Handling Workplace Dispute: 3 Mistakes Managers Make While Resolving Workplace Dispute

1
Handling Workplace Dispute3 Mistakes Managers
Make While Resolving Workplace Dispute
2
Workplace Dispute

• Even in the best of workplace settings, employee
  disputes can and do occur. Often these can result
  from simple things that escalate quickly due to
  things like miscommunications, differences in
  perceptions and personality and values
  differences.
• No matter how small or big, it is important to
  deal with an employee conflict in a timely
  fashion in order to maintain a positive, healthy
  work environment and to avoid ongoing escalation
  or collateral damage across work teams/areas.
• However, for a range of reasons such as
  inexperience, a lack of confidence in their
  ability, insufficient training and limited HR
  assistance and advice, managers can often respond
  by doing nothing.

3

• What they dont realise is failing to proactively
  deal with workplace conflicts as they initially
  flare not only has an effect almost immediately
  on day-to-day business productivity but also
  tends to allow issues that can be nipped in the
  bud via simple management action, to intensify
  and grow. This tends to broaden and deepen the
  issues involved and the time and effort required
  to address it at a point in time, and also can
  undermine staffs confidence in the managers
  ability to manage.
• Lets take a look at some common behaviours of
  managers, which can negatively impact on
  effective and efficient management of workplace
  disputes.

4
Ignoring the situation until it is about to (or
does!) burst

• Some managers tend to overlook a problematic
  situation altogether until the situation is ready
  to explode. Then they need to take urgent action
  to try to deal with it and this almost always
  occurs at a really inconvenient time like just
  prior to Christmas. Putting your management head
  in the sand wont make the problem go away it
  will only make it worse. The best way to deal
  with workplace disputes is to deal with them
  early and thoroughly.
• When handling a conflict that escalates quickly,
  your frustration (with yourself for not dealing
  with it earlier and the situation itself thats
  become urgent) can work as added fuel to the
  situation, potentially affecting the
  decision-making process and the ability to
  contain and resolve the matter well. At these
  times, it is really important for the manager to
  think and act dont react. Take a little time
  to gather information from the parties and
  consider it before moving to a decision and an
  action. Reactions often simply compound and
  prolong the problem.

5
Allowing workplace politics to interfere

• Nothing can intensify an employee conflict like
  office politics. When office politics get in the
  way, disputes take an ugly turn.
• As the manager, your objective should be to
  resolve the situation without alienating a group
  or being biased toward one. Perceptions are as
  critical to resolving these matters as the
  tangible actions taken. Remember that an unfair
  move (perceived or otherwise) on the managers
  part can give rise to more conflicts and create
  irreversible barriers in the workplace.

6
Trying to win the situation

• The objective of workplace dispute resolution in
  the first place is to come to an agreement or
  solution that is workable and reasonable for all
  parties. It might mean there is a need for
  compromise including for the manager in terms
  of the way forward. Take a leaf out of the Steven
  Covey management bible 7 Habits of Highly
  Effective People and initially seek to
  understand, then be understood. Sit with the
  employees, listen hard to what they are concerned
  about, gather all the input and only then try to
  create a clear picture of what is going on, why
  and what the options might be in terms of
  resolving or improving things for those caught up
  in the conflict.

7
The Bottom Line

• Dispute and conflict in the workplace is not
  really preventable. Thinking about how to
  approach these types of circumstances before they
  arise helps to be ready when they do.
• The highly experienced HR Consultants at HBA
  Consulting, located in Canberra, Sydney,
  Melbourne and Brisbane, can provide guidance,
  assistance and advice to managers in terms of
  both heading off workplace disputes and also
  managing them effectively when they do arise.

8
Reach Us
HBA Consulting
PO Box 6262, O'CONNOR ACT 2602
gary.champion_at_hbaconsulting.com.au
02 6247 4490
http//www.hbaconsulting.com.au