Essay Sample on Dealing With Work-Style Disputes: How to Avoid Conflict & Improve Communication

Introduction

One of the most common sources of disputes in job places is different work styles. Employees tend to argue with each other over the techniques and concepts used in handling a task. It is because each one of them believes that a certain technique is more effective than the rest. Sometimes, the issue of work style causes conflict between employees and employers. It is inevitable since people have different perspectives and opinions. Lack of effective communication skills, mismanagement of anger also difficult to deal with employees in the workplace facilitates the progress and development of the dispute. The factors that create the aspect of miscommunication in a work environment include ineffective listening skills and distractions. The common physical distractions in a work environment include hearing disabilities, temperature, and environment-related issues. There are different methods that firms can employ to communicate with workers such as the use of writing materials, meetings, and telephone. People decide not to listen to others because of their bad habits. For instance, some individuals prefer to read another person's mind than listening to one's insights and ideas. There are effective listening techniques that one can employ which include turn taking, avoid interrupting and adopting proper sitting postures. One should look at the body language which includes aspects such as gesture, facial expressions, and vocal tone. It is important for one to identify a person's mood through the adapted body language. For instance, a person who has crossed arms illustrates the idea of hostility.

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The aspect of difficult employees is another reason which facilitates the occurrence of disputes in a job place. It is the responsibility of firms to employ techniques which can manage the difficult workers. There are other consequences of failing to manage difficult employees which include a reduced level of productivity and an increase in anxiety issues. Management should give discussions, training and introduce formal discipline methods such as oral and written materials. There are reasons which cause workers to become problematic. For instance, past experiences and recent issues. According to Robert Bramson, there are ten kinds of difficult people which include the Sherman tank and sniper. The coaching process involves the incorporation of strategies such as establishing boundaries, avoiding threats, coming up with a variety of ideas and carrying out tests on the preciseness of the system.

Time, stress and anger are factors that facilitate the development of disputes in a work environment (Teghtsoonian, 2017). A technique known as the 3M's entails the use of management strategies to ensure the eradication of emerging issues related to anger or stress. Within time management, an employee should conduct the hard task first, avoid procrastination and coming up with goals. A worker should employ an appropriate strategic planning technique that will help one avoid piling of workload which facilitates mental problems in the workplace. It is important for employers and workers to adhere to time management since it facilitates the progress and development of a firm. There are different sources of stress for workers such as family issues, financial instability, and illness. Statistics suggest that around 80% of people living in New York experience stress because of a lack of money. It is important to note that mental issues can promote the occurrence of medical conditions such as hypertension, ulcers, and asthma. There are strategies that workplaces can put in place to avoid cases of stress or depression such as creating awareness and establishing training programs that encourage the idea of exercise. According to experts, the most stressful professions include military and pilot while careers such as lecturer and salons aren't prone to the idea of stress. Companies should educate workers on the steps to manage one's anger. They include; one should take time to breathe for a minute since it lowers a person's level of anger, avoid interacting with the individual who prompted the anger until one cool down, evaluate the cause of anger and identify measures to avoid the occurrence of the incident. An angry worker should employ one of the following strategies which include consult, confide and counsel.

The act of people disagreeing over the best work strategy is at its initial stage. If colleagues continue to engage in disagreements concerning the working styles, it can create a rivalry in the work environment. Disunity among workers and employers can affect the work environment and run of the day to day activities in the job place.

The technique known as alternative dispute resolution (ADR) entails the use of strategies such as mediation, arbitration, and litigation (Moses, 2017). The purpose of the tools is to resolve disputes in different settings. The most appropriate ADR technique to deal with cases of workers having different opinions about work styles is mediation. Statistics suggest that around 90% of cases succeed because the technique provides long-term strategies for implementation. The strategy is quick since the entire process can take place within a month. Within workplaces, mediation processes use employers or employees as the mediator. It helps to reduce the amount of money needed to complete the concept. Unlike other techniques, one can schedule the sessions at a convenient time. It illustrates that the idea can apply at different locations and time frames. The concept of mediation is empowering since it encourages individuals to employ solutions that cater to the needs and wants of the involved parties. The mediation sessions are confidential through the fact that one can't access the documentations from the meetings. For one to get the writing materials, a person has to get the consent of the involved people even in legal proceedings. It shows that the technique values the idea of privacy.

The advantage of using the mediation process is that the reconciler has responsibilities to ensure the safety and completion of the dispute resolving method. They include; creating awareness to the parties about the issue of disagreement and the techniques needed to resolve the problem. The reconciler should employ effective communication strategies that can facilitate the running of the entire process.

Mediation is the best method of dealing with work-related disagreements. It is because the technique focuses on maintaining the relationship between the disputed individuals, ensures time and cost management also discourages the implementation of government action. The tool enables individuals to come to a union agreement which couldn't be possible without a mediator. In cases where it is an argument between an employer and worker, another employee can act as the mediator. It can facilitate an increase in transparency and trust in a work environment. A mediator must provide awareness about the disputed issue, initiate the discussion, provide resources and comment on the parties' thoughts and opinions. During the starting of a mediation conference, it is the work of the person in charge to identify the parties, come up with policies to follow, provide a seating arrangement and conduct an opening speech. It is important for a mediator to set up rules which ensure that the parties carry out activities such as note-taking and avoid interruptions. Experts mentioned that it is essential for the mediator to ask questions since it provides details on the interests, helps in coming up with solutions and discovering the consequences of failing to complete the reconciliation process. For one to become a mediator, a person should have a variety of traits which include positive minded, honest, tolerant and sense of humor. There are six steps that a person should take during the mediation process. they include; commencing the meeting, gather information, come up with issues and topics of discussion, control the movement, adhering to formalities and solving the dispute. It is important to note that the work of a mediator is to listen and take notes without bias.

There are challenges that a mediator expects to experience such as parties can decide to focus on position rather than interest (Livingstone, 2017). It is the responsibility of the mediator to ensure that the individuals are aware of the key aspects of the meeting. Individuals tend to interrupt each other and avoid listening to the different insights illustrated in the conference. It is important for the person in charge to educate them on employing effective communication tools to facilitate the success of the process. The supervisor should carry out separate meetings when the parties tend to become emotional hence focus on themselves than the problem. In situations where the involved individuals feel like the meetings aren't productive, the mediator should close the session.

The negotiating technique involves a process that doesn't require third parties to illustrate the best argument during the discussion. It is the responsibility of the parties with a dispute to decide on the most appropriate argument. Some aspects are important during the negotiating process which includes preparation, trust and the ability to bargain. An efficient negotiator should have the ability to control and managing the interests and personalities of the parties. There are techniques that a person can employ to ensure that one has exceptional negotiating abilities such as comprehending the stages of bargaining, activities that take place during negotiations and the characteristics of a good negotiator. It is important to note that the negotiation strategy has three phases which include the opening, middle and final period. During the first step, the parties should effectively express their views. It ensures that one understands the other person's perspective. It isn't a must for the parties to come up with an agreement at the initial phase. During the second stage known as exploring, there is a need for flexibility which facilitates productivity during the process.

The last step of negotiating has the name of the settlement. It is where the disputed individuals decide on whether they reached an agreement or not (Thompson, 2016). The negotiator goes ahead to come up with a strategy that allows the evaluation and monitoring of the resolved issue. The environment should remain calm which facilitates the maintenance of the relationship between the parties. It is important for a negotiation to have back up plans which ensure that the reconciliation of the individuals. There are challenges evident during a negotiation process such as the presence of distrust and feud among the individuals. Factors that hinder the success of negotiations include emotions, lack of awareness, absence of creative skills, and miscalculation. During disputes, there is a possibility that people don't want to think outside the box to understand their opponents. The strategy can't apply to work environments since it doesn't encourage the preservation of the connection between the individuals.

In arbitration, a third-party individual who does not favor either of the sides is involved to oversee and resolve the negotiation. The individual listens to the matter at hand and gives suggestions based on the arguments presented by parties involved in the conflict. The complainants may choose to arrange how the process will be conducted and which evidence will be acceptable before the arbitrary since there are no official rules to oversee the process. Similar to mediation, arbitration is cheaper compared to litigation. There are four types of arbitrations; grievance, advisory, binding and interest arbitration (Hayes, 2017). Previously arbitration was overseen...