Bonfire Night has just passed, so you’ve probably heard lots of fireworks over the last few days.
Inspired by the bright colours and loud bangs, we are taking a look at another less fun form of fireworks this week: those that happen when there is conflict in your workplace.
Workplace conflict is no laughing matter, although it’s hard not to break a smile over two grown adults arguing over a pencil sharpener, closing a door or leaving mail on a chair – all real cases from the web. Ricky Gervais rose to international fame after writing and starring in The Office – heavily based on workplace conflict.
But actually, especially for SMEs, fireworks in the workplace can be a real problem. When people clash you may see it manifest as a verbal row, behavioural changes, formation of cliques and, at worst, physical altercation. Different levels of conflict will require different responses, but left unchecked the breakdown in relations will lead to serious business problems, including:
- Stress and anxiety, possibly leading to absenteeism.
- Slowed productivity from all the distraction.
- Employee turnover, if they no longer feel comfortable at work.
You don’t need us to tell you that all of this will cost you. So, what can you do?
Prevention is better than cure
It is impossible to eliminate conflict completely, but you can nurture an environment in which it is less likely. Here are a few ideas…
Management training – Investing in training for your managers (or yourself) is a great place to start. This will equip them with the skills to communicate effectively with their team, spot signs of conflict early and thus create the opportunity to nip it in the bud. We have an excellent Management Essentials training course which can help you here.
Nurture a positive culture – For some businesses, culture is their secret weapon; and renowned management consultant Peter Drucker coined the phrase “Culture eats strategy for breakfast”. Setting an inclusive, tolerant and cooperative tone in your business from the very top, where good colleague relations are prioritised, will give people the space to sort through problems without them turning into proper conflict.
Communication styles – One of the biggest (and avoidable) causes of workplace conflict is misunderstanding over communication. Everyone has their own style, and these can be understood through a variety of personality profiling exercises. These reveal what messaging people respond to best, and interpret each person’s outgoing communication style. This is a small investment which can make a big difference. Ask us about the types of personality testing we can offer you.
When there’s fireworks!
Even if you follow all the best practices, humans are unpredictable creatures, and you can never eliminate the risk of conflict completely. When it does occur, how you or your managers react could be the difference between a minor issue and a major problem.
Your disciplinary and grievance policy will guide you in the procedures you must follow (if you don’t have one, please talk to us urgently). However, here are a few useful principles which will help in just about any scenario.
First, keep your own lines of communication open, so your team have the confidence to bring issues to you. You cannot deal with a problem if you do not know it exists.
Second: be proactive. Don’t let conflict fester because it will likely get worse. Acting early may give you a chance to deal with it informally without having to go through a painful and disruptive disciplinary process.
Our third tip is to remain neutral and fully assess the situation. Don’t rush to a conclusion before you have heard both sides of the story as you will probably not achieve a satisfactory ending.
And finally, focus on building (or rebuilding) trust and relationships. This will not only be an effective route to ending the conflict in hand, but also to preventing future ones.
However, keep in mind that sometimes conflict is not easy to solve, and mediation is the best way forward. A qualified mediator is impartial and supports people in finding a way to proceed.
Help from The HR Dept
Whether you want to find out more about management training and personality testing to prevent conflict, or you have a live case for which you need professional support like mediation, we are here to help or can point you in the right direction. Please get in touch to get started.
