Diffuse Employees Grumblings. Let Them Vent

Looking forward to eating out is one pleasure of life. My parents didn’t take my brother and me out to eat until I was fourteen, and my brother was 12 years old. It was Mother’s Day, and we dined at the small cafe in a drugstore in our hometown. I believe the total cost was less than $7.00 for the four of us. 

Lately, looking forward to dining out can be better than the experience itself. Sometimes the employees can ruin the evening out.

The single dumbest thing employees can do, is to grumble about their company, boss, another employee, or their job in the presence of customers. Why do they hang their dirty laundry out for the customers to see and hear?

For the second time this week (today is Wednesday), I witnessed disgruntled employees bad-mouthing their boss in front of patrons. “I don’t care if she is my boss….” “He doesn’t have a clue to what is going on.” “She needs to shut up and do some work herself.” “I’m not getting paid to do his job.”

Upon hearing these negative comments from disgruntled employees, my meal did not taste as good as it should have. I’m not ordering a dessert and forget the second cup of coffee. I want out, out of the range of these disgruntled employees.

Sometimes the employee’s comments aren’t as appalling as those listed above but still leave a bad taste in a customer’s mouth. As an example, I recently asked a waitress if the restaurant had wi-fi. The waitress said, “Yes, but the strength of our signal is so weak that most of the time, you can’t connect.”

Why would a company have a service (free wi-fi) but choose an inferior service provider? Better not to have the “service” than let the poor wi-fi service cast a shadow on the meal. Is it also the second best?

So, if you own or manage a business, today or tomorrow would be an excellent time to seize an employee training moment. Gather your group (calling them a team may be incorrect) and ask for their input on how YOU can improve their job. Listen to their comments; don’t interrupt. Let them vent. You may learn that you are part of the problem. Your goal is to discover the actual problem and agree on ways to solve it.

The goal of the employee is to ensure the customer has an excellent experience. Lead by example. Get a name tag that says; You Are My Employer! Require your employees to wear it proudly. The customer writes their paycheck.

After thinking about it, I believe I will have dessert and add a little extra to my tip for MY employee.