Whining is a universally recognized form of protest that is triggered by disruption. Frustrated subordinates resort to whining to get management’s attention. Given the demanding nature of the modern corporation, where employees are frequently pressured to change quickly and still respond accurately, it’s no wonder the workforce is whining.

In today’s fast-paced workplace, employees sometimes get confused—lost without a sense of what to do when new ways of doing things are thrust upon them. When this happens, management needs to understand and support them by providing the tools and techniques to help them improve.

When you take a closer look at the role of a typical hourly employee, you realize that they are often the only link between your company and your customer:

* Employees are the last to touch the product before the customer buys it.

* Employees are the first to make contact when the customer calls for service.

* Employees handle most customer complaints and problems in person.

* Employee responses leave a lasting impression on the customer.

So, if customer relations are such an important function, why is it that the employees who perform that role receive little in the way of interpersonal skill building compared to management? If you’re going to rely on the hourly employees to influence the customers positively, then you’d better teach them how to do it right.

The renowned English philosopher Sir Thomas More put it best when he offered this classic summation: “A country’s character is defined by its everyday rustics [workers]. They are the legs you stand on and that position demands respect.” He was obviously referring to the peasant farmers upon whose labor the British economy depended.

When an organization directs the bulk of its training efforts at leaders and neglects to include the followers, it will eventually have difficulty solving everyday problems and keeping pace with change.

Front line workers are valuable source of honest reflection and timely information. When asked the question, How do problems get fixed around here? Their answer is typically, “They don’t and that’s the problem.”

Employees want to know that the direction they’re heading in is the right one and that what they are doing is appropriate for the company. They understand very little about the ins and outs of company politics. They don’t get exposed to management science or organizational theory either. Employees seldom know how to form teams and work cooperatively. And, to top it off, they are seldom trained in problem solving or conflict resolution. Most of them learn what to do by watching management.

How’s an employee supposed to know how to make a good decision when he or she has never been taught? You can’t just hand someone the power to do what he or she thinks is right. Empowerment can be very disruptive to a group of people who can’t get along or don’t work well together. Power issues between coworkers can generate fierce competition for scarce resources.

With so little invested in preparing our workforce for the future, how can we expect them to change at the drop of a hat and not whine about it?

An organization cannot redefine itself successfully until the entire workforce—not just management—understands the need for change and feels confident that they can make it happen. The whole point behind a corporation is to create a place where individuals can achieve collectively what they cannot accomplish working alone. And, in a good and positive workplace where employees are trained to keep pace with management they can achieve great things together.