How to Handle Employee Disagreements Like a Pro

Most businesses employ people with differing personalities, interests, viewpoints, opinions, and skills to create diverse and highly-effective teams. But the same differences and failure to reach a common ground often result in undesirable employee disagreements. Even small and startup business are prone to workplace conflicts.

Leadership is more than just guiding your team to complete a task, it involves developing your employees to reach their full potential as a team and as a business. As a leader, one of your many duties is to keep a harmonious work environment for your employees.

There’s a high chance that you’ll encounter a conflict at some point in your small business. How you handle such disagreements will leave an impression on your employees. As their leader, do you handle work conflicts professionally or poorly? Of course, you’d want to gain their respect. Here are some tips on how to handle employee disagreements like a pro.

Tips to Effectively Deal with Employee Disagreements

1. Keep an open mind.

Conflicts happen whether you like it or not. They are not always a bad thing. Constructive conflicts every now and then are even considered as an important part of building a highly-functioning team.

Conflicts do not mean doomsday for your business. Like other experiences, treat these disagreements as a learning experience. If handled well, employee conflicts can even show you the strengths of your employees, and the potential for improvement in their weaknesses.

Keep in mind that not all disagreements are constructive. Some of them might be caused by problematic employees. Employees who initiate disagreements for the sake of drama are not unheard of. Step up and determine the root cause of their issue and start from there. Are they just messing around or is there something they're unhappy about?

Disagreements, no matter the intensity, affect productivity, task completion, work relationships and day-to-day business operations. Determine the severity of the conflict, to make sure you take the right approach on handling the issue.

 

2. Schedule a meeting with all parties.

Immediate action should be taken once a conflict arises in your company.  Don't ignore the issue. As a business owner, ignoring workplace conflicts can damage your credibility as a leader. Delaying the resolution of the issue can also negatively affect your business’ work environment and company culture.

Schedule a meeting with everyone involved in and affected by the conflict. You don’t have to always be present. Encourage your employees to work it out themselves with their team leaders and/or the HR manager. This can help improve their problem-solving skills, self-sufficiency, and cooperation among co-workers.

But if it’s a serious issue, as the leader, your presence in the meeting can serve as a force to keep everyone grounded. Guide them and provide talking points if needed to make sure employees approach one another positively.

Don’t let them think that you’re there to solve the issue for them. Giving off an impression that you’ll be there to provide solutions every time won’t be good for your company in the long run. Know where and when you should draw the line.

 

3. Encourage open communication.

"A hot-tempered person stirs up conflict, but the one who is patient calms a quarrel." -- Proverbs 15:18

Don't let emotions take over the conversation and your decisions. You wouldn’t want your employees to have unnecessary banters which can even make matters worse. Open and constructive communication is the key.

Don’t make assumptions. All parties must be given an equal chance to speak up. Be objective and give each side a fair hearing. Ask for proof if needed – documents, screenshots, etc. Guide the conversation to keep it on track. Interject questions or ask them to clarify some points if needed.

 

4. Acknowledge and address the root cause of the conflict.

There are numerous possible reasons for every conflict. It can vary from miscommunication, workstyle differences, leadership conflict, personality clashes, interdependence or even a combination of them.

Identifying the root cause of the disagreement can help you come up with the most ideal decision possible. This is why giving both parties a fair chance to share their side of the story is very important. It helps you identify the core issue.

 

5. Discuss reasonable solutions.

Every conflict no matter what intensity needs a clear resolution, a closure. Your employee handbook can help shed some light on how to best approach the situation. Aligning your decision with company policy help guarantee a fair and appropriate resolution.

Make sure all parties involved would reach a common ground. Provide them a written agreement if needed. An apology is a great first step to mend marred relationships.

Be proactive and find ways to prevent the issue from happening again. Was there a loophole in the company policy? Maybe it’s time for some organizational changes.

 

It’s only natural for employees to have varying opinions and personalities but remind them to not let these differences affect their performance at work. As the leader and business owner, it is a must to promote a healthy environment for your employees where they can maintain a harmonious professional relationship.

Effectively handling employee disagreements is only one aspect of becoming a leader and a successful business owner. Check out my other blog posts for more tips, guides, and other resources that can help you develop a stronger business and leadership mindset.