If you are the manager of an office or other workplace, knowing how to deal with employee conflicts is essential. It helps you maintain a healthy, happy work environment where productivity reigns and employees do not quit on a regular basis. Familiarizing yourself with common coworker conflict scenarios gives you a better idea of what to expect and how to navigate different problems effectively. Review the following scenarios as part of your ongoing conflict resolution education.
Free Consultation for Workplace Conflict
Poor First Impressions
Conflict can arise between coworkers when one one or both make poor first impressions. For example, a longtime employee might make a joke the new coworker finds offensive, resulting in tension and lacking responsiveness between the two. To mitigate this situation, have a chat with the coworker who made the offensive remark. Even if their meaning was completely innocent or misconstrued, it is important to encourage open dialogue. For example, you could ask the employee to approach the new coworker and say something like, “I understand that you were offended by my joke when we first met, and I can feel the resulting tension. Please understand that I didn’t mean to upset or insult you, and I am sorry that my words were misunderstood. Would you like to have a discussion and resolve the issue for good?”
By encouraging communication among coworkers, you’ll avoid future problems like this.
Promotion Envy
Sometimes two employees are up for the same promotion. These individuals might be friendly or even have a friendship outside of work. Unfortunately, only one can get the promotion, which can result in envious feelings by the other employee. The resulting awkwardness and strained work relationship can affect the entire workplace, depending on its size and how many people are employed.
To avoid further problems, suggest a meeting between the two. While the employee who earned the promotion should not apologize for their hard work, it is still important to have an honest conversation. The other coworker might feel ashamed of their behavior and hoped to have a conversation about the tension. If this coworker is still mad and jealous, they still need to figure out how to work with their former friend. Depending on the severity of the problem, moving the coworker to another department might be necessary. However, it is important to focus on resolving the issue and moving forward together.
Task-Based Issues
When team members are assigned to a project, one might “take over” and leave the others in the proverbial dust, causing negative feelings and gossip. Projects should always be worked on by all parties equally, which is something to impart during assignments. If the team members cannot agree on project assignments themselves, it becomes your job to determine who does what. This eliminates arguments, because coworkers are no longer responsible for the assignment decisions. To help such situations further, create detailed assignment documents for everyone to review. That way, they know what their tasks are and there is no risk of anyone feeling slighted.
Work Style Problems
Another common coworker conflict scenario concerns work styles. One coworker might always answer emails immediately, arrive early and stay late, and is always the first to volunteer for a project. Another coworker might always get their work done, but does not answer emails as quickly, takes long lunches, and is among the last to volunteer for assorted tasks. These clashing styles can make working together problematic, because one always gets frustrated with the other.
Encourage these coworkers to have a conversation about their work styles and what can be done to avoid future issues, such as answering emails in a timely fashion or focusing on entirely different projects.
For more about resolving coworker conflict scenarios, contact Pollack Peacebuilding today!
