Conflict rarely disappears by being ignored

Workplace conflict can begin quietly: a strained relationship, a blunt email, a disagreement about workload, or a manager and employee interpreting the same conversation differently. If it is ignored, it can harden into grievance, absence, disengagement or resignation.

Early intervention is one of the most useful employee relations skills a manager can develop.

Separate the issue from the noise

Conflict often comes with emotion, history and assumptions. The first task is to understand what the actual issue is. Is it workload, communication style, role clarity, behaviour, trust, performance, or a decision the employee believes is unfair?

Without that clarity, managers can end up treating symptoms rather than causes.

Use informal resolution where appropriate

Not every conflict needs a formal grievance. Where the matter is suitable, informal resolution can be quicker, less adversarial and better for future working relationships. This might involve a facilitated conversation, manager mediation, clarified expectations or an agreed way of working.

However, informal resolution should not be used to minimise serious concerns such as harassment, discrimination or whistleblowing. Those may require formal handling.

Managers need to listen properly

Employees escalate concerns when they feel dismissed. Listening does not mean agreeing with everything. It means taking the concern seriously, asking questions, checking understanding and explaining what will happen next.

A calm, respectful response can reduce the temperature even where the employer cannot give the employee everything they want.

Document agreements

If an informal conversation leads to agreed actions, write them down. This might include communication expectations, workload changes, review dates or behavioural commitments. Documentation prevents misunderstanding and gives managers something to follow up.

It also helps if the matter later becomes formal.

Know when to move formal

If the issue is serious, repeated, unresolved or involves allegations that require investigation, a formal grievance process may be appropriate. The employee should understand how to raise a grievance and what the process involves.

The People Powered helps employers resolve workplace conflict, manage grievances and support managers through sensitive employee relations issues.

This article is general information only and should not be treated as legal advice for a specific situation.

Written by Andromeda Falconeri
The People Powered