The way you interact with co-workers is important. Creating good working relationships, where each person feels supported and respected, will help to promote a positive working culture. You will have to work actively to build and maintain relationships in the workplace and take notice of other’s situations. You can do your part in preventing conflict by:
- Trusting that your co-workers will be able to complete their job at a high standard;
- Respecting others and always being considerate of others opinions and values;
- Be open that your colleagues may have different perspectives and backgrounds.
- Use communication effectively and the proper types at proper times.
However the fact remains, when you work in an environment with others, conflict is bound to arise.
Understanding Workplace Conflict
There are some situations where working relationships break down, resulting in awkwardness or conflict. These situations often arise when the following occurs:
- There is a lack of proper and necessary information.
- Some type of miscommunication.
- There are differences in values and interests.
- Workplace harassment or discrimination take place.
- There is a stressful working environment.
One of the best ways to prevent conflict is by being aware of how you interact with your co-workers.
Conflict Resolving Solutions in the Workplace
One of the best ways to ensure that conflict is minimised at your workplace is to utilise conflict training services. This will teach employees to:
- Understand how their reactions cause issues.
- To be more aware of their style of communication and how they can better use reflective listening skills.
- How they can work with co-workers in order to come to an amicable resolution.
When you seek outside help for conflict resolution for your workplace, there are a number of benefits offered. These benefits include:
- Creating a formal resolution process for any conflict occurrences.
- Breaking down a conflict into smaller parts to be more easily understood and handled.
- Working to identify the conflict’s cause and coming up with ways to avoid the same situation in the future.
- Discussion of the risks in situations where the conflict is not successfully resolved.
No matter if you are a business owner, manager or simply a worker, having conflict resolution skills is essential in keeping positive workplace relations. The good news is that these do not have to be acquired on your own, since there are a number of training programs available to ensure each worker understands their role.
For more information about the importance of providing conflict resolution skills to your workers, visit the Conflict Resolution Training & Consulting website.