"There really needs to be a solution, otherwise it seems like a complaint," says Tracie Sponenberg, senior VP of HR for The Granite Group, a plumbing supplies distributor. "Chronic complainers are draining and detrimental to an organization."
A good idea is to get advice from an experienced co-worker before coming up with a well-thought out plan. Employees who are deliberate in this process are "seen as providing really valid advice and valid input, because they've really thought through it, they're closest to the problem and they know how it's impacting them and others," says Danna Hewick, vice president of HR at USSI, a cleaning services firm, says.