{"id":1332,"date":"2021-01-31T22:46:00","date_gmt":"2021-02-01T03:46:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/?p=1332"},"modified":"2021-01-31T22:44:19","modified_gmt":"2021-02-01T03:44:19","slug":"arguing-at-the-office-or-online-how-to-manage-employee-conflicts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/31\/arguing-at-the-office-or-online-how-to-manage-employee-conflicts\/","title":{"rendered":"Arguing At The Office Or Online: How To Manage Employee Conflicts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>While some companies are telling their employees to keep working from home, others are calling staff back to the office. Although it might be easier to avoid office conflict when working from home, that doesn\u2019t mean that arguments disappear entirely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We\u2019ve come up with four best practices for managing employee conflicts, no matter what the setting might be. Whether there\u2019s a disagreement happening in the office or online, one thing is certain: that conflict is decreasing productivity and making your workplace a less pleasant place to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Don\u2019t let conflict take away from your company. Follow these best practices to keep conflict to a minimum and to provide a positive work environment for your employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Be Proactive<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For this best practice, you\u2019ll have to pick a day to start, and we suggest the first Monday of a new month. The symbolism of choosing the first day of the week to launch an initiative actually helps people get in the right mindset: new month, new practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>And just what is this best practice? It\u2019s simple but so important: respect. When employees don\u2019t respect each other, miscommunications and arguments increase. Respect is essential to the functioning of any organization or society,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately, you can never control whether or how much employees actually respect each other. But what you can do is establish a set of norms. Don\u2019t interrupt when someone is speaking. Each person has this much time to speak. If you have an issue with a coworker\u2019s behavior, then talk to your supervisor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If an employee breaks these norms, then it\u2019s time to have a discussion with them about the importance of respect and their future with the company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Establish A Complaint Process<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"680\" src=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/complianbb.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1333\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/complianbb.jpg 800w, https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/complianbb-300x255.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/complianbb-768x653.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Sometimes a conflict gets out of control, or an employee\u2019s behavior escalates in a way that can no longer be tolerated. When this is the case, there needs to be a process for filing a formal complaint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>No employee should have to feel like their voice won\u2019t be heard. If a coworker is treating another employee poorly, then that employee needs to make it known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A written complaint that goes into a personnel file will help HR track employee behavior in case the case escalates even further.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Communicate the complaint process to your employees. Make sure they know that they will not be penalized for reporting the inappropriate behavior of a coworker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Confront The Issue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"667\" src=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/confron.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1334\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/confron.jpg 800w, https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/confron-300x250.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/confron-768x640.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>For less serious conflicts, it\u2019s time to leave passive aggressiveness behind. When a minor event happens, employees should be encouraged to confront each other over what went wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ignoring tensions can actually make the problem worse as time goes by. When employees secretly dislike a coworker or manager, that\u2019s a recipe for miscommunication. It\u2019s difficult to ask for help from someone who you don\u2019t like or don\u2019t trust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Encourage your employees to have honest, open conversations with each other. Explain that the first step is to politely state how they feel and what the other person might be able to do in a future similar situation to minimize the issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Set Communication Standards<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"697\" src=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/comm.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1335\" srcset=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/comm.jpg 800w, https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/comm-300x261.jpg 300w, https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/comm-768x669.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Establishing norms for respect, a process for filing formal complaints, and a policy of addressing issues as they arise are three important steps that all have to do with communication. Communication is critically important in the workplace, and that\u2019s why having high standards for it will help your business move up to the next level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Decide on how much communication you expect from your employees daily, and how much communication is needed within teams. Make sure that you model clear and concise communication in your emails and meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Be honest, open, and to the point. Prioritize your employees\u2019 understanding. If you have communicated something unclearly, then that could lead to future miscommunications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>You should also ask each team to establish their own communication standards, and make sure you approve them. Ask your employees for feedback about what was communicated well and what needed more clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In Conclusio<\/strong>n<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Respect, complaint processes, conflict policies, and communication standards are four areas where companies should be following best practices to keep conflict to a minimum and employees happy at work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><br>Arguing at the office or online can lead to more than just a miscommunication or lost time. When conflict gets out of hand, serious consequences can ensue that can lead companies into disaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Make sure that you take the right steps and follow best practices to create a positive work environment where employees feel heard and valued. Communication is key!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>While some companies are telling their employees to keep working from home, others are calling staff back to the office. Although it might be easier to avoid office conflict when working from home, that doesn\u2019t mean that arguments disappear entirely. We\u2019ve come up with four best practices for managing employee conflicts, no matter what the &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/2021\/01\/31\/arguing-at-the-office-or-online-how-to-manage-employee-conflicts\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Arguing At The Office Or Online: How To Manage Employee Conflicts<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":1337,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_eb_attr":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1332","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1332"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1338,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1332\/revisions\/1338"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1337"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1332"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1332"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/flocksy.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1332"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}