How to avoid conflicts at work

Ways to Avoid Conflict

Try to remain calm, let the person speak.
Constructive conversation.
Mention your feelings.
Together, find the cause of the dispute and determine ways to resolve the situation.
Show respect.
Sorry if you’re wrong.
Keep relationships.

Avoid gossip

Colleagues like to discuss each other, clients and superiors. But as you know, office gossip not only distracts from work, but also spoils relationships with people. Here’s what to do if you’re tired of listening to complaints and rumors in the workplace.

If you feel that it is difficult for you to work surrounded by colleagues, then you are not alone. According to statistics, every eighth employee leaves due to problems with the team.

Gossips are the worst. They not only distract you from work and suck all the strength out of you – their negativity can affect your work reputation: if you are noticed in the discussion of gossip, then they may think of you that you yourself love to spread them and will treat you with distrust.

Learn how to stay away from gossip and manage conflicts in the workplace with these three steps

1. Empathize and send to others

People often gossip to hide their low self-esteem or feelings of helplessness. If one of your colleagues is doing this – and spreading rumors in a passive-aggressive or manipulative way – then most likely they want someone to be on their side. Also, when people judge others, they feel superior to the subject of their criticism.

There is an easy way to avoid gossip and maintain a healthy working relationship – show empathy and redirect the gossip to another person.

Show that you understand the other person’s feelings. Perhaps he spreads rumors because he wants to be heard and appreciated.

Then send it off. You can say something like, “Oh, it’s a pity that you are underestimated. I think you should tell your boss directly about this.” Or suggest switching to a more positive topic. Say, “You still seem to be concerned about this issue. It’s a pity, of course. But what about your new project?

2. Show strength of character

Unfortunately, many kind and compassionate people do not know how to set boundaries. They play the role of a “good listener”, and as a result they are dragged into a scandal. If you know this, then you need to learn how to limit communication with passive-aggressive people who like to gossip. Learn to stand your ground and move away from the conversation when it turns into gossip.

Think about how you behave in the office. Perhaps you don’t say anything when one of your colleagues says nasty things behind a client’s back? Or are you too often involved in discussing the personal life of employees at a coffee break?

3. Become an engine of change

Spread the positive, not the negative. Only say nice things behind people’s backs. Point out their positives. Praise their efforts. Rejoice in their success. And soon these positive waves will surround you too.

Solve the problem right away

Understand the nature of conflict

Do not build theories and conjectures about the cause of the conflict. It is worth just talking about it and finding out the true reasons for the differences.

A short list of questions to help you better understand the situation:

Are there other circumstances that could aggravate the conflict?
Are the working styles of the parties conflicting?
Does the atmosphere in the team contribute to increased stress levels?
How strong is the workload on both sides?
How about a difficult client?
Is someone spreading rumors that provokes the development of a conflict?

Finding out the reasons that underlie disagreements is necessary to successfully resolve the problem and prevent conflicts in the future.

Encourage employees to figure it out for themselves

You probably want your employees to be as independent as possible. After all, you are their leader, not a personal psychologist. Keep in mind that responding to every employee complaint can make things worse. It may even make some employees think that you are biased and that you are making someone stand out from the rest.

Encouraging the team to solve problems on its own does not mean that leadership will not be required. If necessary, provide guidance or talking points to help each employee get through the situation with minimal emotional cost. Do not solve the problem for the employees, just help start the discussion.

How to encourage employees to have a constructive conversation about their differences:

Determine if the situation is emotionally intense and how serious it is.
Once you have assessed the problem, if necessary, speak to each employee individually to let them know that you are aware of the situation.
Encourage open communication among the employees involved. Ask them if they feel comfortable talking to another employee and having one-on-one conversations with them.
Conflict resolution does not have to end with an agreement. Sometimes it’s better to agree to disagree, but with respect. When this happens, employees must recognize that they have different views or approaches and work together to find a solution for how to move forward.

Respond quickly

Unfortunately, some situations cannot be resolved without the participation of a manager or leader. If ignored, disputes between employees can negatively affect the entire team and even ruin the company’s reputation. Other employees may be unintentionally drawn into the conflict. This may result in performance degradation.

It should be made clear that conflict behavior is unacceptable and disagreement should not interfere with work.

Hear both sides

If you had to intervene, you should not take the situation as you were told. First of all, it is necessary to personally listen to the opinion of both sides and, on the basis of this, decide how events can develop.

Most employees want to be heard, so ask each person involved to explain their side of the story. Before deciding whether to meet with dissenting parties together or separately, try to assess the degree of hostility between them. Remember that you are here to discuss facts, not emotions.

Whatever you do, don’t take sides. This only makes things worse. You must be as objective as possible.

For successful conflict resolution, it is important that your company train leaders and managers in how to deal with conflict behavior. Poorly trained managers can make things worse, leading to employee layoffs and even increased employee turnover.

Identify the real problem

Often the real reason for the dispute is hidden behind emotions. By the time the problem is brought to the attention of the manager, the quarreling employees may already have shifted to conflict behavior.

To get beyond this emotional wall, ask each employee to articulate the problem calmly. Get to the bottom of the matter to find an effective solution that will help avoid such incidents.

Find a solution

Employees are not supposed to be best friends, they just need to do their job. Sometimes, the only way to effectively smooth things over is to reorganize teams and minimize contact between conflicting employees. It can also be helpful to give employees involved in the situation time to cool down before they work together again.

Remember that the goals of the company come first and if the conflict continues, it can seriously affect performance. One toxic employee can wreak havoc on the entire company, so don’t hold on to him if he’s getting in the way of the team.

Set an example

Building a culture where people respect each other and work well together is the best way to prevent conflict. By speaking honestly and respectfully with your employees, you create an environment that promotes honesty and communication. When you are open and honest, employees are more likely to follow suit.

Consult with management

Don’t be afraid to talk to your manager about any problems. If he correctly understands his job responsibilities, he will certainly resolve the misunderstanding, because conflicts at work with colleagues affect the results and performance of the entire team.

Do not try to create a false atmosphere of harmony in the team by ignoring the tension. The negative will accumulate and may result in an open emotional confrontation. The easiest way to resolve the conflict at the stage of its inception. Show employees that they should not gloss over problems, involve them in the discussion. If a conflict has arisen between a leader and an employee, it is the leader who should take the initiative and resolve the situation.

Solve problems in person, not through instant messengers. In correspondence, you can interpret the tone and emotions of the interlocutor in different ways. There is a risk that such communication will only aggravate the situation.