Handling Conflict in the Workplace

andling conflicts in the work place are never easy. As a manager it is crucial that you help lead your team towards achieving the goals of the organization. One of the best ways to accomplish this task is by ensuring all of your employees are on the same page and working together to achieve the goals. When an employee becomes a distraction, either to their fellow co-workers or to the customers, it is crucial for the manager to handle the situation both quickly and effectively. One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch, so the manager bears the responsibility of communicating with the employee to determine if the situation can be resolved or if action must be taken to dismiss the employee permanently. These are not easy conversations to have, but they cannot be ignored or the overall morale of the department and even the organization can easily be affected. 

As the manager, when attempting to deal with conflict, it is important that you not only have a plan but also have a rough idea of how the conversation is going to flow. When dealing with a difficult employee a manager must plan for the worst and hope for the best. If the end goal is a healthy department and organization, the manager must be willing to accept that this cannot be achieves without first putting in the energy and effort to address the problem.

The following steps are aimed at helping a manager deal with a difficult employee.  It is a review of a case study pertaining to an employee who is continuously receiving complaints from fellow employees and outside customers.

Explain how you would approach this employee:

When dealing with the situation laid out in the case study, it is important, as a manager, to ensure you have the facts documented and ready to present in a well-dressed and articulated way. The standards are the same for every employee in the department and more than likely the employee you are having issues with is well aware of them as well. It will be important to keep the atmosphere of the conversation structured while you continue to point this employee back to the expectations and goals of the organization. The approach of your conversation should not be confrontational, but instead welcoming and professional. In order to illuminate walls of defense and promote open conversation, it will also be important to ensure that you approach the employee in a way that does not feel intimidating, disrespectful or demeaning.

Anticipate the employee’s response:

Because there are numerous complaints from both customers and coworkers about this employee's conduct, it is safe to say that a pattern has already presented itself and the issue has been isolated. However, when people are confronted they react in different ways. Some shut down and communication becomes very difficult. Some become aggressive and/or defensive and communication becomes very difficult. Some become emotional and communication can become difficult. Do you see a trend here?  Communication becomes difficult in conflict and you will need to be prepared to handle a difficult conversation. One of the most important things to keep in mind while having this difficult conversation is to remember that it is not personal. You are not personally attacking this employee, but are instead reacting to a steady stream of complaints that have been raised about their work performance and attitude. However, it is still very important that you keep an open mind and try to discover the root issue at hand. If the idea is to deliver an ultimatum and hopefully lead (manage) this person towards change and a successful career in the organization, it will be important for you to ensure that you are giving them time to speak. Let them respond to the information you have presented and make a point to actively listen to them.  Ask questions to try and find out why they are choosing to act the way they are. Is there an underlying issue that needs to be resolved? (i.e. issues at home, stress, anxiety, lack of training etc) If you promote an open and honest conversation, and the employee has any desire what-so-ever to be successful in the organization, then they may be willing to open up and help you understand why things are difficult. At that point you may be able to point them to some solutions which will help them achieve the improvement and/or change you are looking for.

Analyze which conflict resolution techniques you would use:

There are several conflict resolutions which can be used in this situation, but I’d like to touch on a few that seem to apply to this situation most directly. The first of these is, being clear about your agenda. Your stated agenda may be to inform [the employee] about your origination’s expectations and how the employee is not meeting expectations. There may also be a hidden agenda wrapped into your overall objectives and it’s important to ensure that you have a firm grasp on what you are trying to accomplish in the discussion. The clearer you are about your goals, the more effectively you can deliver [the message]. (Davitt, Unknown)

The second conflict resolution technique I would employ is, to listen carefully. Before jumping to conclusions, try to understand the issue fully. During the conversation, make sure you acknowledge [the employee’s] feelings and paraphrase their opinion back to them to enhance your comprehension (Lankton-Rivas, 2008). Regardless if you think you already understand the situation fully, until you have talked with the employee and given them a chance to respond there is no way for you to be sure. There may be other factors at play in the situation that are not as clearly visible and by keeping an open mind and practicing good listening skills you will open up the conversation and pave the way for productive communication. Also, when you take the time to invest into listening well, you will give the employee a fair opportunity to express their feelings and emotions and also help them understand that you are invested into them as a person. When people feel that they have a voice, even in a situation where they may be in the wrong, they are more likely to have an open mind instead of being defensive.

While conflict is never easy, there are certainly steps which can be taken to ensure it is effective. And, we must always keep in mind that the key to handling confrontation productively and successfully is being able to handle the most important factor in it. That factor is you. (Davitt, Unknown)

References:

Davitt, M. (Unknown). How to handle confrontation. Retrieved from http://westsidetoastmasters.com/article_reference/how_to_handle_confrontation.html

Lankton-Rivas, S. (2008, May 14). Overcoming conflict in the workplace. Retrieved from http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/articles/2008/05/14/overcoming_conflict_in_the_workplace/