Conflict is part of life and not just merely part of business. Yet it often shows up at work among employees with different viewpoints, different values, and different ways of doing things. Ignoring conflict never makes it go away or resolves any issue effectively. Businesses that address conflict tend to have a better handle on employee relations—a trait that can make their business more productive and successful.
What Causes Conflict at Work
The number of causes is too vast to name. Personality clashes can cause conflict as can differences in opinion. Jealousy, narcissism, poor self-esteem—these human traits can lead to workplace conflict. Conflicts can be as small as deciding on new office décor to as big as what new direction to lead the company. Some conflicts are related to business growing pains and can even lead to better office cultures when worked through. Others can linger and erupt over and over again in spiral of ongoing conflict and discontent.
Address the Conflicts You Can Do Something About
It may be tough to reconcile the extravert and the introvert, but companies can lay ground rules for dealing with conflicts as they arise. Reminding all employees to demonstrate professionalism is typically a good place to start. Then, get to the root of the conflict. Is this a communication or conflict related miscommunication? Is the problem related to different interests or different ways of performing work? Often the most successful resolutions result in no winners and no losers; instead, compromise happens and all colleagues can participate in finding solutions that lead to compromise.
Other Tips to Resolve Conflicts in the Workplace
Sometimes it can be helpful to tell employees to take time out. Ask them to give the problem a day and come back to it once tempers have calmed down. Sometimes time can help people think through the problem to reach a happy resolution. For workers that have repeated conflicts, it might be mutually beneficial to take turns accommodating. Essentially it becomes”this time it’s your way and next time it’s my way”. This may not satisfy every type of conflict, but at least it leads to a more balanced arrangement.
Employers must also recognize that many conflicts are valid and may even have clear cut solutions. When one employee is left to do most of the work while another slacks is certainly a conflict that must be worked through. Often an employer must step in to resolve the matter in a fair and reasonable way.
Sometimes two employees simply can’t work together. Either too much water has passed under the bridge or the nature of their differences is more trouble than it’s worth to keep the two working together. Switching job roles and moving desks may be a viable solution that leaves all parties pleased with the outcome.
Conflict in the Workplace Takes Work to Resolve
Resolving conflicts can seem like jobs in themselves. Yet the workplace can degenerate without these important resolutions that keep productivity humming along. No one enjoys being in a confrontational and conflict-ridden workplace, so always take the needed steps to address these issues when they occur before they lead to more trouble and affect the business negatively.
