Five Keys to Resolving an Employee Conflict

Employee conflicts that occur in the workplace are typically related to issues that arise due to a disagreement about company policies or to a direct disagreement between co-workers or managers regarding perceived behavior, workload balance, harassment or general annoyances. Managers charged with diffusing and resolving an employee conflict must take a balanced approach that considers the law, company policy and a common-sense approach to human behavior.

Acknowledge the Conflict

All employee conflicts must be acknowledged and addressed by a supervisor. Follow human resources protocols for meeting with an employee, preferably in the presence of a human resources representative. Allow the employee to state her case and ask objective follow-up questions that pertain to the specifics of the problem at hand.

Document the Conflict

Document every aspect of the conflict. Determine the nature of the complaint. Note any examples that support the employee's claim. Find out if other employees are involved and what action the employee is asking management to take. Document each aspect of the complaint and set a time to follow up with the employee to discuss solutions and outcomes.

Research the Claim

Take steps to investigate the validity of the employee's claim. This may include speaking to other managers or employees or revisiting company policy with regard to specific actions, behaviors or protocols. Make note of all findings that both support and disprove the employee's claims. For example, an employee conflict related to workplace protocol might involve an employee who disagrees with the amount of turnaround time necessary to process customer orders. In this instance, the employee is taking issue with a company policy. A manager can research the complaint to determine if the company has set unrealistic order-processing times.

If, on the other hand, an employee conflict arises because one employee feels a co-worker is not pulling her weight on a team project, you have a personnel conflict. This can be researched by reviewing progress reports and discussing perceived responsibilities with the other employee.

Take Action

Once research has been gathered and the specifics of a conflict documented, assess the validity of the complaint and take appropriate action. For example, if a determination has been made that order-processing time is indeed unreasonably short, revise company policy and inform employees of the change; if it is determined that processing time is adequate, review the employee's time management skills and continue to monitor her progress in the area.

In the case of personnel conflicts, if a determination is made that one employee is not pulling her weight on a project, review the breakdown of responsibilities and set specific goals and measurements that all employees will be responsible for documenting; if it is determined that a workload is equitably distributed, discuss other possible personality conflicts with the complaining employee and work to address those.

Set Precedents

Look for patterns of common employee conflicts and proactively work preventive measures into company policy. For example, if employees regularly complain about other departments not meeting deadlines and putting undue strain on fellow employees, implement a company-wide policy that outlines specific guidelines for setting deadlines, meeting deadlines and the consequences of failing to meet deadlines.