When tensions in the workplace are on the rise, our tendency to avoid, ignore, or downplay the issue is never the right decision. Learning how to proactively manage conflicts in a constructive and empowering way offers more than just temporary workplace peace. Your staff is the lifeblood of your company, and by taking appropriate action to address conflicts with care, you preserve company morale, improve retention rates, and establish an environment that encourages communication and teamwork.
While these benefits sound great, it can be difficult to imagine a peaceful resolution when a confrontation. Instead of reacting to a staff member’s anger with contempt or aggression, let’s compare a few strategies we can use to ease the tension and arrive at a mutually-beneficial resolution instead.
Listen & Understand Before Reacting
When our fight or flight response kicks, it’s a challenge to remain calm and collected. Whether you’re in a leadership, management, or staff role, it’s essential to avoid reacting with negativity, listen without judging, and then ask questions to clarify the issue before making a suggestion or demand.
By listening patiently and demonstrating that you are genuinely interested in their concerns, you’ll be prepared to provide a solution that gets to the heart of the matter. Simultaneously, by listening rather than telling them why they’re wrong, anger and frustration will begin to diffuse and the team member will feel free to honestly share their concerns. This is a valuable management principle that can help to rebuild trust after workplace issues arise.
Focus on the Facts of the Situation
When reacting to workplace conflicts without fact-based awareness, a problem can quickly progress into a perception of a hostile work environment. The issue is usually about a tangible workplace issue like an unfair staffing policy or an employee discussing being continually overlooked by their supervisor. However, companies tend to address a small part of the conflict. This can easily lead the staff with feeling unheard or personally attacked.
If this is the case in your specific conflict, do your best to steer the discussion towards the facts of the situation. By directing the conversation away from the personal emotions and toward the true issue at hand, the situation becomes less about personal emotions and more about how we can adjust the situation to solve the problem. This has a doubly beneficial effect; the employee feels supported because you are helping them solve their problem, and their frustrations fade because you have helped them see that the office problem was not intended to be a personal offense.
Define Mutually-Beneficial Solutions
While there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to conflict resolution between managers and employees, when problems are approached with compromise and expectations clearly defined, everyone wins. Take the time to come up with fair solutions that both parties can agree to and seek outside professional help from companies like The Percipio Company. When fair compromise is paired with active listening and fact-based resolutions, peaceful morale and workplace productivity are naturally restored.
Percipio Company is led by Matthew Cahill. His deep expertise in cognitive, social, and workplace biases is rooted in the belief that if you have a brain, you have bias®. He works with executives to reduce mental mistakes, strengthen workplace relationships & disrupt existing bias within current HR processes, meeting protocols and corporate policies. Matthew has demonstrated success with large clients like LinkedIn, Salesforce and dozens of small to mid-size companies looking to create more inclusive workplaces, work smarter, generate more revenue and move from bias to belonging®.
