How to Resolve Conflict in the Workplace

karlmontgomery • February 12, 2019

Losing an employee can be an extremely costly process for any business, with a reduction in output, the cost of finding a replacement and then training them. When due to a conflict in the workplace it can also have a damaging impact on morale within the team and potentially the business as a whole.

Workplaces are often full of different personalities and opinions. So, it’s only natural for this to occasionally spill over into conflict. Whether it’s that you disagree on how to do something, there’s been a miscommunication, or you simply have a clash of personalities. What’s important is how the conflict is resolved.

To ensure there is minimal impact on the business from a conflict in the workplace, you should follow our below tips.

Do not avoid conflict in the workplace

The worst thing you can do is ignore the conflict and assume it will just go away. As business owners, it is your duty to tackle the issues fairly and quickly. The sooner you act, the easier it will be to resolve the conflict.

If left unresolved it could come back to haunt you in the long run. It could also be affecting productivity, especially if it’s acting as a barrier for two colleagues to work with each other.

Instead, you should actively acknowledge the conflict and determine the cause of it. Whatever the problem, understanding why it’s causing a conflict is the first step to resolving it.

Do not make it personal

It is crucial to stick to the fact when trying to resolve a conflict in the workplace. Assuming someone’s personality is the cause might be something you do on impulse, but in reality, you should be talking about their behaviour and actions.

For example, being accused of being ‘a horrible person’ is far more likely to make the situation worse. You should be stating what they did. This way, you’ll be able to keep relationships intact.

Deal with the conflict

Discussing conflict can be difficult, especially if you don’t like confrontation. However, it’s vital that everyone is on the same page when it comes to how you view the problem, and how you want to approach it.

Arrange a meeting with both parties to discuss the conflict face-to-face, this will allow both parties to voice what happened, what caused the conflict and how everyone can move forward.

Create a solution

Once the conflict has been discussed and everyone now knows the root of the issue, you can now devise a mutually viable solution.

The solution will need to address all issues, it will need to be realistic, compromise from all parties is essential. You will also need to highlight how to monitor the progress of resolving the issues, perhaps a monthly catch-up to allow them to discuss and more issues that have arisen.

Going forward

It is up to the business to create a friendly and open working environment amongst its colleagues. A great way to do this is to take the employees out of their traditional working environment into a situation where they are able to show their true character and personality a little bit more. You can do this through group activities, days out, team nights out and much more, all will help create a workplace more resistant to conflict.

How Recruit Mint can help you avoid conflict in the workplace?

Thought a rigorous 17-step process we meet both candidates and clients face-to-face. This allows our specialist consultants to get a deeper understanding of the client, their work environment, what the team is like. For the candidate, they get to understand their personality, find out more about their work history and what their career goals and ambitions are.

This allows us to find a candidate who can do the job, wants to do the job, wants to work for your company and will fit into your company culture. Allowing you to create a workforce who are much more resilient and almost immune to the conflict in the workplace.

If you want us to help create this workforce with you then get in touch today on 01733 802300 or submit your vacancy today.

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