It’s not unusual for your employees to have conflicts in the workplace. They’re in an environment for so many hours during the day and everyone is different which means individual opinions, views, and personalities can clash. Even the more harmonious work environments can experience personality clashes in among employees.
Of course, not everyone has to like each other, it is easier if they do, but they should act civilly and professionally so as to not disrupt the environment for other employees working. To help employers deal with such issues efficiently, it’s important that they are aware of the best ways to resolve a personality conflict among themselves.
How To Resolve Personality Conflicts At Work
Understanding the Cause of Conflict
Conflicts at work can happen over many things, maybe even the work itself. But it’s best to never assume the cause of any conflict before talking to those involved. Instead, uncovering the facts and finding out all the details for an employee clash will help you to come up with the best possible strategy to resolve the conflict. Plus, knowing the exact root of the disagreement means that you can eliminate employees feeling the need to gossip about the issue, something which often hinders the resolution process.
Firstly, when determining the cause of the problem, you need to ensure whether or not you are dealing with a more serious issue, such as a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010. These sorts of issues arise from an employee experiencing workplace harassment or discrimination. More serious and complex issues result in a hostile work environment and you should refer to your HR policies on harassment prevention and guidelines in this situation.
After this determination has been made, then it’s important to understand whether this conflict occurred because of work – high-stress environments mixed with pressure and schedules – or if it was a clash between employee personalities.
Confer With Other Managers
If your workplace has a structured team of managers, supervisors, or other higher ups in similar positions to you, confer with them. Arrange a small meeting with them where you can all discuss the matter and ways to solve it. Some of them may have ideas or strategies that you haven’t considered that may be helpful.
Just make sure you don’t single out employees as this can be something that might make them feel embarrassed and resentful at having everyone’s attention.
Listen to All Parties
When you want to resolve a personality conflict that has taken place in the workplace, it’s crucial to listen to every party that’s involved because it gives each employee the chance to feel heard and to vent their frustrations. This can help minimise feelings of anger or irritation and maybe even lead to a faster resolution of the issue.
Depending on what you think is best, you can engage with each employee individually (mediation) or you can organise a group discussion for all employees to talk about their issues at work. Make sure to put down some clear guidance that the discussion is to remain civil and a place for facts only. Both ways allow the employees to express their grievances in a casual, relaxed environment and it’s a great way to avoid further conflicts.
Hearing both sides of the issue isn’t only helpful to an employer but also to the other employees. It helps them to understand why the problem became such a big issue and where it originated from, like stress or high pressure causing a temperamental mood, for instance.
Reflecting what the employees have said is important for creating a more open discussion.
Finding A Solution
The employees involved in the conflict don’t have to be good friends, they don’t even have to like each other but they can still respect the good qualities of one another. Emphasising such qualities when finding a solution focuses only on the good traits, allowing employees to develop a deeper appreciation for certain things that other colleagues of theirs do. Things like always arriving early, never missing deadlines, keeping work morale high, sorting everyone’s recyclables.
Get In Touch With HR Advice Specialists
If you have exhausted many conflict resolution tactics and are still struggling, reaching out to professional mediators who are trained in conflict resolution services may be the right move for your business.
Metis HR are specialists in providing HR advice that is tailored to your needs. We will work with you to reach a well thought-out decision that delivers the best outcome for your business. Get in touch with the experts at Metis HR if you are unsure about what to do.
To discuss your next move, send us an email at info@metishr.co.uk or call us on 01706 565 332 to speak directly to an experienced HR Consultant. We’re looking forward to hearing from you.
