When it comes to disputes between employees, there are two ways to approach them?settle them after they've reached their boiling point or prevent them from ever starting in the first place. Prevention is usually the best way to go. It takes a little time and attention, but it will spare you the headache of having to settle disputes and allow you to save your energy for more important tasks.
One of the first things you should do to prevent office squabbles is take a close look at your company policies and identify any that might be creating issues. Does a certain policy favor one kind of worker over another? Is there something in the structure of employees that could cause them to butt heads? Do whatever you can to rectify any policies that might breed unfairness or anger.
Next you should examine your job descriptions closely. Are they clear? Are there certain tasks that overlap between employees? By having fuzzy or overly broad job descriptions, you might be fueling territorial issues between employees.
It might also be a good idea to spend a few hours a week individually chatting with employees in private. Find out if there is anything bothering them or if there are any issues involving other employees. If there are issues with other employees that are starting to erupt, it might be better to first counsel the employee on how to make it better on his or her own before stepping in and taking matters into your own hands. That way the employee doesn't look like the ?tattle-tale.?
Preventative measures may go a long way in easing tensions around the office, but workplace disputes are inevitable. With a large group of people in a room for 40 hours a week, hostilities are eventually going to surface.
Once the arguments have come full circle, there isn't much you can do other than play referee and try to solve the issue. With the argument already under way, it might be helpful to talk to each employee separately. Ask non-threatening, open-ended questions to get to the heart of their concerns. You could also conduct hypothetical conversations to help employees figure out the most appropriate way to talk to the other to get his or her point across. If the argument is heated enough and the employees are working closely together, I would consider separating them, at least for the time being until both have cooled off. If all else fails, you may be forced to intervene and tell them both to move on. You may also have to offer an ultimatum.
Workplace squabbles, even minor ones, can explode and become toxic for the entire office, which is why it is so important to take care of any problems before they become problems. Prevention is the key, but when prevention is no longer a viable option, then careful diplomacy needs to take over.
