If you’re a manager, you might know that disagreements and arguments in the workplace can be a common occurrence. It can be tough to navigate conflicts between your employees in an effective and constructive way that will leave all parties feeling satisfied.

Fortunately, many conflicts can be resolved before they escalate with the proper management strategy. We’ve put together a quick guide with tips to help you manage conflict resolution successfully.

 

  1. Recognize when intervention is needed

As a manager it’s important to determine when it’s appropriate to intervene. In small disputes, it’s sometimes best to not intervene at all and let the employees come to a solution independently. How do you know when to get involved? A good guideline is to intervene once the conflict begins to negatively impact work performance, or when it seems like it might escalate to the point of anger or violence.

 

  1. Meet with your employees

Once you make the call to get involved, the next course of action is to meet with each person individually in a private setting. Your goal will be to get each person’s point of view to get a complete view of the situation. Giving each person the opportunity to tell their own version of the story without interruption will make them feel heard and might make them more willing to find a resolution. Remember to stay neutral while offering support and letting them express their emotions.

One you meet with each person, the next step is to arrange a private group meeting with everyone involved. Your goal in this meeting is to encourage active listening to resolve the issue, mend work relationships, and create a plan to prevent conflicts in the future. Keep in mind that this meeting should not be used for any disciplinary actions.

During the meeting, create a neutral environment that allows everyone to speak, and establish firm rules to prevent parties from interrupting each other or for tensions to rise. Allow the employees to create a solution that everyone can agree with, and make sure the employees commit to preventing the conflict from happening again. You might also want to consider taking notes during this meeting and distribute copies to each employee, as well as human resources.

 

  1. Conflict resolution

The best way to manage employee conflicts is to take the necessary steps to ensure that it doesn’t happen again. An effective way to do this is by conducting training sessions for employees to learn best communication practices and how to resolve conflicts in a healthy, professional way. If your employees are well trained in these matters, it’s likely that in the future they’ll be able to resolve conflicts independently, without the need for outside intervention from management or HR.

 

Mediating staff conflict should always be conducted in partnership with a trusted human resources team. If your business currently doesn’t have an HR department, consider enlisting the services of an HR outsourcing company. AlphaStaff offers a range of HR solutions to meet your every need, including support for managers in cases of staff conflict. Contact us today!