CONFLICTS happen everywhere and the workplace is no exception. While most cases can be fixed before they become problems, however, there are times when these do become unavoidable. Mistakes were made. Things were said. Sometimes, one can’t help but look back and think, “Maybe I should have handled the issue in a different manner.”
In light of Workplace Conflict Awareness Month, here are some ways to deal with conflicting situations at the office.
Embrace it. It’s bound to happen.
If you let it fester, it will just lead to resentment. This is a situation that those in key positions can definitely relate to because between managing a certain group and answering to someone of higher power, you’re faced with information overload from both sides. This can be exhausting. You’re acting as both boss and mediator, and problems come at you like arrows. The first thing to do when it comes to dealing with conflict, is to admit to yourself that there is conflict and you go on from there.
Leave emotion out the door but spare just enough to sympathize.
Don’t let your emotions get the best of you. It’s not only unnecessary, it’s unfair to both you and the person you’re dealing a certain situation with. Don’t also use it to take advantage of the situation. At the same time, it doesn’t mean you are to approach an issue with a stone cold heart. Know where people are coming from and also—and this is very important—accept what they’re feeling at the moment. You cannot dictate to someone how they should feel since everyone is different. Above all the demands in the workplace, don’t forget that your colleagues are humans. Humans feel things.
As much as possible, don’t complain about your job to your colleagues.
This is the part where jealousy rears its ugly head and you end up regretting your decision. Though you’ve forged a friendship with a select few colleagues, in the end, everybody is trying to achieve something—business comes first. Confide to the ones you really really trust. In fact, whether that person is someone you’re close to or not, your boss is one of the best people you can talk to when it comes to how you’re feeling about your workload or any issue since you answer to that person. In return, you get an unbiased evaluation of the matter at hand.
Stick to the facts. Don’t bring up the past.
Past issues arise because they weren’t addressed in the first place. So when a new problem arises, previous arguments are brought up, distorting the discussion, leaving you and the person you’re having a problem with walking away with a plethora of unresolved issues. Apart from lack of passion or motivation, one of the reasons why a person doesn’t want to go to work anymore is likely because that person has beef with someone at the office. Eventually this feels toxic, fueling the desire to turn in a resignation letter. When faced with a problem at the office, try to be as diplomatic, factual and straight to the point. The workplace is a place for business not personal vendettas.
Never seek an audience.
This, along with brown-nosing and raising your voice just to prove a point, is a really pathetic move (no other way to say it). Unless the people involved in the situation are more than one person, there’s no need for a performance in front of your colleagues. Resist the urge to be the diva of the company.