Resolving conflict in the workplace

How do you resolve conflict when it happens at work? If you’re starting to feel like you’re heading into a war zone rather than a workplace every morning, then you need our top tips for conflict resolution.

Face the conflict head on

Burying your head in the sand won’t make the disagreement go away and, if left to fester, could even make it worse. You need to accept that in work, as in life, people will disagree from time to time. Facing that conflict and accepting it is part of the resolution process.

Don’t gossip about the problem

It can be really tempting to vent to other colleagues about someone you’re having a problem with at work, but this is the last thing you should do. Not only does gossiping at work make you look unprofessional, it’s unfair to expect your colleagues to pick sides in an argument.

If you really need to talk to someone, speak to your partner, family members or friends outside work.

Discuss the problem face to face

It can be tempting to try and resolve things via email, especially if you’re the kind of person who hates confrontation, but this should be avoided. It’s easy to mistake tone of voice in an email and this could lead to further misunderstandings or even make the conflict worse.

Schedule a private meeting, where you won’t be disturbed, to talk through your issues face to face. If you can’t meet face to face (i.e. you both work in different locations) then schedule a call, or better yet, a skype session.

Be open

When discussing things with your colleague try to keep an open mind. They may actually have good reason for disagreeing with you and considering things from their point of view will allow you to reach a compromise.

Think about your own actions in the lead up to the meeting, could you have handled the situation differently? If so, apologise for anything you may have done that made the situation worse. This will show that you’re willing to be accountable and will help the resolution process.

Try to find common ground, you probably both want the project or task you’re working on to be successfully completed. Use this shared goal to find a way to resolve the issues you’re having.

Control your emotions

Remember that no matter how much you disagree with a colleague, ultimately you’re in a work environment and you have to remain professional. Raising your voice or bursting into tears won’t help your case.

If you find it hard to control your emotions, then make bullet points of what you want to say before you talk to your colleague to help focus your thoughts. Practice what you want to say beforehand and think about how you would handle worst case scenarios.

If you feel the conversation is becoming too heated and you or your colleague are close to losing your temper, take a quick break and reconvene the meeting when you’ve both had time to cool off.

Recognise when it’s time to ask for help

Occasionally it may be impossible to solve a disagreement with a colleague by yourselves. If you need to involve an impartial third party to mediate or, for more serious disagreements, a manager or HR then don’t be afraid to do so.

However, only involve a third party when you’ve exhausted all other options and if the situation is important enough to warrant it. You don’t want to get a reputation as a tattletale who runs to their manager every time they don’t get their own way on something.

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Posted on October 5, 2018