1. Problems * Conflicts among employees that go unchecked can spoil morale and hamper productivity. A Career Builder article by Rachel Zupek notes that conflicts can become a distraction that keeps employees from focusing on their work. Furthermore, Zupek indicates that conflicts have the potential for ruining teamwork if they cause employees to resent their co-workers or their employer. Gossip may also increase as employees involved in conflicts look for support among co-workers by claiming mistreatment. Some co-workers will take sides, which only raises the level of conflict.
Benefits
* Conflicts in the workplace can be beneficial if they force people to communicate in a constructive way to resolve their problems. Constructive communication causes people to consider a situation from another person's point of view. For example, Zupek notes that people can misinterpret someone's actions or words because they communicate differently. Perhaps a co-worker feels insulted by something another co-worker supposedly said. A discussion among employees may reveal that the interpretation of another person's comments was incorrect or made worse by gossip. * Sponsored Links * Catch Your Cheater Spouse
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Employers * Employers who don't make an effort to prevent a bottleneck in communication may contribute to conflicts in the workplace. Communication bottlenecks occur when information that affects all employees tends to circulate at the management level instead of flowing through all levels of the company. Employees who aren't in the information loop may rely on office gossip . Conflicts arise if a "them-versus-us" mentality develops among employees who feel left out of the information loop. Furthermore, they're likely getting false information that also stirs up conflicts.
Considerations
* Conflicts and gossip in the workplace are common because they often develop as people try to work with each other while supporting their own ambitions. In any case, Zupek recommends not trying to resolve every workplace conflict. Weigh the seriousness of the situation, and determine whether it's an ongoing problem before intervening. Employers who determine that they do need to resolve an ongoing conflict should make the resolution the responsibility of everyone involved. Again, communication is the key. Discuss the problem with all of the employees involved and tell them they all must resolve it, and make a plan to end the conflict.