5 ways to resolve conflict in the workplace

No workplace can be without conflict, so companies need to know how to deal with it when it erupts.

Lyndy van den Barselaar, the MD at workplace solutions provider Manpower South Africa, says: "Business owners and managers should study and practice effective workplace conflict management skills, no matter the size of the business."

It may be tempting to leave conflict unchecked, but small issues can become big enough to end in violence.

"Dealing with workplace conflict in a professional, effective and timely manner is important to maintaining a healthy work environment for all," Van den Barselaar says. If effectively managed, the negative effects of conflict can be minimised.

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She has the following advice:

• Find out, as soon as possible, who the source of the conflict is;

• Set up a meeting with all involved, making sure all parties agree on the time, place and duration of the meeting. "Meeting with both parties is perhaps the most effective way to manage conflict, rather than meeting with the parties separately. Ensure that a system is devised where each party has a chance to explain their side of the story without interruption," Van den Barselaar says;

• Clear, regular communication helps create and maintain strong relationships in the workplace. "Open communication channels within a business help to build a sense of trust between management and employees, which is extremely important ... for the effective management of workplace conflict."

• The conflict is likely to be emotionally charged, but resolving it requires rational thinking; and

• The aim of addressing the conflict should be to end up in a win-win solution, "where both parties feel comfortable with and understand the outcome and how it was reached".