Resolving Employee Conflict

Posted on 06/07 by Erin Helms

For most of us, conflict is no stranger. We experience conflict in our daily lives with our family, friends, and professional lives. At work, resolving conflict is no easy task. However, not dealing with conflict causes frustration, pain, discomfort, sadness and anger. If your team is experiencing conflict, here are some things you can do to resolve it.

Establish an Open Door Policy

Create an environment of open communication so your employees can feel comfortable coming to you with their concerns. Implement an open-door policy. The policy should encourage all employees to approach management with concerns without fear of repercussion. The process involves active listening, asking questions and using teamwork. With a policy such as this, employees will be more likely to come forward with concerns.

Assess the Severity of the Situation

When resolving workplace conflict, it is essential to understand the nature and root cause of the conflict. A conflict can easily result from miscommunication, misinterpreted details, mismatched personalities, or even competition between employees. It can happen for multiple reasons, and it is inevitable in the workplace. Try to get to the root, determine the severity level, address it, and prevent it from happening again.

If Possible, Let Employees Work It Out Themselves

Although it is tempting to step in during a conflict, it might be best to let the employees work it out themselves at times. You do not want employees to think that you are micromanaging. Observe and assess the situation if you see employees having friendly disagreements or light political banter. If there is no escalation, let them work it out. If a problem seems to be worsening, step in and act.

When Necessary, Act

It can be best to let employees work out their problems. However, how do you know when it is time to intervene? Here are situations where intervention is required: Banter escalates to bullying Language becomes explicit, threatening or aggressive Allegations of discrimination or harassment Disruption of team productivity The conversation becomes insulting or disrespectful

Listen to All Parties Involved

Let all parties tell their part of the story without interruption. Listen, remain neutral and focus on each account. Active listening allows each person to hear the other viewpoint and hopefully gain a better understanding. Frequently, employees will be inclined to reach a peaceful resolution when they feel like they are acknowledged.

Document Incidents

When it comes to workplace conflict, keep track of all conversations and disciplinary meetings. Ensure the documentation includes the facts from any employee-related incident and the resolutions that all parties agreed to. Documentation helps you monitor behavior over time to identify the toxic employees in your work environment. Keeping a record is also crucial if an employee should take you to court. Let the staffing professionals at LaborMAX help your organization reduce overtime expenses, increase productivity, and add flexibility to your workforce.

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