Vivian Scott

Conflict at work can be physically and emotionally exhausting, regardless of how directly you’re involved. Discover how to mediate a conflict in your workplace by following a set process and asking the right questions. And be prepared to use internal and external resources to help you resolve the conflict.Asking questions to help resolve a workplace conflictWhen you’re dealing with a conflict between yourself and a co-worker (your boss, a peer, or a subordinate), your focus is on resolving the conflict and improving the situation.

When you’re attempting to resolve conflict in the workplace, you want to see signs that the situation is starting to improve. Your mediation strategies are working when you begin to notice that your employees Have relaxed conversations and interactions Cooperate on tasks and projects Change their word c

When you’re dealing with a conflict between yourself and a co-worker (your boss, a peer, or a subordinate), your focus is on resolving the conflict and improving the situation. Invite the other person to sit down with you, and ask these questions: What would you like to see happen? What does that look like for you?

When you’re dealing with conflict in the workplace, consider the underlying causes. Conflict is rarely as simple as it seems on the surface. Problems at work are often caused — or exacerbated — by the following: Ambiguous roles and responsibilities: Being vague with an employee about his job and the tasks associated with his duties creates a situation in which he’s left to decode your expectations.

If you’re a manager dealing with a conflict in the workplace (and what workplace doesn't have some conflict?), you need a strategy to approach and defuse the disagreement. You can effectively mediate the conflict by following this process: Do preliminary planning, scheduling, and room setup. Getting the right people in the right room at the right time is a good first step to creative problem-solving.

Resolving conflict at work starts with the employees, but some situations call for additional resources. If you find yourself in a situation that needs a little extra help, look to your organization’s internal experts or consider hiring an outside professional for conflict resolution. Internal expertise: Human Resources: Partner with HR to ferret out the resources your organization currently has in place and what the company may be willing to find or create for you.

Before your conflicting employees are ready to sit down with you and discuss their dispute, you have some work to do. By preparing the space for your meeting, you maximize your potential for a successful conversation. Choosing a neutral location You must maintain the appearance and substance of neutrality at all times throughout your conversation.

Conflict in the workplace decreases efficiency and productivity, and that means lost profit. Taking a broad view of a conflict and considering both hard costs (like lost inventory) and soft costs (like team morale) helps you determine whether it’s time to step in. You may find some benefit to giving a conflict time to work out on its own, but you won’t know whether you’re doing the right thing without investigating to see whether your strategy has an impact on your teams’ productivity and the bottom line.

When resolving employee conflict, you might encounter resistance to your mediation skills and strategies, regardless of how hard you work to keep an open, safe, and respectful environment. No magic formula exists for moving through resistance to conflict resolution. Every one of your employees is unique and carries his own experiences, personalities, and core values.