More than 100 years ago, Congress passed legislation recognizing the first Monday in September as Labor Day—a time to honor the American worker.
Numerous laws have since been passed to improve the quality of work life and protect the American worker. Yet when we think about work, synonyms for the word “labor” include: drudgery, toil, sweat and moil. Moil? (It’s a verb meaning to work hard.)
And now, in the 21st century, our standard of living and work environments far surpass those in many countries. Yet many people complain about work as if it were drudgery, toil and moil.
Many people say: • “I want to do something I’m passionate about.” • “I want flexible hours and on-site day care.” • “I want to feel fulfilled and not have to report to anyone.” • “I want to work for someone I respect.”
Instead of “toil” or “moil,” maybe the right word is “spoiled.” Can you imagine what the workers during the Industrial Revolution would think of these statements? Somehow, I don’t think this is what they had in mind when they designed labor laws a century ago to improve the quality of work life. Yet, we now live in an age that encourages whiners, complainers and victims. It seems that people become righteously indignant when given instructions on how to do a job; and at the same time, people complain that training is inadequate.
A Bureau of Labor Statistics study in 1997 showed that productivity significantly declined when an organization experienced changes, whether it was a change in leadership, downsizing or just a series of bad decisions. The study found that productivity dropped from 4.8 hours per day to 1.2 hours per day. Social chat and gossip increased from 1.5 hours a day to 3.2 hours per day and retraining time went from 0 to 1.8 hours—almost 25 percent of the employee’s time.
That’s a lot of time around the water cooler complaining, speculating and second-guessing. Keep in mind that Internet use was not as widespread in 1997 as it is now. With the proliferation of e-mail, text messaging and picture phones, one can only imagine that productivity is down to a few minutes a day when there are rumors of mergers, layoffs or any other changes that can impact people in the workplace. And don’t forget the time spent gossiping—who did what to whom, and can you believe who got promoted or fired?
Is there anyone who is really toiling or moiling in the workplace today?
The way I see it, all the whining and gossip keeps those very things about which they’re complaining in place, and keeps the gossiper and whiner as the perpetual victims. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who relish being a “drama queen,” and will do whatever it takes to maintain the starring role. Some people are intent on keeping the pot stirred. It’s bad enough to hear the shocking statistics about the drop in productivity, but what’s the impact on the rest of the work team? Based on the workshops that I conduct, participants unanimously agree that being around the drama queen or the victim is draining, frustrating and irritating. It may be amusing at first, or there may some feeling of being a compatriot in the “ain’t it awful” conversation. But the result is the same—lowered energy levels, lower productivity and general malaise.
I once heard a CEO say that employees at his company were not allowed to oppose anything he said. It sounded pretty dictatorial—at first. He then went on to say that people could propose anything they wanted. And therein lies one of the differences between the workers of the Industrial Revolution and the Information Age. Today’s “knowledge worker” has more freedom of speech in the workplace than our forefathers.
So here’s the coaching for the month:
It comes down to Participation…with a capital “P.” Participation includes listening. Are you listening for the speaker to make a mistake so you can point it out? Or, are you listening for that person to make a difference or a contribution?
This coaching applies to the company president, the production worker and everyone in between. Gossip and complaining know no rank. The effects are the same on everyone, and yet, in my personal opinion, people in management are held to a higher standard. If you are in a leadership role, people will follow your lead, including speaking poorly of others, whether it’s fellow employees, customers or suppliers.
The question is, are you whining or winning? Are you complaining or contributing? What role are you choosing to play?
Marty Stanley is a certified business and life coach. She works with business leaders and their teams to put the structures in place to increase personal, professional and organizational effectiveness and get results. She can be reached at (816) 822-4047 or
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