subject: Dealing with Workplace Conflict [print this page] Dealing with Workplace Conflict Dealing with Workplace Conflict
Each and every one of us experiences conflicts on a daily basis. Sometimes it is personal, and other times the conflict is with another person. Wherever or whenever conflict arises, we need to know how to deal with it and move on with our lives. When conflict arises in the workplace, however, it can be difficult to deal with; in our personal lives, when we have disagreements with another person, we try to avoid that person. Unfortunately this isn't possible when the conflict exists with another employee.
Tension between employees can cause lower productivity levels, increased absent days and higher levels of job dissatisfaction. None of these are situations that are good for the health of the business. For that reason, it's critical for businesses to have measures in place to deal with conflicts between employees.
The best way to avoid serious consequences that can arise from employee conflict is to offer employee mediation services. Many organizations have implemented Employee Assistance Programs that offer a variety of different services to help their employees deal with personal issues, financial issues, and work conflicts.
Just knowing that such programs exist within an organization is often enough to make the workplace a more secure and comfortable for employees. However, when employee mediation is required, many employees feel that using an in-house service is biased and delivers unsatisfactory results. Just as many employees don't feel that they can truly speak their mind.
To ensure the success of an employee mediation program, a lot of businesses hire a neutral third party organization to act as mediators. This takes care of a few different issues: first, it ensures that the mediator is an actual neutral third party that can objectively listen to both sides of the story and come up with viable solution. Secondly, it shows employees that the business does care about its employees. Knowing that your employer cares enough about its employees to offer such a service boosts employee morale. And finally, hiring an outside organization gives employees a sense of security, making it more likely that they will feel comfortable enough to discuss what is going on.
We all know that conflict is going to arise, no matter what type of situation we work in. Unfortunately, this conflict can lead to a number of problems that can ultimately lead to severe consequences for a business: loss of reputation, lower productivity and high employee turnover are just a few. It's important for businesses to have some type of mediation in place to deal with these conflicts as they arise.
