Your business can’t run without its people. And sometimes, those people don’t always see eye to eye, which can cause tension and conflict. These conflicts could be a result of differences in personalities, beliefs, or opinions. Either way, tension in the workplace can be distracting and affect people not directly involved.
While iSpace Office Interiors can make your physical office space comfortable, only you, the business manager or owner, can make the office culture and environment comfortable. To achieve this, you’ll need to understand how to effectively deal with employee conflict. Here are some tips for accomplishing this.
- Understand the Problem at Hand
The only way you’re going to understand the conflict between two or more employees is to not make assumptions based on what you first hear. Everyone knows how quickly office gossip can spread, but as the one in charge, you shouldn’t assume anything. You should also find out if you’re dealing with workplace harassment or discrimination issue. Refer to your company’s employee handbook for this information and the policies related to workplace conflict to help you plan your approach.
- Bring the Employees Together – Privately
Once you understand the problem you’re dealing with, you can then bring the employees together in a private setting. You never want to resolve the conflict in front of others. That technique could make things worse. So, bring the parties together in a meeting and let them know that you acknowledge there is an issue and that you’re bringing them together to help resolve it. Hear out both sides first and then find commonalities and differences. Then, present an action plan to help monitor progress in the resolution efforts.
- Don’t Let it Fester
In many cases, employee conflicts resolve themselves long before you have to get involved. But unfortunately, there are instances where that’s not the case. If problems between your employees seem to be festering, then it’s time to nip in the bud. Lingering issues in the workplace can create a toxic and uncomfortable working environment, not only for other employees but also for customers. Once customers sense there’s something wrong, it’s too late. You’ve probably lost their business and more, which means letting conflicts fester can cost your company money.
- Write it Up
Receiving a writeup isn’t the end goal for employees, and no one likes documentation of their conflicts, but as the owner or manager, these moments must be recorded. This will help you monitor behavior and realize patterns in employees who are causing trouble for the rest of your company. By documenting these incidents, you’re protecting your business from a disgruntled employee who might pursue legal action. In these reports, make sure you write down information such as who, what, where, when, and how.
- Lead by Example
Effectively dealing with employee conflict starts at the top with the leadership of your company. If your C-suite team can’t resolve disputes amongst themselves or with others, then you have a bigger problem. You must lead by example and build a company culture based on transparency and mutual employee respect. When you respect your teams, they’ll respect you and each other.
iSpace Gives You Space for Employee Conflict Resolution
Remember how we mentioned you shouldn’t deal with employee conflict in front of others? This means you need a private space like a break room or conference room for such an occasion. We guarantee it will happen and you’ll need this space. When you need free space planning or remodeling along with new office furniture, get your quote from iSpace Office Interiors. Give us a call today at (317) 694-7197.
Photo credit: Business photo created by yanalya