Resolving conflict at work
Whether you employ 2 people or 200, the key word is "people" and their differing personalities, opinions, working styles and backgrounds that make tense situations a certainty. Handling conflict properly can prevent the loss of productivity and/or valuable employees.
While some competition or conflict at work can improve efficiency and creativity, it typically causes unnecessary distractions, increased absenteeism, lowered productivity and makes everyone else miserable.
As the boss, you must know how to prevent a minor squabble from turning into full-scale warfare by knowing when and how to get involved.
Prevent tension before it begins
To minimise the chance of in-house spats:
Make sure every employee knows exactly what his duties and responsibilities are
In a small business, resources, tools and equipment must usually be shared, so discourage territorialism
Encourage your employees to co-operate with each other where necessary, especially where teamwork is needed to get a job done
Learn some basic conflict resolution skills so you can identify potential problems before they arise
Don't allow one negative employee to put a damper on everyone else's attitude. Find the reason for the negativity and try to resolve it
Lastly, but one that many of us forget, is to acknowledge each person's value by giving praise and credit where it's due
Tips for dealing with workplace conflict
Conflict that is allowed to simmer can hurt your business, so don't ignore it and hope it will go away. It will cost you less (in the long-run) to deal with it.
Know when to get involved. The occasional tiff is normal and resolved without your intervention. Address situations that could explode into something more serious. Make sure that you stay calm and don't add fuel to the fire
Meet behind closed doors. Don't try to sort it out in front of other employees. You won't get an honest assessment of the situation and you don't want other staff members chiming in
Be prepared to listen. Ask each person to explain what he feels the problem is. Don't take sides or make assumptions
Focus on specific behaviour. Try to avoid personal attacks by urging each person to focus on specific examples of behaviour rather than generalising with "He never..." statements. Stick to the facts and avoid getting personal
Ask each person to repeat what they've heard so any misunderstandings can be cleared up
Identify solutions. Ask employees for their ideas for solving the problem. If there isn't an obvious solution, try to reach a compromise
Map out a plan of action. Get everyone involved to agree to the solution or compromise and make an action plan describing each person's role in resolving the issue
If no solution or compromise can be reached, get the parties to temporarily agree to disagree and to focus on the larger common goal, which is helping the organisation reach it goals (we're all adults, after all)
Managing conflict situations effectively can restore things to the usual chaos that is a small business and improve productivity. You can also get back to focussing on other areas that need your attention.