Workplace Conflict Has Increased Despite Remote Working 

Pandemic-induced conflict concerns from managing consistent change to social disconnections have created a new working landscape. The pandemic-related challenges causing distress between September 2020 and March 2021 were uncovered with over 550 employees and managers responding to questions about their new work environment, highest stressors and the types of conflict that plagues their performance. 

The bright side is that we have created a list of 10 tips that will help you to reduce and embrace the effects of conflict in your workplace. 

80% of respondents feel optimistic about the opportunity to stay positive during this time.  Let’s give them a helping hand by implementing some or all of these recommendations. 

Here are all 10 tips to restore peace, productivity and profit

I realize this is a whole buffet of options, so I am going to serve up one a week for the next ten weeks in a very short video clip so you can digest them all. 

1. Train managers to have caring conversations with their team members to clarify how employees are really doing with work and personal demands. In order to manage performance effectively, an understanding of the larger picture can help extend appropriate support. These 10 tips are a great start!

2. Support staff resiliency – Workplace stress goes beyond the job with remote workers because attention goes to the highest stress point.  Dealing with hardships relating to family, isolation and wellbeing require energy.  Offer support to team members in attractive and confidential ways, assuming that everyone is fighting a tough inner battle whether they’re talking about it or not. 

3. Balance work and personal life – We’re now playing in a global, virtual sandbox that runs 24 / 7.  There is little to no down-time; virtual meetings extend back-to-back, and the regular outings that we used as a pressure release aren’t taking place.  Help individuals find the gaps between what they feel is important, and how they spend their time, then help them take action to close those gaps to focus and engage fully in doing what’s important.  Offer suggestions or incentives for people to plan and take action toward a healthy balance between career and personal goals. 

4. Retain your people by helping them see the long-range forecast of their employment and the opportunities for growth. This will build confidence in job security for them, and result in improved retention for you. 

5. Share policies for personal safety to instill confidence of employees and use these policies as foundational ground rules for performance requirements. 

6. Remind people about your workplace conflict resolution process. Create one if necessary.  Ensure your managers have a clear understanding, of the conflict resolution process, so they can inform front line workers. 

7. Offer training to help people gain the tools to have difficult conversations. Get people practicing good communication during the sandstorms, and build a culture of candor with honest, safe discussions that hash things out. 

8. Connect face-to-face.  As often as possible, meet in-person or virtually with video on to help people connect better than just reading messages or hearing conversation.   

9. Hold people accountable to their performance requirements by balancing productivity conversations with empathy and support.  HR is supposed to be ‘keepers of the culture’, but leaders are lacking empathy, especially with conflicting values of business needs and employee needs. 

10. Create opportunities for strengthening interpersonal relationships by making time for team building and socializing despite the distance. What is needed right now is connection. 

Communication Resolves Conflict 

Good communication has always been the key to productive and profitable workplace relationships.  With a better understanding of the unique challenges and trends that both employees and management encounter during and post-pandemic, we know what we need to be talking about, and can develop the necessary communication tools to lead and succeed long into the future. 

If you can’t find your way, call us for help.  We offer in-person and virtual services of conflict resolution, training, planning strategies and accountability with our four-step Sandbox System™.  Book a discovery call today at www.PennyTremblay.com.