The reluctance to report a serious work issue for fear that those reading or hearing the complaint will view the issue as petty. The complainant fears that he or she will be viewed forevermore as a sniveling weasel. The result is that the issue will remain unresolved until it takes on another unrelated dimension that is extremely damaging to the workplace. At this point, another worker will report the original complaint and will be given full credit for saving the company.
Worker 1: "I think that we have to let people in HR know what Stacey and Ed have been up to. She's getting away with murder. She's using him, he's letting her and both of them are married anyway."
Worker 2: "There's no way I'm going to bring up favoritism and their adolescent extramarital dalliances to HR."
Worker 1: "Self inflicted complaint blockage?"
Worker 2: "You got it."
Worker 2: "There's no way I'm going to bring up favoritism and their adolescent extramarital dalliances to HR."
Worker 1: "Self inflicted complaint blockage?"
Worker 2: "You got it."
by Cirdellin January 15, 2010