Help Employees Learn From Workplace Conflict
Workplace conflict is inevitable, and many managers find themselves feeling frustrated and upset when their staff members butt heads. The reality is, workplace conflict can be an opportunity for growth and help your company to become more innovative as resolutions for problems are found.
The key as a manager is to make workplace conflict a good thing by helping your employees to learn from it. Some of the key steps you can take to help employees turn workplace conflict into a growth opportunity include:
- Coach employees on the types of behaviors that cross the line. While some conflict is good, certain types of behavior cannot be tolerated in a workplace and don’t help you advance company goals. Identify the types of behavior you think are detrimental and address any issues with employees promptly, so workers will know where your red lines are and what they cannot do.
- Create a company culture where differences are respected. It’s important for staff members to realize that differences can be a good thing and some conflict leads to innovation. Respect for differences starts from the top, so model the behavior you want to see and celebrate diversity of thought in any circumstances you can.
- Confront the tension head-on. When conflicts arise, don’t let them be swept under the rug or allow bad feelings to fester. Work with the employees in conflict as soon as tempers cool to have an open discussion about the points of contention and the points of consensus. By facilitating a conversation, you can help employees to both find common ground and discover compromises.
- Ask for solutions. It’s important to empower your staff to identify the root causes of conflict and find ways to make sure everyone is as satisfied as possible by the resolution. Ask the employees in conflict to work with you to find a consensus that makes everyone happy, and the result may be better than anyone imagined it could be.
It’s important you have staff members who can deal with conflict in productive and positive ways. SmartTalent can help you find skilled staff members in Kirkland, Fife, Renton, Lacey, Lynnwood, Everett and surrounding areas. Give our staffing service a call today to learn how we can help you build a talented team that turns conflicts into opportunities.
