Discord, friction and strife

A recent Acas poll indicates that 2 in 5 workers say workplace conflict is rising. This is a worrying trend given last year’s Good Work Index (CIPD), which estimated that 25% of employees experienced workplace conflict over the course of just one year.  This includes being made to feel undermined or humiliated, being shouted at or being involved in a heated argument, being at the receiving end of verbal abuse or insults or experiencing discriminatory behaviour.

Conflict in the workplace is never fun.  Not for those involved or for those having to witness it.  At best it creates bad feeling and discomfort and at its worse can lead to serious claims being brought against an employer who has failed to protect employees from bad behaviour.  It can also lead to employees feeling dissatisfied with their job and make them more likely to look for alternative employment. The survey also found that those who had experienced conflict in the workplace had reduced confidence in senior figures, viewing them as less likely to act with integrity and less likely to listen to employee views and experiences. Employers wishing to avoid workplace disputes would be well advised to focus on line management training and to address underlying causes of conflict, including poor management practices and excessive workloads.  

Scrutinise potential sources of disagreement

It may be useful for employers to carry out an anonymous survey of employees to work out whether conflict is an issue in the business. While it may often be apparent if tensions are running high, discourse between staff who are less closely supervised may go unnoticed.  In addition to asking whether staff have been involved in or are aware of conflict in the workplace, it is also useful to ask what issues they understand to be causing problems.  If themes emerge, such as staff being under pressure due to tight deadlines or unmanageable workloads leading to short fuses and incidents of lashing out, this is something that an employer can address.  Speak to staff about any underlying triggers for conflict and find out what they think can be done to alleviate the pressure and lead to a more harmonious workplace.  For example, it may be that sales staff are making promises to customers regarding turnaround time without discussing the viability of those timescales with the people who will actually be carrying out the work.  In those circumstances, set up a meeting to discuss what would be more realistic and perhaps develop a system whereby sales staff run potential time commitments past the people who will be carrying out the work prior to promising customers something which may be difficult or even impossible to deliver.  

Act swiftly to stop issues from escalating

If issues of personal conflict are raised, these will likely have to be dealt with individually.  The best way to do so is to make sure that line managers and senior staff are ready to deal with such problems.  If needs be, provide them with training to equip them with the necessary skills to resolve any conflicts between their subordinates.  Make it a priority to address and deal with conflict thoroughly as it arises, rather than letting disagreements be swept under the carpet.  If an issue is not resolved properly, it is likely to rear its head again and the longer an issue is left unresolved the more resentment and anger will build. Issues that have been ongoing for some time are generally much harder to deal with as both parties are likely to have become more entrenched in their position.

It is important to differentiate between genuine differences of opinion, which hopefully can be worked through, and acts of aggression, discrimination or bullying which are completely unacceptable in a workplace.  Remind staff of the behaviour that is expected from them via company policies and regular training.  If a disagreement escalates into something more serious, it may be necessary to deal with it under the company disciplinary procedure or to address it via the grievance procedure if a formal complaint has been raised.

While disagreements are inevitable, setting clear boundaries as to what behaviours are and are not acceptable and having senior staff who are confident in addressing discourse when it arises, can help to ensure that differences of opinion are dealt with in a respectful and calm manner.  Conflict is never pleasant, but providing staff with the tools to deal with it can help ensure that it is resolved quickly and in a manner which leaves everyone involved feeling heard and valued.