Is your business suffering from unresolved workplace conflict? 
When someone says conflict, you think about people yelling at each other and lots of negative emotions.
Of course you don’t have that kind of conflict!
But, do you have the kind of conflict that eats away at productivity? 
The kind that causes workers to focus on things other than getting their jobs done.  
How would you know, what does conflict look like anyway? 

Well, some of the symptoms of interpersonal conflict include gossiping, absenteeism, lack of teamwork, cliques, and higher than average employee turnover. 

The result: Increased expenses and decreased productivity and revenue. 
“How does this happen?”, you ask.  Workplace conflict develops from a number of sources, something as simple as a misunderstanding to something as serious as allegations of discrimination or sexual harassment. 
It’s easy to see how conflict develops when employees are expected to produce more with fewer resources, in less time.  An increase in workload will create tension.  When jobs are consolidated and one person is now responsible for multiple tasks  Even when downsizing is not affecting an employee directly the threat of losing their job is always in the back of their mind.  Sometimes conflict can be brought on by a simple misunderstanding or a change to the way things have always been done. .  If employees don’t have substantial communication skills or lack technical training the threat of conflict disrupting the workplace intensifies.
The cost to employees is significant:

·        Feeling disregarded, unwelcome, trapped, unheard or disillusioned creates resentment causing employees to experience stress and have health problems. 

·        Stress and conflict increase the risk of workplace injuries.

·        A decrease in productivity and lack of motivation impacts the opportunity for advancement.

·        Looking for other employment, a significant impact to productivity.

·        Absenteeism brought on by wanting to avoid interaction with an angry coworker.

·        Conflict at home may be spilling over into the workplace and conflict from work may cause problems at home.

How much is conflict costing your organization?  Well, think about this:

·        The wasted time.  Opportunity cost, lost due to employees spending time in conflict rather than spending their energy on creating innovative ideas.

·        Parties get “stuck” in positions, just wanting to prove the other person wrong.  Not the best environment for decision making.  Decisions made during conflict are usually inferior those made when everyone is working together.

·        Studies reveal a direct relationship between conflict, employee sabotage, and theft of inventory & equipment.

·        Absenteeism can be caused by wanting to avoid an angry coworker or because of health problems brought on by conflict induced stress, an increase in workplace injuries.

·        Costs associated with replacing employees who quit due to conflict and training new replacements.

·        Costs increase exponentially if an employee files charges of discrimination because conflict is not addressed in a timely manner. 

So what’s the solution?  A Conflict Solutions meeting.  

·        A practical tool to resolve conflict before it escalates.

·        Improve interpersonal relationships between employees.

·        A way to increase understanding and build a better workplace.

·        Reduce the time supervisors spend dealing with conflict.

·        Increase performance and satisfaction.

·        Reduce retaliatory and valid lawsuits by employees.

·        Builds communication skills that participants can use throughout their career that can help change attitudes from adversarial to cooperative.

 Workplace disputes are very different from “court related” conflict resolution.  In the workplace you are dealing with issues and interests of multiple parties and a variety of concerns including production, perceptions regarding the rights or responsibilities of others. The focus is on what is best for the organization balanced with taking into consideration what is best for the individuals involved in the dispute.
Regardless of the cause, the best way to address workplace conflict is to tackle it early, with a sincere intent to correct the situation.  It has been reported that managers spend 40 to 60 percent of their time addressing conflict.  Clearly, early intervention is a productive strategy. We would like to hear from you about how we might help you prepare for a Conflict Solutions meeting.  Call us today if you have any of the symptoms of workplace conflict 478.290.1957.

 Bill & Wendy Adams

Statistical data regarding the impact of unaddressed conflict.

Management studies document the negative impact of conflict on organizational productivity.  The report, “The Costs of Organizational Conflict” (Organization Development Journal, Fall 1984), indicates that over 65 percent of performance problems in the workplace result from strained relationships between employees–not from defects in individual employee skill or motivation.

Other studies highlight the lost time due to conflict.  “A Survey of Managerial Interests with Respect to Conflict” (Academy of Management Journal, June 1976) revealed that up to 30 percent of a typical manager’s time is spent dealing with conflict. 
A study of practicing managers (“Managers as Negotiators," Leadership Quarterly, 7(1), 1996) showed that 42 percent of their time is spent resolving conflicts.
Still other studies show that conflict is often responsible for the costly loss of skilled employees. Exit interviews reveal that chronic unresolved conflict is a decisive factor in at least 50 percent of all such departures. 
Conflict also accounts for up to 90 percent of involuntary departures, excluding staff reductions due to downsizing and restructuring.  A Raytheon Corporation study determined that the cost of replacing a skilled employee was 150 percent of the employee’s annual compensation.