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You choose friends yourself, family and colleagues don't. So it can just happen that the opinions or characters of employees clash. And that's where an important difference comes in: in your personal life, you can usually avoid each other for a while without serious consequences. But at workplace conflicts you can hardly decide to just avoid all contact. You will ultimately have to go through the same door together if you want to keep the situation workable.
Within your team, it can also happen that two colleagues face each other like ruffians. Shut someone out, or shut each other up to death.
As a manager, how do you deal with these kinds of problematic situations? We have a few tips for taking the pressure off the boiler.
Prevention is better than cure. Create a culture within the team where it's normal to speak to each other when something is bothering you in a positive, constructive way. Where you talk to each other, instead of about each other. Open communication makes it much less likely that frustrations will grow and explode, often at an unexpected moment.
As a manager, you are of course an example in how you communicate. Be proactive and take regular tours of the workplace. Invite your employees to get in touch. Open your door literally and figuratively so that people know they can come to you if something is going on. If you are on the road often, indicate that team members are allowed to call, app or email. And: make sure you answer!
A safe basis is therefore important. Read more about how to care for each other here trust in your organisation.
much workplace conflicts are subcutaneous. They are not visible, but they shimmy through the air.
It could be a pink elephant: everyone knows he's there, but no one talks about it. And in the meantime, that elephant continues to grow to unworkable proportions.
Don't let that happen in your team. If you notice that there is a conflict, it is best to invite those involved for a cup of coffee. Discuss the situation by mentioning what you see happening. Do this objectively, keep it as factual as possible. Let both parties have their say and then come to a joint evaluation. But more about that later.
Where two are in dispute, two are usually at fault.
It is therefore not advisable to try to identify the culprit for the disagreement. It is usually more interesting and effective to look for the story behind the story. Why is it conflict at work ever created?
Is it about always not complying with a procedure? Then it's worth seeing why that happened. Perhaps the procedure is not clear to the colleague, or the procedure no longer fits current insights. Or maybe the employee has come up with a more convenient way of working, which is indeed more efficient. By shifting the focus from people to the problem itself, you can come to surprising insights that you can further develop into something that takes the organisation further.
Also read: You should learn these skills to become a good manager to become.
There is something that a private argument lacks in a conflict in the workplace: there is always a common goal. After all, you both work at the same company. So you can't just decide not to go there anymore, unless you want to risk losing your job, of course. This common denominator can be a good reason to work on a solution.
The customer is counting on services to be provided and production must be run. It is therefore expected of employees to be professional. As colleagues, how can they ensure that they continue to build the company with you? And how can you support them in doing so?
Sometimes it can take a few conversations before you are ready, and sometimes it is necessary to call in an external mediator to approach the problem even more neutrally. Nevertheless, the time comes when you can make agreements with each other about the future. In some cases, one of the employees decides to leave the team, but a good, warm business conversation usually clears the air in such a way that people can work together again.
It is useful to clearly record the agreements made. Not as a contract, but more as a common “this is our ways”. What do you expect from each other, how do you deal with each other? Make each other responsible for complying with the agreements. That does not just lie with you as a manager, each team member bears his or her own responsibility. All interlocutors can know each other (and you!) so address it if you deviate from it.
Pay sufficient attention to the team as a whole. Indeed, colleagues who were not directly involved in the disagreement undoubtedly got a taste of it. It may have caused unrest and gossip and negatively affected job satisfaction.
So don't keep that pink elephant alive there either. Also let the team know in a neutral way that the air is clear again and that positive things have come out of a difficult situation. For example, it may be a good idea to incorporate the findings and conclusions into team sessions. Do that lightly and future-oriented.
We are all human beings, each with their own instructions and idiosyncrasies. It can sometimes be difficult when all those personalities come together in one place: work. Often, you don't really know exactly why you do what you do, or you don't understand at all why your colleague reacts like that.
Doing a team motivational analysis, where talents and character traits are clarified in a neutral, positive way, can strengthen mutual understanding and appreciation. It also offers a nice framework to fall back on later, with humor and understanding, when a situation threatens to escalate.
But how do your colleagues find out what their motives and talents are? By working on their professional development! Read this blog and find out how to stimulate this.
We can help you get started. With our own best practices, but also with online communication ideas, making interesting tests or tools accessible. So don't hesitate to contact us!
As an educational expert specialising in online learning, I have been writing blogs for Pluvo for 5 years. My focus is on powerful learning solutions for organisations. Universal Design for Learning and inclusive learning are my passion; I believe that education should be accessible and fun for everyone.
I've been combining my 35 years of HR experience with copywriting for over 15 years. And even then, I learn new things over and over again. That's what makes writing blogs for Pluvo so incredibly interesting!
