Work, by nature, brings together diverse individuals, each with their own unique temperaments, beliefs, and work styles. With that, inevitably, comes conflict. Workplace conflict is an inherent part of professional life, and no organization is immune to it. Yet, the companies with the healthiest cultures have strategies in place for workplace conflict resolution and prevention.
We will discuss some of the ways workplace conflict can negatively affect organizations and what can be done about it, both via proactive prevention and through positive avenues for resolution.
Common Causes for Workplace Conflict
Personality clashes
Some people are like oil and water–they’re just not going to mix well. Sometimes, opposite personality types clash, like a soft-spoken individual and a loudmouth. Other times it’s coworkers who are similar that butt heads, like two headstrong leaders. Whatever’s behind the clash, put them together in a workspace, and there are bound to be some tense situations between them.
Differing work styles
We can’t count how often we’ve heard employees complain about officemates playing loud music while working. Background noise versus silence is just one of many personal preferences about how work gets done that can lead to disputes.
Creative disagreements
Differing views on a project’s creative approach can create intense conflict since both sides feel passionate about their position, and there’s not one “right” answer. If one approach is chosen over the other, resentment can simmer beneath the surface long after the project is completed.
Competition
Several great candidates, one available promotion—it’s a recipe for conflict as old as the workplace itself. Healthy competition promotes growth, but too much can create a toxic, dog-eat-dog work environment rife with friction.
Miscommunications
Communication (or lack thereof) is a huge driver of workplace conflict, from unclear expectations to a poorly worded email. The worst part is that more mindful, intentional conversations could avoid much of it.
Resistance to change
It’s common for workers to resist new and unfamiliar tools, systems, and policies, especially if they perceive the changes as putting their jobs at risk.
Bad management
Poor management allows workplace conflict to thrive. Without active, effective leadership, problems like bullying, distrust, and inequitable workloads can run rampant.
How Workplace Conflict Impacts Organizations
Workplace conflict can take many forms, from a one-time exchange of terse words in the breakroom to a pattern of hostile behavior by one or more staffers. The causes of workplace conflict can range from personality clashes and differing work styles to systemic mismanagement and even criminal behavior.
The potential implications of workplace conflict are equally varied and can be highly damaging to the work environment. On the lower end of the spectrum, hurt feelings can simmer over to feelings of resentment and disengagement, while on the more extreme end, there are work disruptions, employee resignations, and even lawsuits. These negative implications cost companies through reduced productivity, morale, and turnover.
Lost productivity
According to one study, American workers spend an average of 2.8 hours per week dealing with workplace conflict. All that time adds up to $359 billion in paid hours each year, and employees are not actually getting much done.
Lowered morale
It is hard to stay positive when you are in a negative place, and workplace conflict is a major source of negative emotions. While employees can be coached to effectively deal with infrequent conflicts, which are part of most jobs, it becomes a problem for morale when conflict is frequent or sustained. Research has shown that low morale leads to greater levels of absenteeism and poorer job performance, both of which cost companies money.
Turnover
In a study conducted within hospitality organizations, researchers found that workplace conflict in the form of abusive supervision (a.k.a. hostile managers) and ostracism were strongly linked with an employees’ intentions to leave the company.
Further research shows that conflict contributes heavily to an employee’s overall job satisfaction—or lack thereof—which is inversely correlated with their intentions to leave. In other words, the more unhappy employees are at work, the more likely they are to quit.
Then there is the overwhelming circumstantial evidence we have via countless personal anecdotes we have heard from employees who, when asked why they were leaving their current job, cited the “toxic culture.” Employees do not want to stay in workplaces filled with conflict.
8 Signs of Emerging Conflict
Changes in behavior
If an employee who’s always been mild-mannered suddenly becomes disagreeable, it could be a sign that something is up.
More frequent complaints
A rise in complaints to managers or HR is a definite cause for concern. Either employees are no longer able to resolve their inter-office disputes on their own, or they’ve lost the desire to find solutions independently.
Mistakes
Conflict drains employees’ attention and productivity. Errors, missed deadlines, and things falling through the cracks can be red flags that larger problems are at play in the workplace.
Team division
It’s normal for some employees to be closer than others. However, if your team becomes starkly divided into different factions or there’s a sense of people taking sides, it’s worth investigating further.
Tense words
Sometimes, detecting conflict can be as simple as listening to employees’ words. Frustration and anger can prompt curt responses, snide remarks, rudeness, and even gruff emails.
Pushback
Employees involved in workplace conflict may give unnecessary pushback when given direction or respond negatively to feedback. This can be a side effect of their exasperation with the situation.
Increased absenteeism
When staff face conflict in their job, they may look for reasons not to come to work. Workplace conflict can also cause very real physical and psychological symptoms like anxiety, stress, and depression.
Increased turnover
As we already mentioned, conflict can breed excessive turnover. Unsurprisingly, employees don’t want to stay in a dysfunctional work environment and seek opportunities elsewhere.
Workplace Conflict Resolution Strategies and Techniques
So, how can employers mitigate workplace conflict and deal with it correctly when it does arise? Follow these time-tested workplace conflict resolution strategies.
Start with employees
While the employer undoubtedly plays a big role in conflict resolution, leadership should come from the top down. Companies should begin by arming employees with the tools they need to resolve conflict independently. Experts agree that self-resolution should be the first avenue for dealing with workplace conflicts before escalating the issue up the chain of command.
It is not cost-effective for managers and department heads to spend time getting involved every time staffers disagree. Instead, set the expectation that employees will attempt to work it out independently before getting their supervisors involved when a conflict arises.
It is a great idea to lay out this expectation in your employee handbook. Communicate that every employee, regardless of role, must communicate respectfully, show tolerance for their fellow employees, and work to resolve conflicts proactively.
Related: Tips for Conflict Management
Set expectations for supervisor involvement
While there will be times when a higher-up needs to intervene in a dispute between staffers, the response should not be to take ownership of that problem automatically. Instead, the focus should be on empowering staffers to analyze the issue, devise possible solutions, and implement those solutions.
Set expectations for how and when this will happen. At what point does a manager need to get involved in a staff conflict? Do employees have the proper channels for bringing conflicts to the appropriate person’s attention?
It is also important to delineate that some types of conflict should always be escalated, like those involving threats of violence, harassment, or illegal activity. Make sure employees know they are not expected to deal with these types of issues on their own.
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Define HR’s role
A company’s human resources department wears many hats, and one of those is acting as a neutral mediator during conflicts. Typically, HR will get involved when employees and their managers cannot resolve a conflict on their own or when conflict exists between two different levels of seniority, like between a manager and their subordinates. HR should also step in for any conflicts involving harassment, discrimination, or issues that might require law enforcement intervention.
Though HR does not need to be directly involved with all workplace conflicts, they should be kept in the loop about any situation beyond a minor dispute. Too often, HR learns of an issue after it has already escalated when earlier involvement could have helped mitigate the damage.
Use a peer review system
In a peer review, the employees involved in a conflict present their sides of the issue to a small panel of their peers who have been elected or appointed to help adjudicate such conflicts. The panel then acts as a jury of sorts to decide whether to resolve the conflict.
Peer review systems can be highly effective but must be set up carefully and run systematically. Employees involved in the panel must be given adequate training that covers the kinds of questions to ask for an effective review and common pitfalls to avoid.
Engage a neutral third-party
Third-party mediation works similarly to a peer review but with an external party acting as the mediator. This person might be a trained conflict resolution professional or an objective party without a stake in the disagreement.
Using an outside mediator can promote fairness since the person comes in without any preconceived notions about the involved parties or situations. It can also prevent feelings of resentment toward peers who judge a particular employee.
Allow open communication
If a mediation system is used, ensure all parties can voice their concerns and express their position thoroughly. Avoid back-and-forth during this time; give each person a chance to speak without interruption or objection. Helping employees feel heard and bringing grievances out in the open can go a long way toward cooling heated conflicts.
Use legal avenues as a last resort
When all other channels for positive conflict resolution are exhausted, companies may resort to legal avenues like arbitration and litigation. These should be approached as a last resort since they are costly and time-consuming, not to mention psychologically draining on all parties involved.
Arbitration is a formal process that, like a court case, may involve questioning witnesses and reviewing evidence. Retired judges and other legal experts often serve as professional arbitrators who issue a final judgment based on all of the material presented. The outcome of arbitration is typically legally binding.
Litigation refers to a formal court case involving a judge and/or jury. Many states require professional disputes to be brought through mediation first because mediation is often successful and saves the taxpayer dollars that would be associated with holding a trial.
Follow up
After a conflict occurs and the subsequent resolution is reached, check in with the involved parties after a time to ensure the solutions have been adequate and no problems persist.
How to Prevent Future Workplace Conflict
The best strategy for dealing with workplace conflict is to minimize its occurrence in the first place. Follow these tips to prevent future conflict.
Promote a culture of mutual respect
Building a community, teamwork, and trust culture can help create a low-conflict work environment. Encourage open, respectful communication between employees. Recognize and reward team members who work collaboratively to achieve shared goals. Make employees feel heard by gathering feedback and having candid one-on-ones, and then acting on the input.
Provide training on workplace conflict prevention and resolution
One of the most comprehensive, widely cited studies on workplace conflict found that conflict management training was by far the biggest driver of high-quality conflict outcomes.
Fewer than half of the survey participants had ever received such training, yet 95% of those who did found it helpful. When employees are given strategies to manage disputes effectively, conflict can transform from a drain on company resources to a positive avenue for building stronger, more well-rounded, collaborative employees.
Focus on compromise
When seeking conflict resolution, aim to achieve win-win outcomes rather than scenarios where one side emerges as the “winner.” Aside from just being a more positive way to resolve conflicts, this also helps reduce lingering ill will, which can prevent the conflict from rearing up again in the future.
Prioritize conflict resolution when hiring
Despite the inevitability of conflict in the workplace, you can help minimize its frequency by building a team with strong conflict-resolution skills. To do this, ensure your screening processes and interview questions are designed to identify these skills and flag candidates lacking them.
Some conflict resolution questions to work into your interviews might include:
- How would you describe your communication style?
- How do you deal with personality clashes when working on a team?
- When you have a conflict with a coworker, how do you go about resolving it?
- Tell me about a time when you disagreed with your boss. What was the outcome?
- What experiences in your background have prepared you to manage conflict in the workplace effectively?
Background checks are another critical component of the hiring process, alerting you to any potentially problematic traits, such as unresolved anger management issues.
Cultivate a Strong Company Culture with Help From 4 Corner Resources
At the end of the day, an employee’s alignment with your company culture can play a huge role in whether they contribute to workplace conflicts. When you hire for a strong culture fit, you are less likely to experience the negative impacts of workplace conflict we have outlined above.
4 Corner Resources can help you zero in on candidates who not only meet your skills requirements but who mesh with your company’s overarching values and personality. We are experts at identifying positive traits like communication skills and creative problem-solving that will allow new hires to thrive in a collaborative environment.
Start building a company culture you can be proud of. Contact us today to schedule your free staffing consultation.
