Conflict: Employer Responsibility to Foster Positive Work Environment

Introduction

A conflict is a severe argument or disagreement about an issue that arises between two people, group or department. One of the major responsibilities of employers is to create and maintain a constructive, supportive, and productive work environment that will enhance interactions and understanding among the employees. However, relationships are prone to contrasting styles of performance and understanding based on various opinions. Human interactions are difficult, and often complex, but each has a role in the contribution of success (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). To achieve an objective, individuals should work constructively together to sustain a positive work environment. Conflict is inevitable where there are interactions due to the diverse principles, opinions, and beliefs. Moreover, individuals have a diverse personal trait and many may not control emotions, such as anger and joy. In the workplace, the management must develop a conflict resolution policy to solve disagreements that occurs in different levels of organizations.

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Although conflict is often previewed as a negative issue in the workplace, establishing appropriate policies and procedures may lead to a positive work environment.

Workplace Conflict

According to Lipsky (2016), one of the major issues affecting the administration of companies is organization conflict. It affects the performance and growth of the organizations because it reduces motivation and teamwork. Most companies are willing to establish strategies to deal with conflict but lack the necessary skills. Another reason why workplace conflict becomes an issue is that the management fails to address it at the early stages.

Conflict resolution policy ensures that conflict is prevented or mitigated at the early stage so that it does not escalate out of control. The purpose of the conflict management team is to promote teamwork and the effectiveness of organizational settings. Many organizations adopt a matrix structure that results in indeterminate reporting channels that promotes competition for attention and resources. Conflict may develop from confusion from the top management as they try to implement various strategies that would improve productivity. In the current world, globalization has altered the operations of organizations’ because the workforce comprises employees from all over the world. The policy helps to create a positive environment for people from various ethnic groups and races.

A conflict policy is a written process of solving disputes among workers and managers. The management should provide various methods that workers can use to raise workplace concerns, such as harassment, discrimination, and conflict of interest (Lipsky et al., 2016). In many organizations, a formal process is adopted to solve the conflict. A mediator or supervisor may be used to resolve an issue that is beyond the local setting. When the challenge cannot be solved by the supervisor, the policy requires the intervention of a top leader such as a human resource manager. All procedures must be implemented to avoid non-compliance. However, if employees fail to comply with the established policy, the human resource manager may apply a disciplinary action (Lahana, 2019). According to Pinhatti (2017) workplace rotation is the last option in resolving conflicts. The process of job rotation improves skills and knowledge, interpersonal relationship, and value for tasks performed by peers. However, the process may increase resistance because it elicits fear, distress, sadness, anxiety, frustration, and insecurity contributed by ineffective communication (Pinhatti, 2017).

Importance of Conflict Resolution Policy

The policy provides a positive work environment by explaining the roles of supervisors as mediators to resolve conflict. The policy helps when communicating new directions that are developed by the management. The management must use an appropriate method of communication that will reach all the workers to avoid conflict. A conflict resolution policy builds confidence in management decisions because it provides a platform for review (Lipsky at al., 2016). Another importance of conflict resolution policy is that it guides the company to diversify. Diversification is an important aspect in the current global world comprising of different cultures and ethnic groups. The rate of organizational diversification depends on the business leadership offered by management. An effective policy guides the organization to diversify by positioning women in high positions, employing people from different countries who believe in different cultures, and religions.

Conflict Resolution

The conflict resolution policy will help the management improve the traits that are required in dealing with difficult situations (Cherry & Jacob, 2016). The employees should discuss their complaints and concerns with the supervisor. The process of developing conflict management skills should be continued because workplace disputes keep on changing.

Procedures

Informal Procedures

1. Workers experiencing workplace conflict should discuss the issue with the supervisor. However, if this is inappropriate, the employee may seek a meeting with the next level of management to discuss the issue.
2. The human resource manager or the next level of management will analyze the complaint and provide feedback to the employee about the recommended action.
3. If the employee is not satisfied with the recommended resolution plan, he or she may seek resolution in the next level of management using formal or informal procedures.

Formal conflict procedures

1. Employees who require management intervention on a work-related conflict should prepare a document with supporting evidence and submit it to the supervisor.
2. The supervisor will assess the facts about the request and consult the relevant management, such as human resources where necessary.
3. The supervisor should complete the investigation within five (5) working days upon receiving the complaint. He or she should prepare a written response along with the employees’ sign to show that they agree with the plan of action.
4. If the worker agrees with the plan, the supervisors should send a copy of the signed copy to the HR to include it in the personal file.
5. If the employee is not satisfied, the supervisor will send the file of the conflict, facts, and details, and, recommended resolution plan to the next management level.
6. The next level of management will assess the conflict and the new evidence that has been discovered during the resolution process. An alternative or improved response is then forwarded to the employee.
7. If the worker agrees with the response, the management level will send a signed copy to the HR to include it in the personal file.
8. If the conflict is not resolved, it is sent to the most senior executive for investigation. The verdict and recommendation at this stage are final.

Proposed Training Topics

The first step of the conflict resolution is to acknowledge the existence of a conflict. The organization should introduce the training process to educate the workers on different topics related to conflict (Hitt et al., 2015). Outlining training topics help the leadership to plan on policies, procedures, and resources related to the conflict. The proposed training topic will include the recognition of the conflict, understanding areas that may result in conflict, interpersonal relationships and personality traits, and effective ways of dealing with conflict. The functional and dysfunctional conflicts that occur when people interact with each other due to different beliefs, opinions, styles, and preferences (Hitt et al., 2015). Topics of the proposed conflict policy should include;

1. Identification of initial causes of conflict in the workplace
2. Effective communication in the workplace environment to avoid abuse language that may cause conflict
3. Barriers to a positive work environment, such as confronting issues and disparities
4. The role of supervisors and management skills in resolving conflicts
5. Appropriate documentation of conflict and complaints to human resources for investigation and resolution.

Conclusion

Conflict is potentially destructive because it spread quickly in various departments to another damaging relationship, lowering morale, and overall productivity. In some situations, it may also lead to litigation, strikes, sabotage, and absenteeism. A conflict resolution policy identifies policies and procedures that need clarification to prevent the occurrence of conflicts. The policy offers a chance to resolve complaints or conflict easily, quickly, and without reprisal. It also enhances communication and understanding among various levels of employees. The workers experiencing work-related conflict should resolve the matter with the supervisor to avoid lengthy discussions with the top management. Every request submitted to the supervisor of high management levels should be investigated and a response should be provided as soon as possible. The penalty should be imposed on the worker who violated employees’ ethics and rules that resulted in a conflict.

References

Cherry, B., & Jacob, S. R. (2016). Contemporary nursing: Issues, trends, & management. Elsevier Health Sciences.

Hitt, M. A., Miller, C. C., & Colella, A. (2015). Organizational Behavior (4th ed.). Danvers, MA: Wiley.

Lahana, E., Tsaras, K., Kalaitzidou, A., Galanis, P., Kaitelidou, D., & Sarafis, P. (2019). Conflicts management in public sector nursing. International Journal of Healthcare Management, 12(1), 33-39. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Pavlos_Sarafis/publication/318794392_Conflicts_management_in_public_sector_nursing/links/59ee00824585154350e7fb7e/Conflicts-management-in-public-sector-nursing.pdf

Lipsky, D. B., Avgar, A. C., & Lamare, J. R. (Eds.). (2016). Managing and resolving workplace conflict (22 ed.). Retrieved from https://books.google.com/books?id=cnfPDAAAQBAJ&lpg=PP1&ots=LmDWsT-gSg&lr&pg=PR5#v=onepage&q&f=false

Pinhatti, E. D. G., Vannuchi, M. T. O., Sardinha, D. D. S. S., & Haddad, M. D. C. L. (2017). Job rotation of nursing professionals among the sectors of a hospital: a management tool in conflict resolution. Texto & Contexto-Enfermagem, 26(2). https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0104-07072017000200305&script=sci_arttext