5 Ways to Manage Conflict in the Workplace

Salt Lake City executive recruiters and employment agencies are used to working with clients whose workplace conflicts have led them to seek employment elsewhere. Not everyone in the workplace is able to get along all of the time. Minor conflict–the kind that comes from differing opinions–is healthy. It can lead to a better understanding of different work styles or points of view. Some of the best innovations can be the result of conflict situations. But Utah employment agencies understand that failure to manage conflict in the workplace can also be expensive. Some reports say that managers can spend a quarter of their time resolving conflict. This has resulted in $1.7 billion in lost work due to stress, frustration, and anxiety within the team. Utah professional recruiters know that managers who are effective at managing conflict won’t need to look to local staffing services or temp agencies to fill those gaps. Since they are common, expensive and potentially distracting, we’re sharing these five strategies to manage conflict in the workplace:

Avoiding the fact that a problem exists can be useful if the conflict is trivial. Managers need to pick which battles to referee. This tactic does not work when there is an open argument, however. That can lead to animosity, decreased productivity and absenteeism.

Managers should employ listening as a tactic when negotiating a conflict. They need to listen and respect each person’s views on the situation. Sometimes it’s helpful to understand the facts first before employing dealing with the conflict. In some cases, this is enough to bring resolution.

When tensions are high, compromising can be best for everyone. While not everyone gets what they want, taking the middle ground and making each party give a little is a good compromise.

When a tough or potentially unpopular decision needs to be made, managers may need to defuse the conflicts as they arise. While intervening doesn’t resolve their conflict, it can bring swift resolution before it affects the team’s productivity and morale.

The best tactic for managing conflict is collaboration. Managers who ask those in conflict to collaborate, will help diffuse the situation. Parties learn how to deal with future conflicts when they learn how to collaborate and work together toward a solution.

Understanding these different approaches to managing conflicts in the workplace will help managers expedite the resolution process. Leaders who effectively create space for listening, compromising, and collaborating will foster an environment of resolution, not conflict. This can reduce the high cost of replacing personnel who leave due to conflicts or the workplace productivity that suffers when conflict is not resolved.