Ok no one at my job likes our boss. When I first got here my co-workers (it’s a residential facility w/ a small staff and it was only 2 other people involved in this) would complain to me b/c I was outspoken when I first started working here. When I realized I was the only one drawing attention to myself and saw my co-workers pass up opportunities to voice their concerns about something if they were treated unfairly, I stopped complaining. If they don’t feel compelled to say something it obviously must not bother them much. Plus you can’t change a person- if my boss was unfair and scattered before I got there what am I supposed to be able to change? The talks didn’t help change a thing. I also stopped joining in when they complain about our boss and if someone said something to me directly about him I’d just say something positive or something like “just keep hanging in there, you’ve dealt with this much longer than I have” which makes them look silly for complaining. The complaints died down a lot and one co-worker ended up resigning but there’s still one person who keeps complaining to me any time he gets asked to do something that he has an issue with no matter what I say. Sometimes I don’t even say anything. Even if it is a legit concern he complains to me instead of sticking up for himself. For example, if he does not have his lunch break he’ll say something to me (I’m just an office assistant by the way) and I’ll ask him why doesn’t he just tell bossman that before he does his next project that he was going to take a quick break-that’s what I do. He’ll just make up some excuse for not needing to say anything. Then why are we having this conversation???

Since I’ve been keeping to myself (it’s easier to brush off my own frustrations w/my boss by myself than hearing and ingesting someone else’s gripes all day) and don’t say much, it seems the complaints have turned into a non-verbal kind. Any time my co-worker has to come in my office for something or walks past my desk (which I’ve notice that he goes out of his way to do) he sighs loudly or makes a raspberry type noise expressing his exasperation or he mumbles. How can I nicely tell him it’s annoying as crap? I play sermons all day on my computer (you must be thinking what type of work environment I’m in right? Haha) and when bossman is not yapping it’s very quiet and peaceful in my office….until my whinning co-worker walks by or comes in. I’ve ignored it for a while and will turn my sound up if he’s in my office if he keeps making noises but it’s starting to really bug me. I’ve started to think of my office area as the whining zone b/c he only does it when he walks by or comes in. Any suggestions? I can understand that sometimes you just need someone to vent to and I try to always say something encouraging but if I’m irritated by something my boss just did I end up gripping too which I try so hard to avoid. And the sighs and moans I can do without.