Resolving Conflict
Resolving Conflict
If there is one thing that we can learn from human history, it is that conflict in any instance, is more or less inevitable. In fact, it can be said that conflict is what opens the path to a new age for mankind. It is often in the aftermath of conflict, that the dust settles and we see the most clear view of the road behind us that we understand the need for change. This doesn’t always have to be a global occurrence however. Conflict can find its way into a busy office, behind the counter at a coffee shop, even onto the factory floor. When two employees, or worse, an employee and a customer gets into a tangle, something has to be done to resolve the issue. Merely stopping a confrontation isn’t going to help. At best it will delay the conflict until later.
Why do conflicts occur in the workplace? There are multiple ways to answer that question.
Stressful Days: No matter how good you are at a job, there are going to be some days you want to throw in the towel, lift up the blankets, and crawl back into bed. There are things you just can’t control at your job, such as equipment breaking down, or the stampede of people at the doors at 4:00 a.m. on Black Friday. When these things happen, our stress levels tend to go up, and the more stress we are under, the more likely we are to explode.
Workplace Mishaps: Mistakes happen, sometimes they can have ripple effects that hinder the work of other employees. These mistakes can cause a group’s project to be late, inconvenience a coworker, in some extreme cases even cause injury if the mistake is related to workplace safety. If these mistakes are not handled correctly, conflict can follow them.
Personal Issues: When you walk through that front door, it’s time to leave your personal life behind and enter work mode. Least, that is what is supposed to happen, sometimes however, the opposite happens. We take our problems into the workplace and let them affect us. When we are dealing with a personal issue, it can definitely hamper our mood. It can make us aggravated, upset, even temperamental. We tend to lash out at people, even when they have done nothing to initiation a confrontation.
How does learning the cause help you deal with conflicts in the workplace? When one starts happening in your place of business, you need to counteract it swiftly, yet reasonably. You don’t want to just stop the conflict, you need to stop the cause of it. If your car runs out of gas because of a leak, you can’t fix it by filling it back up with gas, you have to go to the source of the problem.
Now for the most important part, how to resolve the conflict. As we said, you want to resolve these conflicts in a timely manner, yet you have to be fair and reasonable, so we will list some of smart steps to take, and some to avoid.
Be Firm Yet Understanding: When it comes to two coworkers bickering, you can’t resolve the issue with whispers and mumbles. You have to assert yourself and display that you are in control of the situation. At the same time, you can’t seem violent, or aggressive. You are there to uphold the peace, not increase the tension.
Listen Without Bias: To understand the situation at hand, you have to begin with listening more than you talk. Depending on the severity of the disagreement, this may have to be done in separate places. When you listen, make sure you do so with an open mind. Don’t settle on who is right or who is wrong before knowing what is happening. Even if it is obvious that one side started the fight, don’t treat them like they are to blame. Give them the same respect as you would the other.
Don’t Give Threats: When dealing with a conflict, don’t use threats to end it. The situation is already stressful enough without either side worrying about their job or paycheck. At most, you should threaten to send them home until they are ready to resolve this issue. Insinuating that their employment is at risk will only cause panic, which is not something you need in the workplace, especially when there is already conflict.
Fix The Problem, Not The Employees: As we stated below, it is important to find the source of the conflict, and work from there to fix it. By finding the cause of the problem, you can stop the current conflict, and any that would follow it. If the problem is something personal, offer to help the employee as far as work goes. Let them take the rest of the day off to clear their mind, or change their workload to reduce stress.
Create Common Ground: Try to bring both sides of the conflict together and create a common ground for them. If you can’t find common ground in the cause of the conflict, use the business itself. Remind them that they both work for the same company, and by arguing, they are making each other’s job harder. Let them know they are on a team, and a team needs each member working together to make a project work.
Solutions Over Victories: When a conflict breaks out between two coworkers, it is important to search for a mutual solution other than a one sided victory. This means not focusing blame on an employee, and not showing favoritism. If you push for one side being right and the other being wrong, you run the risk of an employee feeling less valuable to the business. They may feel resentment toward another employee, and their productivity may diminish.
Seek Growth from Conflicts: At one point in time in history, the American colonies and the British empires were opposing forces. Today, their modern forms are close allies. While conflict is best avoided, they can become an opportunity for growth and understanding as well. We as a people don’t always take well to the concept of being wrong about something, and many times don’t realize the consequences of our behavior. When we are faced with these things, we can gain new insight into our life, insights that can sometimes have small changes on our life, and other times can change it drastically. Promote this type of growth after a workplace conflict has been resolved.
The workplace is filled with stressful situations that will pop up from time to time. It is important that both you, and your management team are prepared to handle these situations before they begin slowing down productivity. For some help in this area, Vision H.R. a company known for the human resource management and payroll services Ormond Beach business have come to depend on, also offers services such as management training and creating an employee handbook. With the right training, your management team can be prepared for any problems that may come up. By implementing a proper employee handbook, you create a reference for both employees and management to go back to in case they ever need a reminder of company policy.
By taking advantage of the services offered by Vision H.R., including their payroll services and human resource management, you are also opening up your schedule and reducing your stress level. The less stress you have in the workplace, the more calm you can be in stressful situations. It also gives you more time to be among your employees, letting you see and stop issues before they escalate to being problematic. Visit Vision H.R. to get a free quote and let us help you prepare for any situations that may arise. After all, the best way to deal with problems is to be prepared for them.
