News Article

Conflict Resolution is no joke. It can be a costly exercise in time, money and morale.

Done well, it can nip a problem in the bud and get your people back on track but poorly done it can cause a ripple effect throughout your company that be both destructive and expensive.

One of the most significant issues with conflict in the workplace is that it can be difficult to spot until it becomes spectacularly apparent. When a problem starts to grumble employees may go to ground holding grudges, becoming resentful and perhaps even resigning without disclosing the real angst of the issue. In other instances, your employees may be outspoken with whisperings by the watercooler and WhatsApp-ing colleagues after hours to disseminate their poison and pollute your workforce. 

The Confederation of British Industry estimates the cost of conflict in the workplace to be around £33 billion every year! Imagine what businesses could do with that money if the conflict were managed better? What would you do with that money?

Prevention is always better than cure, but then again, we don’t have 2020 hindsight. So, here are a few top tips to get you started on the right track to conflict resolution and to manage it within your workplace. 

1. Don’t ignore it. This isn’t a problem that’s going to go away by itself. Bring the parties together and encourage them to communicate their issues and negotiate a resolution.
2. Face to Face: Email, phones and skype have their use in workplace communications but to resolve a conflict, you’ll need to be face-to-face. Body language, tone of voice, ambiguity and reluctance can all be read much more clearly when you meet in person; otherwise, you’ll run the risk of more misunderstandings and miscommunication.
3. Talk about it. Before conflicts grow into all-out war, it’s good to create a culture of sharing, discussion and openness. Inevitably there will still be big issues, but often these can be as a result of misunderstanding or miscommunication, so talking frequently and openly will help to reduce the more significant conflicts.
4. Educate: Through practical training and awareness, managers can learn to understand the triggers of conflict. Sometimes early awareness can stop a situation escalating and if not, then learnt tools and techniques could minimise the impact.
5. Listen: Talking is useless without listening. How often do you really listen to what is being said? A good listener will learn to read between the lines and then repeat back to the speaker what they’ve heard so they can be sure they understand the problem.
6. Take Agreed Action: Both parties will need to agree on steps to move forward to resolve the conflict. Speed isn’t the main factor here. The process may take time, a little like chess as each party makes their move in turn to find a mutually agreed resolution.

If you’d like to learn more about Conflict Resolution or help your managers to be confident in dealing with it sign up for our next workshop:

Employment Law Workshop on the 5^th March 2020.

This workshop is ideal for building confidence in individuals who manage or supervise staff. You’ll learn the tools and techniques to handle challenging situations and deploy the right information at the right time by law: Minimising risk, Maximising potential.