Embracing conflict at work
- Janel Jeremiah
- Mar 28, 2023
- 3 min read
Conflicts at work can come from varied sources. From a lack of understanding of one's duties, ineffective/poor communication, one's refusal to adhere to standards and to co-operate with others at work or the feeling of being unfairly or unjustly treated.
Conflicts can be found everywhere. Where there are people, there will be conflict. It is often described by many as difficult, wasted time and energy or even destructive. And yet, many have advised that conflict is indeed a gift, an opportunity to grow.
The Myers-Briggs Company's recent research (August 2022), entitled "Conflict at Work", reveals that time spent on workplace conflicts has doubled since 2008. John Hackston, Head of Thought Leadership at the Myers-Briggs Company, and the one leading this Study says "Currently, managers spend over 4 hours a week dealing with conflict on average."
Think about it, managers are spending 208 hours every year managing conflicts. Is that significant? While the number of hours may not be alarming to some, every second, every minute and every hour needs to be well spent; time is much too precious to waste. There is no use investing time discussing a problem with no intent of resolving the conflict or learning from it.
The Study further revealed that compared to the company's 2008 study, workplace conflict is becoming more common. Over a third (36%) of the people participating in the Study reported dealing with conflict either, often, very often, or all the time, as compared to 29% previously. The Study went on to examine the differences in conflict among in-office, remote, and hybrid employees. In-office workers identified poor communication as the number one cause of conflict, 56% of the time. Hybrid employees reported poor communication as the cause 47% of the time and remote employees, 36% of the time.
It should be no surprise that poor communication contributes significantly to conflicts at work. Note however, that the study goes on to share other causes of conflict. Feel free to read the entire study for your edification, as there are other causes you need to be aware of. You can find the link at the bottom of this blog post.
For the remainder of this article, we would focus on poor communication, providing useful tips that you can apply at work, to ensure effective communication is promoted and practiced.
Keep in mind that your expectations of employees should be made clear immediately after new employees are hired. The following tips would help to improve communication at work.
Include your organisation's expectations or standards for communication at work, in your HR Manual or Policy, your Operations Policy, or your Communication Policy. Be sure to involve employees when you are formulating this policy or this section of your policy.
Review your communication policy at least every two years, but be ready to implement critical changes right away.
Promote a culture of supervisors/managers being available to listen to employees who may need to raise concerns, complaints or seek guidance.
Recognise supervisors/managers, as well as employees who excel in the area of communication.
Where necessary, confirm verbal communications in writing and ensure all concerned acknowledge receipt of the written document.
Use in-person meetings or video conferencing to discuss sensitive issues.
Once it is discovered that there is some misunderstanding regarding information shared with employees, promptly call a meeting of the concerned employees and provide clarity.
Ensure all written communication is accurate by reviewing the contents carefully before sending.
Provide training on effective communication, to all employees, on a regular basis.
Keep abreast with new research and tested strategies that can help to improve communication at work, thus minimising the occurrence of conflict.
To get access to the Study discussed in this article, please go to:
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