Conflicts in the workplace are inevitable, but that doesn’t mean they have to affect your productivity or happiness in the office. Learning how to resolve conflicts quickly and with ease is a vital skill for maintaining meaningful relationships and keeping the peace at work. Below are four easy to follow tips for resolving conflicts in the workplace.
Communicate Clearly and Frequently
The key to resolving conflicts at the office is to communicate the problem to the other party. This means being open and honest to your coworkers about how you feel and why you feel that way. Letting people know what bothers you and makes you tick can help to avoid conflicts in the workplace. And once a conflict has been created, talking through it calmly and respectfully with the other people can help you find a solution that meets both your needs.
Don’t Make it Personal
Something to remember when dealing with conflicts in the workplace is to never make an argument or disagreement personal. If you have a conflict in your personal life with a coworker, make sure that anger doesn’t make its way to the workplace. If you are close with your coworkers and know personal details about their life, it’s important you never bring up those details or past disagreements in the office. All workplace conflicts should stay professional and respectful so you can easily resolve them and get back to doing your jobs.
Hit Conflicts Head On
“Don’t fear conflict; embrace it – it’s your job.” When it comes to being an employee, especially one with a leadership position, resolving conflicts should be a priority. In an office environment, it’s important that you never ignore a problem or a conflict thinking it will go away on its own. Most problems tend to get worse and intensify if not addressed right away. Especially in an office setting, ignored conflicts can lead to unnecessary tension with people you have to coexist with for forty hours a week. Always hit conflicts head on and never let them simmer for too long.
Learn to Let Things Go
Learning to pick your battles at the workplace is a great way to resolve office problems fast. If someone is doing something small that bothers you, instead of making a big uproar about try to think if it’s worth starting a conflict. If not, you should try to let it go. Save large workplace conflicts for the things that matter and affect the office as a whole.
For more tips on how to communicate with coworkers, check out our latest blog post “TED TALK: 10 Ways to Have a Better Conversation.”