When you spend many hours with the same group of people, conflict is likely to occur at some point. Work relationships have its ups and downs and sometimes we find ourselves in stressed situations that lead into passive jabs or big conflicts.
Hopefully, you will never experience any bad momentum in the work place. Nonetheless, when a conflict erupts, we may have to step in and resolve the issue. In this article, we will give you six ways to deal with conflict at work. Pay attention!
NEVER AVOID THE SITUATION
When a conflict is about to happen, it is most likely that the employees have been holding grudges from a long time. And at some point, they cannot take it anymore. For that, if something is bound to happen, it is better to confront it and try to solve it firsthand. Avoiding it can cause more tension and worsen the situation.
If left undealt, these issues can lead to aggression, withdrawal and even resignation; causing deeper problems such as: absenteeism, high employee turnover, and company culture deficits.
TACKLE THE ISSUE FROM THE BEGINNING
Every conflict has a main cause of explosion: a personal issue, a miscommunication or a lack of clarity in a situation. The principal issue can deliver to other conflicts, small or bigger, but at the end, a small thing can be transformed into a huge one.
That is why it is important to identify the main problem and, work it out from there. Our recommendation is to listen to both sides and find a common ground to work things through.
TALK EVERYTHING
See, it looks like communicating is the easiest thing in the world. Obviously, we all talk with each other and express our emotions, mostly when we are in a good mood. Yet, when we are feeling stressed, angry or frustrated, we use to bottle everything up inside.
When a conflict is happening, do not hesitate to talk everything and say what you need to say respectfully. Make sure each person has the opportunity to say what they want, without interruptions, to create a more constructive conversation and lead the issue into a solution.
ALWAYS A DEBATE, NEVER A FIGHT
We are in a work space, not a fighting ring. An employee shouldn’t attack or blame others during the conversation. Make sure that things don’t get more heated by setting some ground rules. For example, never interrupt the person who is talking, listen actively and clarify anything.
BE IMPARTIAL
As a good mediator would say, it is essential to never take sides. Our recommendation is to talk with the employees separately and privately and try to understand the multiple perspectives. It is also important to make them talk with each other. As we said previously, we cannot break the work ambiance. For that, everything needs to be said and understood clearly.
TEAM BUILDING IS KEY
Keep in mind that your employees may have to work under the leadership of different people throughout the day. The best way to create a good environment is trusting your team and create the best work dynamic. These principles will lead to more trust, involvement and better communication. Building a solid relationship with your partners and employees is key to confront any issues in the future.
CONCLUSION
The ambiance is an important aspect in companies. It sets the relationship with the business, quality and atmosphere to make a good place to work. At the end, people spend almost 9 hours in the same environment and things can get tricky. Creating a healthy relationship with your employees and partners will improve exponentially your work place.