Conflict in the workplace generally occurs due to varying personalities and perspectives. Employers and employees may have differences of opinion on a professional or personal level. Conflicts can arise between co-workers, supervisors and subordinates; or between employees and external stake holders, such as customers or suppliers.
Managing conflict is extremely important in any business. Ignoring it is a recipe for disaster. Many employers find managing conflict one of the most difficult aspects of running their business. If situations of conflict are not dealt with and resolved, it can make for a very uncomfortable work environment for everyone and can have serious consequences for the business owner.
There are many forms of workplace conflict and business owners can use several methods to resolve it. Below are examples of workplace conflict:
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Employee Absenteeism and Tardiness |When an employee regularly arrives late or calls in sick;
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Change in Leadership | When there is a change of leadership in a business, employees may feel confused and even feel the sudden change in policies and managerial approach are unreasonable or unfair;
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Discrimination | When either an employer or employee makes judgements, or behaves in an inappropriate manner based on the other person’s race, religion, gender, ethnicity or education;
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Personality Conflict | Not everyone in a workplace will see eye to eye simply because they have chosen to work for the same company;
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Performance Review Conflict | No employee likes to receive a negative performance review, but giving negative feedback in a review can be unavoidable based on the employee’s own actions;
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Leadership Conflict | Personality clashes between managers and employees can cause a range of interpersonal conflicts to arise; or
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Conflicts with Customers | Customer service employees can experience conflict with customers.
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Negotiation and Collaboration | Negotiation and collaboration can solve conflicts in-house. Where a conflict arises between otherwise productive employees, a manager can often act as a go-between and negotiate a solution to the problem. When collaborating, people in conflict work together to generate suggestions and ideas until they find a solution that works for both parties.
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Mediation | Mediation provides a voluntary, informal method for conflict resolution. The mediation process typically calls for the people in conflict to meet in-house with a third, impartial party – the mediator. The mediator works with both parties to promote open communication in an attempt to reach a mutually acceptable solution. The mediation process can be conducted formally through an external third party or informally in-house, depending on the circumstances.
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Disciplinary Actions | Policies designed to limit workplace conflict by prohibiting certain behaviours should be developed and implemented. Simple reprimands are often enough to ‘shock’ employees back into appropriate behaviour. At times, dismissal of an employee who will not alter their behaviour proves to be the only solution to resolve the conflict, following a thorough disciplinary process.
Some conflicts can provide benefit to a business by boosting productivity (such as friendly rivalries between salespeople), while destructive conflicts (such as bullying) lead to lost productivity. In a small business setting, where fewer employees lead to more personal relationships, workplace conflicts can prove to be more costly.
A business owner or manager should not ignore workplace conflict and simply hope it will resolve itself or just ‘go away.’ An employer has a legal obligation in certain circumstances (such as a situation involving bullying) to investigate and deal with the situation.
Contact HRM today to find out how we can assist you with your workplace conflicts.
E. ask@hrmcc.com.au
W. www.hrmcc.com.au
P. 1300 962 258
© HRM Contracting and Consulting 2014