Common causes of conflicts among employees
Different standards
In the workplace there are always individuals with opinions, some of whom have strong personalities and they are not willing to compromise. These personalities can be at odds with co-workers and lead to conflict. For example, if someone strongly opposes diversity in the workplace, they may have difficulty collaborating with people who are not like them.
Different goals
When an employee decides to pursue his or her career goals without regard to how it affects others in the company and the company itself, it leads to conflict between them and their colleagues. Karma.
For example, they may forget that they are part of a team whose goal is to work together to complete a particular task. As a result, they can work on their own schedule and in a way that they see fit, causing discontent among the staff.
Contrasting personality
No two people are exactly alike. Therefore, personality conflicts in the workplace are inevitable. One employee may have a reserved personality while another may be more outgoing and forward. Trouble arises when both do not understand or respect each other's inner nature.
For example, extroverted employees may feel overlooked if introverted employees don't talk to them much. They may see it as pettiness, rather than simply personality. When both do not understand and respect each other's individuality, conflicts will arise.
Bad communication
Poor communication leads to misunderstandings and conflicts among employees. For example, if a manager asks an employee to relay important instructions to other employees, but the employee does not do so appropriately. Communicating the wrong information can lead to work being done incorrectly and employees blaming each other for the end result.
Employee conflict resolution skills
Ask staff to be professional and self-organized
This is an important part of conflict resolution skills. You can ask employees to solve the problem themselves. After all, they are adults and can act professionally. If you're not sure if they know how to solve it, give them tools they can use to voice their problem and come to a compromise. This is advisable as it allows the staff to become more professional and saves you time and energy on mediation.
Furthermore, an important skill as a manager is knowing when to step in. If self-mediation doesn't work, or the conflict is too big to resolve on its own, you need to support your team by coming up with a solution.
Listen to both sides
As a manager, you should not be biased. Listen to both sides objectively in determining the root cause of the problem. If bias is found, employees will not look to you to resolve future problems. The employee turnover rate is even higher because they think you value fairness.
Find the solution
Once you have a clear view of the situation, it's time to move towards a solution. You can offer multiple solutions and let your team members choose which solution they want, or you can make a decision that you expect your employees to accept. It is important that the solution is satisfied by both parties and avoids conflict in the long run.
This allows them to come up with a plan they can agree to, even if the two sides have to compromise together. An employee-generated action plan can be effective because it doesn't sound like an order from a superior. On the other hand, your team members are more likely to implement solutions well if they create them.
Train employees how to communicate
An important part of conflict resolution skills for managers is to prevent the same problem from happening again in the future. If your employees have a lot of disagreements, it might be time to teach them some basic problem-solving and communication skills (through courses, for example). The skills they learn can help them articulate their thoughts and feelings in a non-dangerous way and dissolve conflicts before they explode.
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