Managing Employee Conflicts With Empathy

A workplace is like a community – one where each person operates for the greater good of the business. But that collection of individuals means that from time to time there is bound to be some level of conflict within the workplace.

Employees can routinely become argumentative or conflicted with one another, and when this occurs it is important that you handle the situation promptly and with the right level of tact. Failure to do so could lead to one employee feeling as though their ideas aren’t being taken into consideration and could even impact the company’s productivity as a whole.

Here at Technalink we’ve found that approaching employee conflicts with empathy is the key to successfully managing issues as they arise. Here are some tips that can help with this.

• Before you tackle the conflict head on, take a moment to consider each side of it. Think about how each employee involved feels and consider why it is that they feel this way. This applies to personal and professional conflicts and it’s important that you consider the feelings of each employee fully before taking action.
• Talking it out rationally is important as well. Too many business leaders approach a conflict with anger or with a bias, and you can’t do this if you want to navigate these complex waters. Instead, sit down with the involved employees separately and discuss their concerns and their grievances. This can help you get a clearer picture of their thoughts and feelings.
• There’s never a perfect way to resolve conflicts – one side will always feel as though their ideas weren’t chosen. But you can often reach compromises or at the very least explain to the employees why it is that you’re choosing to approach a solution in the way you do. This may not completely erase hurt feelings, but it can ease them somewhat.
• After the conflict, it’s important that you check back in periodically with each employee to make certain that things are being worked through and to see how the outcome of the situation has played out. This can help you determine whether or not further action needs to be taken.

Employee conflicts are never a fun part of the work environment, but dealing with them as soon as possible is important. So is managing them with as much empathy as possible. Keep the tips above in mind and you should have a new, better, healthier approach to managing employee conflicts.