Being able to deal with conflict in the workplace is a key leadership skill, which is why we teach conflict management in all of our leadership and management training courses.

Every team member is different and promoting their mental and emotional well-being at work is vital to make sure that everyone is enjoying their role, working to the best of their abilities and engaging with their work. But wherever you have a team, you are going to have the potential for personality clashes and differences of opinion as everyone will have their distinct perspectives based on their own life experiences. It is possible to work together harmoniously if everyone respects these differences but sometimes conflict may become unavoidable and as a team leader you need to recognise this and respond to support the well-being of your team.

Types of workplace conflict

Some workplace conflicts may be perceived as being positive, for example, a healthy amount of competition between team members who are working towards their collective or individual goals. However, negative conflict such as bullying or harassment can cause serious problems and should be addressed as soon as it is identified.

Negative workplace conflict – sometimes referred to as Workplace Incivility – can cause high levels of anxiety and depression amongst staff, along with reduced self-esteem, poor performance, increased absence (sometimes long-term with stress) and higher staff turnover as some employees feel ‘forced out with nowhere to turn.

Although it is important to understand ways of managing conflict in the workplace, it is a good idea to explore any potential triggers for negative behaviour, by examining what might be causing your employees to be uncivil to each other in the first place.

Exploring the causes of Workplace Incivility

  • Stress and Overwhelm
    If your staff are lashing out at each other or bullying certain team members it may be because they are stressed. Are they overloaded in their role? Perhaps they feel that the person they are bullying isn’t pulling their weight, or they just feel the need to take their frustrations out on someone. According to research, stressed staff are more likely to experience negative emotions, which will then manifest as bullying or aggression.
  • Unsuitable working conditions
    Is your shop floor crowded or noisy to the point where people are stepping on each other’s toes? If your employees are finding it difficult to perform in these conditions, then improving or reorganising them can help reduce conflict.
  • Lack of resources or support
    Some employees may become frustrated at having to share resources or don’t feel confident enough to ask for more equipment or support. If an employee experiences confrontation or conflict, the situation will be exacerbated if they feel like they have no support at work and there is no one to turn to for help.
  • Lack of clarity
    Something that we have touched on in our other blogs on employee wellbeing, it is vital that your staff know what they are doing and the actions that they need to perform to fulfil their role – and that these are achievable. If they feel that they will not be able to meet the perceived expectations of their role, they may become stressed and lash out. Likewise, if it is not clear who should be doing what as part of their job description, this may lead to confusion and conflict if someone feels that others are ‘muscling in’ on their work or not pulling their weight.
  • Lack of purpose
    Your employees need to feel like they are working towards a common goal and feel engaged with their work, or they can become disenfranchised and less compassionate towards each other.
  • Lack of autonomy
    Your team members need to feel as though they have some level of control over their work and that they can make some of their own choices. Staff who can engage in hybrid working practices or flexi-time report greater satisfaction than those who do not and having some level of choice or self-management is a good way to reduce stress and avoid unrest. Where staff personalities clash so much that they appear unable to work together, allowing them to move their shifts to avoid each other may be the best way to address the situation.
  • Inequality
    If you’re getting a lot of reports about unprofessional or undesirable behaviour in your workplace, it is worth analysing them to see if there is any inequality or need that is not being met. For example, if most of the complaints are coming from women then you may need to take steps to identify and address any underlying issues or workplace culture that could be facilitating conflict. This can be done with awareness courses (such as Diversity and Equality training) or training in how to handle confrontational behaviour.

Resolving workplace conflict

Whilst it is useful to understand the underlying causes of Workplace Incivility and work to address them to reduce Workplace Conflict, we do have to acknowledge that conflict is simply part of our day-to-day life, whether we are at work or not. We can experience it when we are driving, shopping, or even getting the kids to brush their teeth, so it is important to have processes in place at work to resolve it as quickly as possible.

Some workplaces may have a level of ‘banter’ which can quickly cross a line into bullying or harassment depending on how the recipient feels about the ‘joke.’ Make sure your employees know where the boundaries are for this kind of behaviour and what will happen if they overstep the mark. When resolving conflict you also need to get some clarity on what has happened and try to see it from both sides by getting both parties to concur on what their disagreement is about.

Safe spaces

It is important that your employees feel safe in being able to come and talk to you about any work issues without being observed or regarded as a troublemaker by their colleagues. Find a private, neutral space where both parties can air their grievances so that you can get to the root of the problem. Be open and honest, and make sure that you listen actively and that they feel heard and understood.

Differences in personality or working style need to be recognised and understood and employees should be encouraged to play to their strengths. Once you have identified and addressed the conflict make you check back in and evaluate to see how things are going and work out how you can avoid the same problems happening in the future.

Develop a conflict resolution policy

By setting out your policy (and getting employees to agree to abide by it) from the very start, you can establish that your business will not tolerate abusive behaviour and provide guidance on what an employee needs to do to report a problem. This should encourage your employees to report any concerns and complaints they may have about others’ behaviour early on so that any potential situation does not get chance to escalate.

Dispute Resolution

If things get really bad, you can engage your employees in dispute resolution. There are a few different types of this, depending on how severe the conflict is: Informal discussion, mediation, conciliation or arbitration. Arbitration is the most formal method and requires each side to submit evidence of the conflict to an arbitrator. Lawyers may become involved and after considering the evidence, the arbitrator will produce a legally-binding settlement that all parties have agreed to.

Conflict management in the workplace is, of course, a huge topic and we feel like we have just scratched the surface with this blog post. If it’s something you feel that you need to learn more about then it is something that we cover in our CMI-Accredited Leadership and Management Training.

If you’d like to know more about our training programmes, just get in touch and we will be more than happy to help! Email hello@develerate.com.