an Internet engineer at Beijing Push Marcom Group.但光是積極傾聽是遠遠不夠的。27歲王殿學（音譯）是來自北京普納營銷傳播機構的一名網路工程師。

His peers always complain that their computer systems are not working properly. 「I ask about the specifics and work together with them to fix everything technically,」 he said.同事們總抱怨他們的計算機系統運行不暢。「我會詢問詳細情況，並和他們一起努力，解決一切技術上的問題。」他說道。

HR managers believe that when staff complain, it is more a matter of perception than an actual problem.人力資源經理們相信，當員工抱怨時，與其說存在實際狀況，不如說其實只是一種認知問題。

「The real problem is that the whiners don』t feel they are being taken seriously,」 said Xu Jun, HR manager at Guangqi Honda Automobile Co Ltd. 「When you attentively give them advice or ideas, the problem usually disappears.」廣汽本田汽車有限公司人事經理徐君說：「真正的問題在於，抱怨者覺得自己沒有受到重視。若你熱情周到地給他們提些建議和想法，問題通常會迎刃而解。」

But it』s important to know your limits when advising co-workers.當然重要的是，給同事提意見時，你要清楚自己的底線。

「Your role is not to provide comprehensive career advice or long-term recommendations,」 said Xu. 「Instead, you just point out a positive direction for others to follow.」徐君說：「你不要提供泛泛的職場上的建議或是長期的解決方案，相反，你所要做的就是指出一個他們可以追尋的積極的方向。」

For some, complaining can be a lifelong habit. 「Long-term complaining saps your energy and positive outlook,」 said Hou Zhendong, HR manager at General Electric. 「If you disagree with your colleagues』 whining, try to tactfully move on to more positive subjects.」對有些人而言，抱怨可能成為一種終身習慣。來自通用電器公司的人力資源經理侯振東（音譯）說：「長期抱怨會使削弱你的能量與樂觀情緒。如果你並不贊同同事的抱怨，就試著巧妙地向更積極的話題轉移。」

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