Workplace Conflict Is Inevitable. Combat Is Optional.
- John-Michael Scurio
- May 22, 2020
- 5 min read
My father once said to me, "you're sure to fail if you set out to please everyone."
I mean, let’s face it! Not a one of us will get along with every single person we meet in life - and that includes the people we work with from time to time.
Conflict in the workplace happens at every organization and if leaders ignore it when it happens then they send the message to their entire team that they silently support the behavior. Trust me, if you do this, it WILL get worse over time and it can be quite costly.
85% of employees experience conflict in the workplace in some way. When it’s fight or flight, it’s easy to want to avoid conflict at all costs; however, your organization will surely pay the price by avoiding conflict management altogether.
Take care of it right away.
CPP’s research found that workplace conflict wastes nearly three hours per week, costing $359 billion in paid hours.
Because every employee possesses a unique set of attitudes, visions, and values that may differ from that of their co-workers, and more often from that of their leaders, these differences can sometimes lead to conflicts in the workplace.
Here are some conflict management tips to help you understand what can spark a conflict in the workplace and how you can put out the flames for even the hottest office tempers.
First, What Causes Conflict in the Workplace?
Given the multitude of personality types in any given workplace, it’s no surprise that the vast majority of employees find themselves dealing with conflict in a professional capacity at one time or another.
Often times, the main sources of conflict arise from ambiguity in these three areas:
GOALS - poor understanding of what needs to get done.
ROLES - poor team pairing, lack of leadership.
PROCEDURES - stress, heavy workloads and inadequate resources.
Other times, sources of conflict might include:
Personality clashes and warring egos. This is usually around ambiguous roles, procedures and a lack of accountability.
Compensation issues - this one occurs about 50% of the time, but truly effective HR teams will proactively prevent these by ensuring that there is a compensation approval procedure in place before every job offer is delivered and before any pay change action takes place.
When there’s a conflict in the workplace, it’s best to work to resolve the issue right away. If conflict is left unresolved— or mishandled —workplace conflict can have negative results.
I've probably said this a million times in my career and it's something I truly live by ... "Close-The-Loop." Ensure that it all comes back around to closing-the-loop so that all involved are well informed as to how this matter closed. Closure is important.
Often times, leaders in their own business units are able to take care of these employee relations conflicts when they pop up, but from time to time, backup is needed.
Here are two main reasons to get HR involved:
Get HR, when disagreements get personal
When the leader turns a blind-eye or doesn't take action to correct a problem, employees tend to believe they can do and say whatever they please, like hurling personal insults, value judgement remarks and other attacks at their colleagues. This can lead to a loss of respect between employees and create a bigger bullying problem.
About one in five workers say they have directly experienced bullying on the job, according to a survey by the Workplace Bullying Institute. (2017)
The second big reason to get HR is when the morale and success of your organization is affected
A unified company will boast high morale and great business performance. When conflict threatens the culture and success of your company, your organization can’t perform to its full potential. A toxic workplace culture can cause workers to feel stressed, depressed, and anxious, and they may even lose sleep over it. This can negatively impact your employees’ immune systems, making workers more susceptible to illness and sick days.
Positive Results of Conflict Management
Good conflict management can lead to lasting benefits. By taking the right measures to resolve conflict in the workplace, workers will see positive outcomes, including:
Improved working relationships and a better understanding of others
Conflict resolution is all about open communication, so it’s important that employees calmly talk about workplace issues to help everyone better understand each other and see situations from different points of views. Maybe one employee doesn’t like when another listens to music at times without headphones. Perhaps someone else doesn’t like that he or she was passed over for a promotion. These problems don’t always go away on their own, so talking about it can not only improve working relationships, it can also help prevent problems in the future.
Better solutions to future problems and challenges
Having the right infrastructure in place for dealing with conflicts can provide an excellent precedent for how conflicts can be dealt with in the future. That way, you know how to handle any conflict before it becomes a bigger issue.
Greater performance and increased motivation
When employees are happy, they will be more motivated to do a good job. A study from the University of Warwick found that employee happiness can result in a 12 percent increase in productivity.
Meet On Common Ground
Try This Conflict Management Strategy from SHRM - The Society for Human Resource Management.
Whether it’s a quarrel between two employees or a squabble across entire departments, it’s best not to waste any time getting to the bottom of it. Schedule a meeting to address the problem in a private, neutral setting, such as a conference room.
Follow these nine steps adapted by SHRM to quickly and effectively resolve the conflict:
Set ground rules. All parties should agree to treat each other with respect and try to listen and understand each other’s views.
Ask each participant to describe the conflict and their ideal outcome. Focus on specific behaviors and problems instead of on people and have them use “I” statements rather than pointing the finger with “you” statements.
Ask participates to repeat back what others have said to ensure there is no miscommunication.
Summarize the conflict based on what you have heard. Make sure participants are all in agreement.
Brainstorm solutions. Discuss all possible options in a positive manner. Remember: No idea is a bad idea.
Process of elimination: Rule out any solutions that participants agree won’t help resolve the issue.
Summarize all possible options to determine the best possible solution. Make sure all parties agree on the solution.
Execute the agreed-upon solution by assigning next steps to each participant. Make sure all parties agree on their next steps. Lay out a plan to follow up, if necessary.
End the meeting on good terms. Ask the participants to shake hands, apologize and thank each other for working to resolve the conflict.
While it’s easy to want to shy away from conflict at work, it’s far better for your all leaders in your organization to address these issues right when they surface.
Employee training and performance management are key HR functions that can help create a workplace culture that fosters camaraderie—not conflict—among your employees.🌈
