𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝟱 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗽𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀

No-one in the workplace, including the employer signs up for conflict. Most people want to go to work to do the job they are employed to do and go home. Most employers want their employees to succeed and be happy at work because this goes a long way towards a successful business.

So how does conflict arise, how does it escalate and what is the impact on employees and employers?

In mediation, workplace conflict is observed every day. Parties embattled, stressed, wound up in some cycle of tension that doesn’t seem to go away.

If conflict is not dealt with quickly and efficiently it is likely to build or sit under the surface of the relationship until it is sparked by some seemingly minor incident. It can cause the wider workplace to take sides, it can cause productivity to drop and it can develop a workplace culture where everyone is a little uneasy or on edge.

Conflict triggers can broadly be categorised under five headings:

𝟭. Poor communication.
𝟮. A state of uncertainty, where hours are being cut, redundancies occurring or changes of management.
𝟯. A lack of clarity, where roles, responsibilities, expectations and tasks are not well defined (which may lead to people feeling undervalued in their contribution to the business).
𝟰. Clashes of personalities and cultural differences.
𝟱. When an employer does not have a foundation of what behaviours are expected within the organisation.

Each conflict will have its own story, but the common elements of a disagreement are often:
• How it happened,
• What the impact has been,
• What should be done to resolve it, and
• Who is at fault.

What can employees and employers do to de-escalate and resolve conflict?

The burden is on the employer’s shoulders to “do something” when it becomes aware of conflict. To do nothing, can create a feeling that the employer thinks that the situation is acceptable and may develop the idea of “this is what it’s like around here, nothing will be done about it”.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗸𝗲𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗹𝗶𝗰𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. This is simply addressing the matter as soon as it occurs or you are made aware of it.

The key elements to early intervention is to have respectful courageous conversations when conflict arises and be prepared to draw a line and agree on a different way of communicating in the future. A brief framework of a courageous conversation involves:

𝟭. Each party being clear about what has occurred (the event)
𝟮. What the impact is (using “I” statements)
𝟯. What resolution looks like (how to acknowledge the past, draw a line and agree on the future)
𝟰. And understand that, although parties do not always agree with one another, they can acknowledge the “I” statements and agree on behaviours going forward.

If you need our assistance, please get in touch with our team.

By definition, a conversation is an informal, interactive, and spoken exchange of thoughts, ideas, feelings, or information between two or more people. A true conversation isn’t just one person speaking at another without offering a chance to respond.

Difficult conversations demand thoughtful preparation to ensure they are productive and meaningful. These exchanges often involve serious matters, concerns, or allegations that need to be addressed promptly. It’s crucial that both parties have time to prepare and understand the purpose of the discussion. If the topic is broad or sensitive, consider allowing a break for reflection and response. Ideally, you’ll provide clear information up front to help everyone involved feel informed and ready.

In any employment relationship, acting in good faith is essential. This means not doing anything to mislead or deceive one another and being open and communicative.

𝗧𝗼𝗽 𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗚𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁
✅ Chose the right place to meet, somewhere where you cannot be overheard and parties feel comfortable to speak.
✅ Make sure you thank the person for attending.
✅ Set the scene about the meeting and be clear (no ambushes). For example, “𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘹𝘺𝘻. 𝘐 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘹𝘺𝘻 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘰𝘯𝘥. 𝘐 𝘢𝘮 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘧𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘯𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵”.
✅ Keep on topic and within the scope of the advised topics.
✅ If the matter is about you, use as many “I” statements as possible.
✅ Stick to the facts.
✅ Stay calm.
✅ Clarify any points if asked.
✅ Invite a response.
✅ Listen carefully.
✅ Do not interrupt.
✅ Take notes while actively listening (this means staying engaged so the person knows you are listening but taking any notes for you to understand their response).
✅ Ask clarifying and inquisitive questions.
✅ Don’t rush things.
✅ Ensure you advise what outcome you are seeking (at the right time).
✅ Advise next steps (and ensure you stick to agreed timelines).

If you need our assistance, please get in touch with our team.