Kindly suggest me-- How to solve workplace conflicts?.In every organization the serious people are being mocked and teased and the victim has no option just to leave the organization. Discussion of personal matters should be avoided but how?
From India, New Delhi
6From India, New Delhi
Hi, When people dont have workload they get the time for such things.....so give them target work....so they become busy in work............
From India, Pune
From India, Pune
Dear Ashish,
This is in addition to what Madhuri has suggested.
You need to train your staffs on "Assertive Skills" as well. This will help to those who are being teased unnecessarily.
Secondly, you need to work on organisation's culture as well. Your post indirectly shows that there is lack of team spirit in your company.
Thirdly, managers should understand the cost of attrition as well. Exit of every single employee is quite detrimental to the company and lot of cost of incurred in arranging the replacement. This fact should be emphasised on the minds of the employees.
Lastly, you need to train your managers on "Conflict Handling Skills" as well. It is the duty of managers on eradicating negative conflict and substituting positive conflict in its place. It appears that they lack this skill.
The incident also speak about leadership in your company. They are not monitoring exactly what's happening in their company.
Thanks,
Dinesh V Divekar
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.
From India, Bangalore
This is in addition to what Madhuri has suggested.
You need to train your staffs on "Assertive Skills" as well. This will help to those who are being teased unnecessarily.
Secondly, you need to work on organisation's culture as well. Your post indirectly shows that there is lack of team spirit in your company.
Thirdly, managers should understand the cost of attrition as well. Exit of every single employee is quite detrimental to the company and lot of cost of incurred in arranging the replacement. This fact should be emphasised on the minds of the employees.
Lastly, you need to train your managers on "Conflict Handling Skills" as well. It is the duty of managers on eradicating negative conflict and substituting positive conflict in its place. It appears that they lack this skill.
The incident also speak about leadership in your company. They are not monitoring exactly what's happening in their company.
Thanks,
Dinesh V Divekar
Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.
From India, Bangalore
As Mr.Dinesh Divekar said, it has lot to do with the organisation's social culture. All employees may not be having same demeanor. Some may be exuberant socially and others may be reticent and yet others may be inhibitive. The other employees insteading of showing an understanding of this diversity and respecting other employee's privacy, indulged in teasing him which may drive him to leave the service. The HR should discuss this issue with the offending employees and the need to have a proactive and amiable approach. Mr Divekar has come out with good sugesstions to reorient the attitude of the offending employees and their victim.
B.Saikumar
HR & labour Law Consultant
Chipinbiz Consultancy Pvt.ltd
Mumbai
022-28324234
From India, Mumbai
B.Saikumar
HR & labour Law Consultant
Chipinbiz Consultancy Pvt.ltd
Mumbai
022-28324234
From India, Mumbai
This scenario is termed as Workplace Bullying and unfortunately there is no remedy for this. No law in India provides any remedy for employees who are targeted for bullying. Workplace Bullying is not limited to any specific types of companies or industries. It is common everywhere. The only solution is to survive this scenario. Such organizational culture leads to workplace politics. I believe the following write-up will give you better insight into the matter.
Impact of Workplace Bullying on Organizational Culture - Impact of Workplace Bullying on Organizational Culture | Global Human Capital Management and Development
I have done extensive research on this subject. Let me know if you have any queries.
Thanks,
Sanjeev
From India, Mumbai
Impact of Workplace Bullying on Organizational Culture - Impact of Workplace Bullying on Organizational Culture | Global Human Capital Management and Development
I have done extensive research on this subject. Let me know if you have any queries.
Thanks,
Sanjeev
From India, Mumbai
Just some general thoughts on this:
I have first hand experience of this issue. I agree it is commonplace even in countries where there are laws or rules against bullying in the workplace. In my opinion the situation is allowed to exist because of weak managers who are not prepared to address the situation and maybe are worried about making things worse - it is always easier to do nothing whereas addressing these issues requires courage. Most managers in my experience do nothing at all unless it is really serious.
Those who are affected by this sort of issue need to collect evidence - keep a diary of events and write down things that are said and done which cause upset and offense then go to your manager and relate the facts as calmly as possible. It may also be a good idea for those who feel the same way to get together to encourage each other and maybe together make a representation to the relevant manager (or go to the personnel/HR department) again presenting recorded facts.
I suspect that this is more prevalent in public service environments (where there is probably less incentive for individual managers to deal with these things) than in smaller private companies.
I hope this is of some help.
Best wishes from the UK (Sorry but better if I remain anonymous!)
From United Kingdom
I have first hand experience of this issue. I agree it is commonplace even in countries where there are laws or rules against bullying in the workplace. In my opinion the situation is allowed to exist because of weak managers who are not prepared to address the situation and maybe are worried about making things worse - it is always easier to do nothing whereas addressing these issues requires courage. Most managers in my experience do nothing at all unless it is really serious.
Those who are affected by this sort of issue need to collect evidence - keep a diary of events and write down things that are said and done which cause upset and offense then go to your manager and relate the facts as calmly as possible. It may also be a good idea for those who feel the same way to get together to encourage each other and maybe together make a representation to the relevant manager (or go to the personnel/HR department) again presenting recorded facts.
I suspect that this is more prevalent in public service environments (where there is probably less incentive for individual managers to deal with these things) than in smaller private companies.
I hope this is of some help.
Best wishes from the UK (Sorry but better if I remain anonymous!)
From United Kingdom
You can come up with a policy, wherein the employees would be punised for such act. Harressment Policy that includes Sexual Harressment, Harassment/ Discrimination based on gender, race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, sexual orientation. So that for the fear of punishment the employee will avoid such act. and this could maintain discipline.
From India, Madras
From India, Madras
The managers are the ones requiring retuning. the bullies are clearly demotivared and classically pick on someone to raise their self esteem. managers, even without addressing the problem may by musing motivational techniques such as job enlargement and enrichment get the bullies to focus on their tasks more so they dont have as much slack time to bully nor the desire to do it
From Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-spain
From Trinidad and Tobago, Port-of-spain
Dear All,
Conflict between employees is common and unavoidable. It can be good or bad depending on how well a leader resolves the conflict at workplace.
What actions should leaders take when employee conflict appears?
1. Keep the employees calm down and let them tell their story
People are not smart enough when losing their temper, thus the mediator need to make them calm down before take further actions.
You can choose to have a meeting of both sides at the same time or do it individually. There remain different opinions in this issue, but the key here is let them say the most honest story to see the panorama picture of the dispute. Remember to assess the degree of conflict to avoid turning a meeting into a war when taking with 2 individuals or 2 groups at the same time.
Active listening will help both individuals have the feeling of being understood and respected.
2. Identify the root causes
By listening to both sides and gossip around, you will have the big picture of the conflict among employees. The dispute between two parties at workplace doesn’t necessarily have a job-related impediment. Sometimes it stems from interpersonal issues. Focus on the behaviors, not the personalities when asking question about what happened.
In case of group argument, the influence of negative emotions might be the real cause of employee dispute. Have you ever heard of crowd psychology?
When you know the source, you can figure out the most suitable outcome for the issue.
3. Look for a resolution, not a judgment
As a leader, you should never take sides even though you are closer to one side than another. It’s hard to stay objective but you have to be fair if you want to resolve the conflict successfully.
There’s no room for blaming on anyone as it makes no sense. Moreover, this action can burn the last bridge in the way to find peace again. Encourage your employees to accept the differences in personalities, habits, personal values among people instead of trying to prove “I’m a winner and the other is just a loser”. By giving the missing sight of the situation, a lot of misunderstandings can be overcome easily.
If the same conflict arises again, it’s time for you to reevaluate these employees. Job rotation or firing decisions could be made if needed to prevent bigger impact on other employees in the team, department and organization.
Preventive measures
1. Enhance communication among employees
Communication plays a crucial role in prevending future conflict at workplace. A friendly environment will create favorable conditions for employees to understand each other, exchange ideas and give feedback. For introvert employees, you may want to provide communication skills training or teambuilding activities to encourage them to talk more.
Remember to find the ways to deal with difficult employees who can cause several unexpected disputes in your organization.
2. Develop formal process and procedures of resolving employee conflict
Of course you can’t cover all types of employee conflict in a document, but you will have the base of common cases to follow. Official process will help your employees know exactly how to find help when argument happens. By keep an eye on your employees, you can see the conflict before it become out of control.
3. Lead by example
A happy corporate culture is the key here. Employees often look at leaders at all level of organizational hierarchy to copy their behaviors at workplace. Put it more simply, from the CEO, department directors to supervisors need to be the example of good interaction and communication in the organization.
Conflict is an essential part of human life in general and world of work in particular. What we need to do is respect the differences from an individual to another and find the best ways to harmony conflict to minimize the negative impacts on other people and the whole organization.
Hope this helps.
From Vietnam, Hanoi
Conflict between employees is common and unavoidable. It can be good or bad depending on how well a leader resolves the conflict at workplace.
What actions should leaders take when employee conflict appears?
1. Keep the employees calm down and let them tell their story
People are not smart enough when losing their temper, thus the mediator need to make them calm down before take further actions.
You can choose to have a meeting of both sides at the same time or do it individually. There remain different opinions in this issue, but the key here is let them say the most honest story to see the panorama picture of the dispute. Remember to assess the degree of conflict to avoid turning a meeting into a war when taking with 2 individuals or 2 groups at the same time.
Active listening will help both individuals have the feeling of being understood and respected.
2. Identify the root causes
By listening to both sides and gossip around, you will have the big picture of the conflict among employees. The dispute between two parties at workplace doesn’t necessarily have a job-related impediment. Sometimes it stems from interpersonal issues. Focus on the behaviors, not the personalities when asking question about what happened.
In case of group argument, the influence of negative emotions might be the real cause of employee dispute. Have you ever heard of crowd psychology?
When you know the source, you can figure out the most suitable outcome for the issue.
3. Look for a resolution, not a judgment
As a leader, you should never take sides even though you are closer to one side than another. It’s hard to stay objective but you have to be fair if you want to resolve the conflict successfully.
There’s no room for blaming on anyone as it makes no sense. Moreover, this action can burn the last bridge in the way to find peace again. Encourage your employees to accept the differences in personalities, habits, personal values among people instead of trying to prove “I’m a winner and the other is just a loser”. By giving the missing sight of the situation, a lot of misunderstandings can be overcome easily.
If the same conflict arises again, it’s time for you to reevaluate these employees. Job rotation or firing decisions could be made if needed to prevent bigger impact on other employees in the team, department and organization.
Preventive measures
1. Enhance communication among employees
Communication plays a crucial role in prevending future conflict at workplace. A friendly environment will create favorable conditions for employees to understand each other, exchange ideas and give feedback. For introvert employees, you may want to provide communication skills training or teambuilding activities to encourage them to talk more.
Remember to find the ways to deal with difficult employees who can cause several unexpected disputes in your organization.
2. Develop formal process and procedures of resolving employee conflict
Of course you can’t cover all types of employee conflict in a document, but you will have the base of common cases to follow. Official process will help your employees know exactly how to find help when argument happens. By keep an eye on your employees, you can see the conflict before it become out of control.
3. Lead by example
A happy corporate culture is the key here. Employees often look at leaders at all level of organizational hierarchy to copy their behaviors at workplace. Put it more simply, from the CEO, department directors to supervisors need to be the example of good interaction and communication in the organization.
Conflict is an essential part of human life in general and world of work in particular. What we need to do is respect the differences from an individual to another and find the best ways to harmony conflict to minimize the negative impacts on other people and the whole organization.
Hope this helps.
From Vietnam, Hanoi
Community Support and Knowledge-base on business, career and organisational prospects and issues - Register and Log In to CiteHR and post your query, download formats and be part of a fostered community of professionals.
Managing conflicts at your workplace.doc
Five Ways To... Multitask at the Workplace.pdf