Although you by no means want strife in your workplace, the occasional employee conflict is inevitable. Part of your job as an employer is effectively resolving this conflict and ensuring it doesn’t adversely affect your workplace. Here are some best practices to help employees work through conflict.
Confront the Issue
Some employees are reluctant to admit there’s a problem because they don’t want to deal with the ramifications. As a result, they let it fester hoping it will “work itself out” only to find the issue continues to escalate. This can create even more friction in the workplace and is detrimental to your company’s success.
Once you know there’s a problem, it’s best to address it. The sooner you do, the sooner you’ll find a solution and get things back on track.
Get the Perspective of All Parties Involved
The old saying, “there are two sides to every story” rings true in this situation. You’ll want to hear everyone out and listen to their account of what happened. Let all parties share their perspective and express their feelings. Doing so should provide you with an objective viewpoint as to what’s going on, and your employees will feel heard.
Brainstorm Solutions
After getting input from all sides, you’ll need to play the role of mediator. Use the information you’ve gathered to try to come up with a few viable solutions that are the best options for your team overall.
Find a Resolution
Once you’ve brainstormed the best solutions, it’s time to determine what the resolution is. As a manager, it’s your responsibility to share and explain why this resolution is the best way to move forward. Make sure everyone understands the resolution and is willing to accept this and move forward. While everyone may not be in agreement, as a part of a team, everyone needs to learn to compromise and be willing to learn from challenging situations. You may also want to conduct a follow-up meeting after some time has passed to ensure that the resolution was successful.
Workplace conflict isn’t ideal, but it’s inevitable. As a result, you should be prepared to swiftly handle it and have a game plan for remediation. Not only will this minimize conflicts, it can have a positive impact on your company culture and bottom line.
Looking to streamline your recruiting? Get in touch with Encadria Staffing Solutions to see how we can help.