Even with the most cohesive teams, occasional conflict is all but inevitable.
Statistics show that 85% of employees experience workplace conflicts. Furthermore, 58% say they’d stay at lower-paying jobs if they got to work with a great boss. This is a testament to how widespread office squabbles can be and the importance of resolving them.
Workplace conflict can arise from a variety of sources, including different working styles, communication barriers, and even misaligned personal values. Understanding the underlying causes is crucial to dealing with these issues effectively.
By proactively managing these conflicts, you’ll be able to maintain a more positive working environment and boost productivity in the process. Left unaddressed, unresolved conflicts can lead to low morale, low productivity, and even higher rates of staff turnover — all of which can have a significant impact on your bottom line.
Let’s take a closer look at a few examples of workplace conflicts and how to handle them!
What is conflict in the workplace?
Conflict in the workplace is a problem that both employees and employers encounter regarding their work. This arises when personalities, goals, management styles, and work cultures clash; and if not properly handled, it may prevent the organization from achieving its goals and being successful.
Conflicts often stem from differences in communication styles, work priorities, or even personality traits, so it is important to address them before they escalate.
Workplace conflict can also arise from unmet expectations or unclear job roles, where employees feel their contributions are undervalued or misunderstood. These issues can lead to frustration, low morale, and a lack of cooperation, ultimately affecting productivity. The nature of workplace conflict can be categorized as task-based, relationship-based, or process-based, each requiring a different approach to resolution.
If left unresolved, workplace conflict can escalate, leading to reduced job satisfaction, burnout, and even employee turnover. This makes it essential for organisations to foster a culture of open communication and to adopt proactive strategies for resolving conflict. By addressing conflict early, organizations can avoid bigger problems that can affect team dynamics and overall performance.
Examples of conflicts in the workplace
Misunderstandings, provocative behavior, and poor performance – all contribute to conflicts in the workplace. Let’s take a look at the examples and most common types of workplace conflicts:
Leadership Conflicts
One of the most common conflicts in the workplace is about leadership. It can be about the leadership style, the person itself, or it can be both. Everyone has different working styles when it comes to leadership and not all employees react the same to those leadership styles.
For example, your boss may be authoritarian and results-oriented. He/she may be strict to a certain deadline, and once you don’t submit on time, expect that you will be suspended or will be given a verbal warning for it; which may result in low morale and unproductivity. In addition, it may also result in an unpleasant working relationship with your boss.
Another example is when a boss is laid back and has an autocratic and delegating leadership style. Most employees find this okay, but some employees don’t. For them, this means that their boss only wants to delegate his/her specific tasks to another employee resulting in overworking and burnout. If employees feel micromanaged or undervalued under a delegating leader, this can also lead to resentment or disengagement, which can lead to further conflict down the line.
Also, an example of leadership conflict is when there’s a change in leadership in the workplace. Let’s say a boss resigned or was transferred to another department and this person was good at monitoring and leading his/her employees.
The employees would be familiar with how their former boss likes to do things and now, with the new boss around, they might find it difficult to do things in a new way because they are accustomed to the previous processes inside their department. This shift can lead to resistance to change where employees feel uncertain or insecure about their role under the new management, leading to frustration and misunderstanding.
Another scenario is the employees’ indifference to the new boss in which they choose to do the old ways instead of the new processes that their current boss is introducing which may result in conflict or employee insubordination. This type of situation can often escalate if the new leader is seen as aloof or lacks the trust of the team. In such cases, the new leader may need to engage in open communication and team-building activities to rebuild trust and morale.
Leadership conflict can also arise from a lack of transparency. This can lead to perceptions of favoritism, inequality, or mistrust in leadership if employees feel they are not being kept informed about decisions or the future of the company. A clear and open communication strategy from management can often help to ease these tensions.
Performance Issues
Performance issues are conflicts that focus on the standard or quality of a person’s work. In some cases, an employer and an employee may have a disagreement about the standard of the employees’ work.
For example, the employee may see his/herself as productive and providing quality service, but the employer may see the employee’s work as unproductive and in need of improvement. This kind of conflict may arise if there’s no clarity on the task standard for the employee.
Another example of this is when the employer knows that this certain employee lacks a specific skill needed for the job, however, the employer still gives the employee the task and expects him to do things right.
Or the employer knows the employee’s limits but refuses to offer training — due to budget constraints — to further improve the quality of the employee’s work. Performance issues may also arise when the employees’ tasks are not properly distributed (overload) which again may result in pending paperwork and unproductivity in the workplace.
Unhealthy Work Culture
Discrimination, bullying, gaslighting, and power-tripping are only examples of unhealthy work culture. These are the issues that have something to do with the organization itself. Some organizations promote work-life balance but there are still a few organizations who would rather choose their employees to be working with them 24/7 because of the demand of their business.
One example of an unhealthy work culture is no work-life balance. These are the employers that expect the employees to be answering their concerns even after office hours, on weekends, and rest days. They have no boundaries when it comes to work and for them, working overtime means productivity.
Another example is power-tripping or office politics. Let’s say there is an employee who is working hard and smart, productive, and has a good personality. It is easy to say that this employee should be promoted once there is a chance.
However, because of office politics, the one that got promoted is the one who has a connection with one of the bosses of the company. This may result in low employee retention or worse, losing the star employees of the organization.
Resolving conflict in the workplace
Clarify the source of the conflict
It is impossible to solve workplace conflict (or any kind of conflict) without knowing first where the conflict came from. Identify or clarify first with the team – if the conflict is within the team – or with the person what specifically the problem is all about and how did the conflict begin. You can create a form using form builders to collect their opinions.
From there, the employer and the employee may both understand where the conflict is coming from, and they both can suggest solutions to their problem.
If the conflict is with another person, the employer may do a one-on-one meeting with the employee for him to feel that his feelings are valid and heard, and also, one-to-one sessions allow the employee to be honest and open to solutions.
If the conflict is within a team or a group of people, it is highly suggested to get a mediator to properly address the conflict or concern of each employee.
Make sure you document the conflict once the source has been identified. This provides a record that can help clarify any misunderstandings and guide future actions in similar situations. Documentation helps to hold all parties accountable and can be a reference point if the conflict reoccurs.
Actively Listen
After knowing and clarifying the source of the conflict, it is now time to actively listen to the employee’s and/or employer’s concerns. Actively listening means empathetic listening and understanding the concerns of both parties to properly find a solution to the conflict.
This is very important as employers usually listen to the employees not to understand them, but to have a response/counter their concerns.
During active listening, avoid interrupting or formulating an answer in your head. Instead, give the other person space to fully express their thoughts. Non-verbal cues such as nodding or maintaining eye contact also demonstrate active listening and create an atmosphere of respect.
By actively listening, employers can truly understand what the employee is going through – their experiences, feelings, and what they want – and from there, they can offer solutions to properly solve the problem and prevent it from happening in the future.
Have a Conflict Management Strategy
Aside from knowing the source of the conflict and actively listening to the concerns of the employees, some common strategies are used for conflict management depending on the type of conflict. These are Collaborating, Compromising, Competing, and Accommodating.
Collaboration is achieved by combining the ideas of both parties. The key is to find a solution that works for everyone. Collaboration necessitates a significant time investment that is not feasible. Although a firm operator must labor to establish policies, dealing with office equipment consumes time.
Compromising. To set up a solution, either side in the conflict must give up portions of their position. When power is held by the parties, this strategy dominates. It is only achieved when both parties stand to lose something valuable to solve the problem.
Competition is a strategy that works like a game, with one side losing while the other wins. On the rivalry, the parties (employer and employee) revert to a conflict management strategy. This method works best in a range of situations. Employers generally benefit from maintaining a plan like layoffs or salary reductions. For example, if the conflict is about an underperforming employee and a performing employee, the employer may then terminate or suspend the underperforming employee depending on their investigation.
Accommodation means giving in to the other parties’ wants to solve a conflict. When the other party does not care about the outcome of the conflict, accommodation is the best strategy. One of the famous lines of a person with this conflict management style is, “I can give whatever you want to just solve this problem”. This is most commonly known as the “your wish is my command” conflict style.
Incorporate Mediation or Third-Party Assistance
Sometimes conflicts cannot be resolved through direct communication alone. Using a trained mediator or involving a neutral third party can help facilitate the conversation and provide an objective perspective. This is particularly helpful when conflicts involve more than one person or when emotions are running high. Mediators can ensure that the conversation remains productive and that all parties feel heard.
Develop conflict resolution training programs
To proactively prevent conflicts from escalating, offering training programs that focus on conflict resolution skills can be a powerful tool. Teaching employees how to address issues constructively before they blow up can save both time and morale in the long run. Employees trained in conflict resolution are more likely to feel empowered to resolve issues internally rather than letting them fester.
Conclusion
As you can see, your team doesn’t have to be dragged down by these conflicts. It’s a matter of applying the right de-escalation strategies so that personal disagreements don’t spiral out of control and threaten business performance. By recognizing the signs of conflict early and addressing them proactively, you can minimize their impact and even turn them into opportunities for team growth.
A positive work environment thrives on open communication, trust, and mutual respect, and conflict resolution is key to maintaining these values. Every conflict is an opportunity to learn something new, whether it’s about an employee’s perspective, management styles, or areas for improvement within the organization. By fostering a culture where conflict is seen as an opportunity for improvement rather than a threat, you can encourage better collaboration and stronger team bonds.
Remember that conflict is inevitable, but it’s how it’s managed that really sets great organizations apart. Taking the time to understand and address conflict head-on will not only help to resolve the issue but will also build resilience within the team, empowering employees to deal with future challenges more effectively.
That’s all for now, stay safe, and don’t forget to count to ten before you throw a laptop at your boss like a frisbee.
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