Self Help

You are responsible for a productive work climate. This means that conditions at work must be such that your workers will be able to work efficiently so that you can meet your productivity goals, and that people are satisfied so that you won’t have excessive turnover or grumpy employees.

You can accomplish this by being the kind of boss your workers can talk to, by knowing what’s going on, and by mediating between them if there is trouble. The kind of boss someone can talk to is a boss who will always listen carefully, take even seemingly small complaints seriously, be available, and show care and concern. Knowing what’s going on means making it a point to solicit information by asking how things are going, seeing if anyone needs help, and picking up small clues for impending problems (a worker who slams doors, drops tools, shouts, or comes in late). It is best to address the problem before it worsens, especially if it involves other workers. No one wants to have unpleasant people around, and one problem worker can make the environment unpleasant for everyone. Suppose you have two workers who continually bicker. Is it a friendly, joking kind of banter - a way to tease each other, a way to relate, or is it nasty and hurtful? If it is the latter, you may need to become a mediator.

Not all conflict is bad; sometimes different viewpoints need to be aired. If people feel free to have divergent opinions and to disagree, and if they do not see debates as threatening but as healthy, then you and your organization will benefit from diversity. After all, if we all agreed on everything, there would no challenge, no creativity, no learning from each other. For example, if two of your workers disagree as to the best way to I handle a problem and become quite heated about it, you can show that you appreciate how much they care and either work out a compromise or see the stronger merits of one particular position.

If you see conflict between individuals, listen to each person’s complaints privately without taking sides. When people are angry, they make wild statements, such as “I’ll never show you any specifications again,” which, of course, can’t be implemented. Avoid head-on confrontations. For an employee to be able to talk to you about feelings can reduce tension. After things cool down, you can determine what each is willing to do to keep meeting the company’s objectives.

Do not expect the adversaries to kiss and make up, but do tell them you expect them to act like adults with politeness and restraint no matter how they feel. You have the right to make the rules. These are some guidelines you can give: no name-calling, no sabotaging of one another’s operations, no refusal to cooperate, and no use of violence for any reason.

One of the problems in these Situations is that the other workers may take sides and you may find half your unit warring against the other. Unless it is absolutely clear who is at fault, do not take sides yourself; rather, insist on the job being done. Getting people to confront each other will only work if it is done in the privacy of your office or outside the workplace and if you feel you can be truly impartial, and that your negotiating skills are sufficient to get each to see the other person’s point of view.