Employee conflict
can put barriers to smooth operations within the organization. It may hinder
the free flow of information and limit productivity among the employees who are
involved in a conflict. Therefore, as a leader, it is important to learn and incorporate
important conflict resolution techniques to help your team achieve your company
goals. In this article, you will find some of the best practices used by
companies to help you effectively manage a conflict between employees.
Create Avenues of Communication
When conflict
arises between employees, communication is necessary to resolve the problem.
However, many companies don’t have policies in place to help employees create
the necessary dialogue for resolution. Ideally, employees would be able to settle a conflict between themselves without mediation. However, you need to make sure
they are aware of the option to take their concerns to an overseeing manager or
team lead when they need that mediation. From there, they should know how to
properly escalate their concerns to the next overseeing manager, to HR, and so
on. Without these official avenues of communication, many employees can take to
social media to vent their frustration or else bottle it up and allow it to
affect work performance long term.
Train Your Employees in
Resolution Techniques
Again, the ideal
is that your employees can calmly and professionally resolve problems between
themselves. Ensure that they receive conflict resolution training
and make it a mandatory training session for each and everyone within the
organization. With the proper training, minor issues that otherwise could
create major rifts in your team can be professionally and quickly resolved as
employees learn to better communicate with one another, address
misunderstandings, and identify potential conflict points before they occur so
they can be prevented.
Create an Understanding of Office
Etiquette
One major point of a conflict that often comes up in the office is what is and isn’t considered
acceptable in the workplace. Issues such as sexual harassment are just the tip
of the iceberg in this area, as more nuanced concerns such as acceptable dress
code, use of perfumes and colognes, personal area decorations, use of the office
fridge, and acceptable language are often points of disagreement between
coworkers. To avoid these sorts of conflicts, make sure that your policies in
regards to these nuanced areas are thorough and clearly communicated so that
there is no confusion as to what is and isn’t allowed. That way, these
conflicts are quickly managed by a simple statement of “this is allowed” or
“this isn’t allowed.” Be prepared as well to have a process to change these
rules should that become necessary.
Create a Contingency Plan
What happens when
there is a conflict that cannot be resolved, but neither party is at fault? Two
good coworkers that absolutely cannot work together shouldn’t force you to
choose a favorite and lose the other. Plan in advance for these issues by
having options for employees to work away from the one they have a conflict with,
or at different shifts. See if work from home is an option for those who have
trouble working with others but still are essential to your company. If you
aren’t able to do this, you could lose some valuable talent to conflict.
Company Culture
Another major way
to prevent conflict is to encourage a sense of comradery and goodwill between
employees. That means having a healthy company culture where employees are
encouraged to cooperate and listen rather than compete
against one another. When an employee is excelling above the others, let them teach
their tricks to the others rather than seek to elevate that person above their
peers. When pride and ambition collide in the workplace, you are setting up a
breeding ground for conflict. However, when teamwork and equality are
encouraged, employees are much more able to treat one another with respect and
consideration. You can encourage this healthy mindset by setting team goals for
everyone to work towards together, encouraging high-performing employees to
help the lower-performers with their workload, having get-to-know-you sessions,
and creating opportunities for coworkers to bond outside of the workplace
through company-sponsored activities.
Conflict resolution will help promote a favorable business environment where employees
can work together and foster healthy relationships. This can also attract
talent from all over because everyone wants to work in a peaceful and
productive environment. When your company is functioning in a healthy way, with
socially mindful employees that work together, you will find an increase in
productivity, job satisfaction, and a decrease in a conflict that could cause
you to lose valuable talent.
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