Working from home adds new pressures, including the expectation to always be available, the inability of staff to have informal conversations outside the forum of virtual communication programmes like Zoom, and the lack of feeling listened to.

One of the benefits of being in an office is that we can pick up the feelings, gestures, and overall mood of our colleagues and take action to provide them with support.

Home working may result in conflict between team members going unnoticed or even being completely hidden from other colleagues. Here we take a look at the impact conflict and disputes can have in the workplace and the steps you can take to resolve them.

What causes conflicts in the workplace?

Conflict in the workplace can be caused by a wide range of factors, some of which HR departments have greater control over and some of which they have less ability to influence. Factors which are likely to increase workplace conflict between workers include:

• Personality clashes
• Promotion
• Absence and absence management
• Value clashes
• An overly competitive culture
• Poor communication
• Excessive workload
• Roles that overlap or are not clearly defined in scope
• Lack of equal opportunities or treatment
• Not being listened to
• Not listening to staff
• Workplace change
• Conflicts arising from unresolved issues
• Lack of training on ethics, values, behaviour, and how to report bullying or victimisation, and
• Poor supervision

How can conflict be resolved?

Initiate mediation earlier

All too often, methods that can prove highly effective in bringing about a resolution to conflicts are used far too late. This may be because some existing HR processes and procedures view mediation as a step in a formal process.

The risk of waiting too late and over-formalising the process is that the conflict can get out of hand and cause considerable damage if not dealt with early. This is backed up by research by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) that found “employers are not making the most of the potential of early dispute resolution approaches like mediation to help settle disputes”.

By inviting employees experiencing conflict to enter into mediation earlier to find common ground, it is possible to shift the focus towards a positive resolution rather than a protracted formal and potentially negative process.

Support for front-line managers

With the trend towards asking more and more of front-line managers in an operational capacity, there is less time for them to manage their team.

Front line managers in an operational capacity are being asked more and more off, meaning there’s less time for them to manage their team

CIPD’s research shows that managers often feel least confident when it comes to people management. This highlights the importance of putting in place regular training to empower team leaders to spot and deal with the signs of team conflict with speed and confidence.