RESOLVING WORKPLACE CONFLICT

Kaye Ronayne, Director, Round Table; Minster for Enterprise, Trade & Employment, Micheal Martin; Bernadette Barry-Murray and Siÿn Kearney, Directors, Round Table

Unmanaged conflict is damaging and costly and can have a negative influence on almost every aspect of the modern workplace.

Working with conflict can be stressful and difficult. Many people who are involved in workplace conflict recount the serious impact it has on their lives, including stress, demotivation, division, lack of self confidence, increase in sickness and absenteeism and blame.

The Cost Of Conflict

Organisations also suffer the consequences of failing to manage conflict, leading to staggering financial costs, loss of reputation, decline in sales and performance and loss of key staff and in some cases, can undermine the very fabric of effective working relationships.

In financial terms, statistics show that workplace conflict is costing companies money. Think about the cost of people taking sick days because they do not want to face colleagues or managers, the inefficient use of time when staff are working against each other instead of with each other, or the cost of recruitment when someone leaves their job over an un-addressed issue. Recent figures suggest the cost of replacing a member of staff is 75% to 150% the original salary of the employee who has left. Spiralling costs that are being awarded by the Courts and Employment Tribunals are also a worrying trend.

Types Of Conflict

Communication difficulties, personality clashes, bullying, (including cyber bullying), harassment and sexual harassment, equality and diversity issues and management or staff difficulties are examples of workplace conflict.

Round Table, a national conflict resolution company based in Cork, has put together some helpful hints on managing conflict in the workplace. With more than 20 years of combined experience, and as accredited practitioner members of the Mediators Institute of Ireland, Round Table provides a mediation and investigation service and comprehensive training programmes in conflict management.

Harmonious Mediation

Round Table offers a number of practical suggestions for managing conflict in the workplace to help employers and employees alike, such as specialist workplace mediation services, comprehensive training programmes in conflict management and independent investigative services into bullying and harassment.

The company is currently running training courses at centres throughout Ireland on “Responding to Bullying and Harassment”, “Having Difficult Conversations”, and “Managing Anger, Confrontation and Aggression”. The company also runs a Mediator Training Programme which is accredited by The Mediators Institute of Ireland.

PRACTICAL STEPS TO MANAGE AND RESOLVE WORKPLACE CONFLICT
	Do not ignore the problem Do not avoid the conflict, hoping it will go away. Even if the conflict appears to have been superficially put to rest, it will rear its ugly head whenever stress increases or a new disagreement occurs.
	Try talking to the person Deal with the problem as soon as you can. Try and put yourself in the other person’s shoes and see the problem from their perspective. Many disputes are compounded by poor communication, a breakdown of trust and polarisation of views. As dispute escalates, problems increase and settlement becomes more difficult.
	Seek support See what supports are available to you in the workplace. Is there employee support in your workplace or is there a designated support person that you can contact? If not, you may need to seek outside help.
	Check Policies and Procedures Does your organisation have grievance procedures in place? Are you familiar with them? Are there structures in place to help you deal with difficulties early on?
	Use informal procedures as the first resort Mediation is a way of improving communication and of preserving or restoring relationships. With the help of an impartial mediator who does not take sides, people in conflict can find a resolution to their difficulties. 78% of workplace disputes that come to mediation are resolved.
	Consider everyone affected by the conflict Everyone in your office can be affected by the stress of conflict. People feel as if they are walking on egg shells. So don’t ignore conflict. Instead do something about it. Best practice is not just about having a clear policy, but ensuring that it is well communicated and that managers and staff are trained to back it up.