How do you and your company's team of supervisors handle complaints based on conflicts between employees? It’s important to resolve these issues promptly and satisfactorily. Here are some tips you can provide to your supervisors to assist them with complaints arising from employee conflict:
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- Sometimes you’ll be faced with two employees complaining about each other. Sometimes it might even be two groups of employees at odds with one another. Dealing effectively with complaints stemming from conflicts between employees is very important. Unresolved conflict can undermine morale and affect the smooth operation of your department.
- When faced with a conflict between employees, don’t take sides, even if privately you favor one employee’s position. Unless one employee is clearly and unmistakably harassing another – which is something you must stop immediately – try to remain impartial until you understand the situation.
- To get a better grasp on what’s really going on, meet with each employee separately. Give each one the opportunity to explain his or her side of the problem.
- Try to shift the focus from personalities to work-related issues. This may not be easy in some cases, but it’s essential in order to sort out the complaints and find a workable solution to the problem.
- Point out to both employees how the conflict affects their work and how it places their co-workers in a difficult position as well.
- At this point, arrange to meet with the two employees together to discuss the complaints and the issues in conflict. Explain at the outset that you expect them to act professionally and respectfully, and to talk the matter out calmly and objectively.
- Try to get the two workers to reach a solution to the problem by themselves.
- Impose a solution only if necessary.
- Remember, if it turns out that the complaints involve sexual harassment, other forms of harassment, threats, or any sort of discrimination, turn to your organization’s policies and procedures for handling these situations.
The above information comes from BLR’s presentation "Handling Employee Complaints." For more information on all the training courses BLR has to offer, go to our Employee and Manager Training page.