Interpersonal clashes can undercut your organization’s productivity and decay its culture, but investing in prevention measures can put a stop to workplace theatrics.

Susan was new to the health-care field, and, in a workplace that refused to offer overtime hours or retraining, she debated how to juggle tasks she often didn’t fully comprehend. Her solution was perhaps ill-advised: rather than holding these assignments until the start of the next workday, she passed incomplete paperwork onto her coworkers. “Sorry, but I didn’t get to this today,” she’d sigh as she rushed out the door at four o’clock.

After serving as her life raft too many times, Peggy finally had enough. As Susan was heading out the door one day, prepared to dump more papers on her coworker’s desk, Peggy shot to her feet in refusal. A screaming match ensued in front of their colleagues—myself included. Accusations of laziness and low responsibility were hurled in one direction, defensive shouts of uncooperative behavior in the other. Though management was quickly roped in to mollify the situation, the rift between Peggy and Susan was permanent. Until one of them eventually resigned from her post, the workspace they occupied was mired in barely restrained passive-aggressiveness.

Caught in the crossfire

As a leader, you may someday encounter a professional conflict of this severity, whether as a peacekeeper or even as an unwilling participant. And whatever the source, it may weigh heavily on your organization. The ensuing stress, shattered communication, and gossip may interrupt the focused, united culture you’ve worked hard to propagate. Worse, such issues can dampen productivity and employee retention, which may potentially impact your bottom line. Though preserving your organization’s morale and best talent is an ongoing process, there are proven steps you can take to craft a more peaceful workplace culture. Proceed appropriately, and you can ensure your entire team works unified toward a common goal rather than against one another.

Name the beast

Conflict takes on many forms—some are as dramatic as the incident I witnessed and others more subtle, yet all are potentially nefarious. As Shelby Bennett of Money writes, “Conflict can range from minor personality clashes to more serious issues, such as bullying and harassment.” Most organizational friction can be traced to common problems that, with enough kindling, may explode into outright discord. But if you learn to identify the following roots of potential conflict, you can take the designated actions to undercut them.

Miscommunication
Professional communication can feel strained and overly filtered, as anyone who has debated replacing a period with an exclamation point can attest to. However, it is important to be thoughtful with your language and delivery. Different people have potentially incompatible communication styles, and some workers may be put off by certain traits in others, such as bluntness, open criticism, or a tendency to engage in idle chatter. To thwart these conflicts, hold workshops to establish (and then improve) communication in your workplace. If you feel that a member of your team is expressing themselves unprofessionally and provoking their teammates, pull them aside for some constructive advice. Should they react defensively, be sure to explain how healthy, respectful communication is for everyone’s good, theirs included.

Personal clashes
Lamentably, people of varied backgrounds may have clashing belief systems or values that lead to tension or open hostility. Because understanding helps prevent judgment, a great way to stymie conflict is to hold team-building events and meet and greets that foster interpersonal bonds. However, it also falls on you and your human resources department to make one simple rule known: harassment will absolutely not be tolerated. Address personal attacks the first time, remind those involved about company policy, and give clear consequences, lest your team feel they have carte blanche to continue expressing their judgments of others. Additionally, ban discussion of politics, religion, and other hot-button topics at work. This may read as censorship, but it’s for everyone’s good that these topics stay out of the workplace.

Leadership issues
Don’t be afraid to put yourself on trial. Are you conveying instructions and expectations clearly? Are you listening to your team? Does anyone feel unheard, unsupported, or unclear about their tasks? “When team members don’t understand their own responsibilities or the responsibilities of their colleagues, confusion and conflict can arise,” Bennett writes. If every associate within your team feels confident in their duties, they can avoid any unnecessary stress and work more peacefully.

Remember that the purpose of meetings isn’t just to give you a regularly scheduled soapbox; it’s also your chance to welcome feedback and invite questions. Hash out details about certain procedures now, and you may prevent a clash such as the Peggy-versus-Susan battle in the future. (After that conflict occurred, management established clearer regulations for handling overdue tasks.)

Poor work-life balance Stress provides easy fuel for conflict. When overworked, an employee may find a colleague’s minor mistake, conversational volume, or even noisy coffee pouring an intolerable nuisance that warrants a verbal argument.

Determine if you are setting reasonable expectations in the office. Do your employees feel that they can realistically meet deadlines, juggle their tasks, and still clock out on time? Consider opening up an anonymous employee suggestion box to gauge workplace satisfaction; if you notice any common complaints, weigh possible solutions. For example, should several employees feel overworked, you may need to seek applications to get some extra hands on deck.

Though some employers may balk at this perceived handholding, encouraging a greater work-life balance doesn’t sacrifice productivity; rather, it promotes healthier, more focused individuals. And the more pleasant the workplace, the more conflict averse it is.

Calm the contention

One of the greatest deterrents to workplace disharmony is a robust HR department. These individuals are trained to address sensitive situations and then promptly resolve them. If your organization is able, hire a good HR team, even a small one, and always report any potential or experienced conflicts to them and rope them into meetings with disgruntled individuals whenever you can.

Additionally, work with your HR team to build an employee handbook that explicitly outlaws open and disruptive workplace conflict and details standards for healthy workplace behavior. This code of conduct should include guidelines such as “We believe in PRO conversation: Polite, Respectful, and Open to other people’s perspectives.”

By laying out appropriate and inappropriate behavior clearly, your handbook can act as a reference when addressing poor behavior like bullying. Fold this document into your new-hire paperwork, and recommend that your HR team schedules regular refresher meetings so every employee is on the same page.

For added conflict prevention, make sure all employees have learned your company’s mission and goals by regularly working its slogan and customer service mission statement into meetings and announcements. When your team understands your organizational goals and how they are integral to helping reach them, you can foster a greater sense of company alliance. And teammates who are rowing in the same direction are much less likely to clash.

Patch things up

It is said that prevention is better than cure, but, despite your efforts, human passion will almost inevitably spark some disagreements within your organization. Understanding how to negotiate and pacify these interpersonal issues is an essential leadership skill, particularly because you will demonstrate a zerotolerance policy for behavior like overt arguments. If you navigate these sensitive situations deftly, you can safeguard productivity, improve client service, and propel your business forward.

Focus on the problem, not the person
If conflict between individuals is disrupting their work or affecting their surrounding colleagues, pull the involved parties aside—enlisting the aid of an HR representative or mediator, if possible—and lead a calm conversation with them. “Start off the discussion by asking openended questions and testing your assumptions,” Harvard Law School’s Program on Negotiation suggests. “Find out what everyone’s interests are before considering possible solutions.” Allow this space to be a neutral territory where all parties involved can coolly discuss their grievances. If the conversation heats up, try implementing the classic therapeutic technique of speaking with “I,” rather than “you,” statements. By following this method, each person can communicate their own feelings and perspectives without finger-pointing.

Come together to find solutions
Continue to guide discussion until some form of agreement is met. This may require some extra steps on your part, like adjusting someone’s workload to delegate tasks more fairly. From there, “help your coworkers learn how to give good feedback so they can express their concerns in a positive manner rather than letting them stew,” says the Program on Negotiation.

Advocate for peace

Conflict may seem endemic to a busy workplace, but if you practice good leadership, you can minimize interpersonal discord and promote an overall healthier organization. Even if you don’t mind a little arguing, remember that there’s more at stake than some personal feelings. A tranquil work environment will save you money by increasing retention and cultivating consistent productivity.

TAKE ACTION:
Assess your office culture to identify any potential or existing conflict. Then apply these techniques to foster a more cordial workplace.