Conflict in the workplace is inevitable and normal. Commonly, this may arise due to differences in approaches, perspectives, and priorities. This can be true in organisations with employees coming from different geographical areas or simply having varying viewpoints that often don’t align.
Healthy Vs. Negative Conflict
Despite this, there are necessary conflicts that could help open up new opportunities for organisational improvement and even success. In fact, healthy conflict can lead to new perspectives and appropriate solutions to certain workplace issues.
It allows employees and the management to stretch out from their comfort zone, explore diverse opinions, and seek better, productive alternatives for the good of the majority. Also, by creating a safe space and allowing your employees to voice out their problems, you may be able to discover ideas and strategies for better decision-making.
However, not all conflicts are beneficial. There are negative conflicts that could disrupt employee workflow, trust, reliability, and the like that could lead to unproductive activities. When not properly handled, conflicts can become costly to the company.
Likewise, if the management could no longer manage the rising tension, the HR department can turn to workplace relations, legal support, and other similar legal avenues. These professional support programs can intervene to manage and resolve complex workplace challenges and other conflicts.
Ways To Resolve Conflicts in the Workplace
As the business owner, it is your responsibility to come up with effective resolutions to help your employees rise up from unnecessary, unproductive arguments.
To guide you, here are ways to effectively resolve conflicts in the organisation:
- Identify The Source of Conflict
A way to resolve conflict is to determine its source. By identifying the root of the disagreement, you may be able to understand and draw out an effective resolution for both parties.
Sources of argument commonly take root from differences. As mentioned, conflicts may arise due to dissimilar viewpoints, backgrounds, priorities, and approaches to certain tasks. There might be times that these differing factors could lead to dismissal and rejection.Sources of argument commonly take root from differences. As mentioned, conflicts may rise due to dissimilar viewpoints, backgrounds, priorities, and approaches to certain tasks. There might be times that these differing factors could lead to dismissal and rejection.
Here are two ways to help point out the root cause of the conflict:
- Listen Actively
Allow each party to discuss their side of the story to identify and comprehend their different outlooks. As you ask thoughtful questions, make sure to focus on the behaviour that occurred during the argument, not on your personal biases with each employee.
Listen carefully to both sides and identify whether or not it’s a work-related problem. Some problems may have arisen due to underlying personal tension between the two parties. These kinds of problems may not be instantly evident. These kinds of problem may not be instantly evident.
After listening to both sides, respond with empathy rather than reacting immediately to the situation. By being careful with your words, you can help ease up the tension and bridge the gap between their differences.
- Investigate The Situation
An additional way to uncover the cause of the issue is to take the initiative and investigate the situation. You could also delegate this task to another employee and have them report to you. An additional way to uncover the cause of the issue is to take initiative and investigate the situation. You could also delegate this task to another employee and have them report to you.
You could interview witnesses and other involved parties regarding the entire occurrence. Make sure not to easily come up with a final verdict base on their reports. Likewise, you could review security footage to gauge how the argument exactly occurred.
Collecting all this evidence is beneficial as these will serve as supporting information that you could hand out if there are legal consequences involved in the scheme. There might be times that your business may be ready to find a lawyer. Hence, prepare all these files and reports ahead.
Furthermore, determining the root cause of the argument may help you identify other potential problems that could arise due to the same issue. Take into account all of these to help you lessen the probability of unnecessary, unhealthy arguments in the future. , unhealthy arguments in the future.
- Create Conflict Management and Resolution Programs
Because conflicts are inevitable, your organization must have conflict resolution programs. Typically, the HR department is assigned to take the initiative on this. However, you could also involve line managers and leaders to help disseminate these effective management and resolution systems.. Typically, the HR department is assigned to take initiative on this. However, you could also involve line managers and leaders to help disseminate these effective management and resolution systems.
It would be great to send out your HR personnel and line managers to training, seminars, and workshops to refine their communication skills and expand their knowledge regarding conflict-resolution schemes. Aside from that, these learning avenues result in professional development, these can guide your leaders in implementing programs to help their subordinates handle potential arguments. programs to help their subordinates handle potential arguments.
The role of workplace culture and processes is important in conflict management. By strengthening this initially, your leaders could easily iron out employee disagreements and issues.
Final Thoughts
Dealing with conflict in the workplace shouldn’t always be burdensome. Also, while there might be times that disagreements can lead to more problems, this doesn’t mean that the management must prevent them from happening. Keep in mind that these disparities that are often unresolved can resurface into other problems. problems; this doesn’t mean that the management must prevent them from happening. Keep in mind that disagreements that are often not discussed can resurface into other problems.
By creating ways and following guidelines in effectively resolving conflict, the organisation can help reinforce a positive, healthy workspace for their employees.
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Source: http://hrnews.co.uk/how-to-resolve-conflicts-in-the-workplace/
