Issues in Office, Try These Tips to Solve Work Place Conflicts

"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude." ~ William James

Where there are people, there ought to be conflicts. A clash of interests, directions, actions, and values in the workplace can result in straining of relationships between coworkers and hurt your business. So as a small business owner, sidestepping the issue is not an option, conflicts must be nipped in the bud. Whether you own a timber and wood supplies business or run a machined components factory, consider the following tips to help you resolve workplace conflicts.

Don't sweep conflicts under the carpet – Workplace conflicts are like ticking time-bombs, if you make the mistake of ignoring them, you'll be caught unawares when they finally explode, right in your face. So prudently identify and acknowledge the presence of workplace conflicts and try to diffuse them, not overlook them.

Listen to each side of the story – Even though common sense may tell you to call up each of the parties separately to hear their story, for the most part, experts advise against it. However, as the manager (or juror), making an exception based on the situation is your prerogative. More desirably, call up each of the sides and ask them to summarize their concerns in front of each other, at the same time ensure that there's no intervention by anyone during the hearing. Let each party hear the other's concerns.

Find out what each side wants – You need to ask each party in the conflict to say what actions do they want the other party to take, or what they want in general. For instance, Salesman A may say that she doesn't want Salesman B to encroach on her territory. Ask both the sides to elaborate if what they state is still murky, probe them further by asking what they would like the other party to do, not do, do more or do less.

Have the participants make commitments – When the actions needed to resolve the conflict have been explored in depth, and you've assessed those as reasonable, ask each side to commit to the new set of actions they will take to resolve conflict and to cooperate. In addition, figure out the actions that you need to take as a manager, such as reassignment of work, sharing of responsibility and resources, making structural tweaks, changing the authority individuals have over resources, etc.

Maintain a neutral demeanor – It is absolutely essential that you objectively hear all the issues presented to you by all parties, and make decisions without any prejudice. Additionally, you must communicate your objective stance to each of the parties, so that they trust you and are able to voice their problems candidly. Furthermore, prompt the sides to act mature and address the differences amicably. Tell them that you have full faith in their abilities to resolve the conflict themselves.