Conflict is a part of doing business and is a common and necessary part of every place of work. Conflict in the workplace is inevitable when employees of different backgrounds and different work styles are put together for a shared business purpose. When this happens, there is a tendency to lower morale, an increase in absenteeism, and a decrease in productivity.
The ability to acknowledge the conflict between employees, understand the character of it, and use techniques to bring a fast and fair resolution to the conflict could be a critical skill for managers and leaders. Conflict can and may be managed and resolved. This toolkit examines the causes and effects of workplace conflict and also the reasons why employers should act to handle conflict.
Typically there are two responses to conflict: run away (avoidance) or ‘battle it out’. The employer’s role exercised by managers and HR professionals is important, however, and is grounded within the development of a workplace culture designed to forestall conflict among employees to the extent possible. Employees must learn the way to resolve conflict without letting it affect their relationships with one another or the standard of the team’s work. It’s important that they keep this in mind before assessing a situation.
There are many causes or reasons for conflict in any work setting. A number of the first causes are: Poor Communication, Different Values, Differing Interests, Scarce Resources, Personality Clashes, and Poor Performance. The negative effects of workplace conflict can include work disruptions, decreased productivity, project failure, absenteeism, turnover, and termination. Emotional stress will be both a cause and sway of workplace conflict.
Employers can handle disputes in the workplace by developing an organizational culture designed to avoid conflict as much as possible, and by coping with disputes quickly and equitably that workers cannot settle between themselves. If you’re a manager or supervisor, you can create a team culture where you can appreciate, encourage, and expect disagreement.
Sometimes, disagreements aren’t discussed. For instance, a brand new employee isn’t likely to talk up about something he or she disagrees with straight away. As a manager, you wish to make trust along with your direct reports and be an energetic a part of the team. Many experts maintain that although conflict is mostly thought to be having a negative effect within the workplace, a degree of properly managed conflict are often beneficial for a corporation. Be alert for any push-back in employees’ actions.
Active listening is one in all the foremost basic techniques there’s for managing conflict within the workplace, so this is often an especially important skill to find out and teach others. Reductions in the dispute between employees will lead to improved productivity of employees, increased morale and loyalty, lower medical expenses, fewer demands for reimbursement of staff, and reduced costs of litigation. Proper management of conflict at work includes consideration of other points of view and recognizing what is so important about those perspectives versus ours.
HR (Human Resources) also initiates conflict-related communication between employees and tracks the metrics and costs of conflict resolution efforts. Use a calm voice; insist on the rule of “no put-downs” and stop anyone who violates it immediately. Keep the talk about the subjects at hand. In many instances, however, HR does not learn of workplace conflict until differences have escalated. Providing conflict resolution training to employees can significantly improve the effectiveness and engagement of their teams.
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