I was in line at the grocery store when I realized that the cashier was not having a good morning. As she complained about her lazy co-workers, it was very interesting to see how each of the people in front of me interacted with her.
The first young lady went with the "pretend it's not happening" approach. Ending with a, "Have a nice day!" Next in line was the middle-aged man that handled it by complaining along. "Yeah, I'm heading to work now and I hate my job."
Directly in front of me was a middle-aged woman that decided she was going to be the morale boost that the cashier needed. Saying things like, "Yeah, I understand. It's not fair for you to be working while they stand around." Her intentions were as sincere as her message was flawed.
Enabling is not encouragement. Enabling allows someone to believe that they are right in complaining about their circumstances. Complaining doesn't change anything and too often leads to more resentment. Encouragement is different. Encouragement tells them, "Do the right thing regardless of what everyone else is doing." And, "You're doing a great job. I admire your work ethic."
When someone is having a rough day, encourage them, but don't enable them. Enabling only makes their day worse.