We spend most of our days sharing with people from work, we establish work and personal relationships and each one has different values, personalities and ways of working. Therefore, it will be an environment where problems and inconveniences can arise that can lead to confrontation.
Labor disputes or conflicts are very common; disagreements exist in every work environment. For this reason, it is important for the Human Resources department to know the labor conflict resolution system, because this type of dispute affects the productivity of the company.
Throughout this article we will discuss conflict resolution . Keep reading to learn more about the most common problems, how to solve them, what steps to take in these cases, etc.
What are labor disputes?
Conflicts and inconveniences often arise during work days, but there is no doubt that to improve the atmosphere it is necessary to resolve in the best and fastest way possible any friction or misunderstandings that may arise.
Without a doubt, a work environment free of tension and conflict is a more productive environment. Therefore, the human resources department must be able to manage teams and prevent labor conflicts that may arise due to a certain situation.
Do you know how to prevent workplace misunderstandings? Do you know the techniques to resolve arguments that occur in the company? Keep reading to learn more about these topics, which are very important to know how to act in the event of a workplace conflict.
We refer to labor conflicts as the discussions that arise between two or more people, produced in a work environment, and most of the time they have to do with the objectives set by the company. These types of discussions are very frequent, but you must know how to address them in order to be able to solve them as soon as possible.
20% EXTRA DISCOUNT
Get started today and get fully certified with our Tactics for Managing Difficult People at Work course
- 100% online at your own pace
- Practical exercises
- Lifetime Access
- Certified endorsed
Apply the coupon [DARE] and get an extra 20% discount for only 100 students. Click the button and join!
What can trigger labor disputes?
Before knowing how to deal with workplace conflicts, it is important to know some of their possible causes, in order to avoid them in some cases:
1. Scarcity of resources
If workers need certain resources that are in short supply, such as computers, paper, and other materials necessary to carry out their daily work, this can lead to competition or disagreements over obtaining the resources.
2. Differences of opinions
Employees may have different opinions or points of view regarding a topic or a certain situation. This can lead to arguments and therefore a solution will have to be found.
3. Differences in objectives
It is necessary for the company to establish common objectives, otherwise it can lead to misunderstandings and each person can work towards their own objective, generating a conflict.
4. Equitable distribution
Everyone must have their functions and tasks detailed, so that functions that do not correspond are not performed and this can generate labor conflicts due to the development of tasks by other colleagues.
5. Lack of communication
Lack of communication can lead to misunderstandings between employees or the company. It is important to always maintain clear communication aligned with objectives.
6. Different personal values
Each employee has their own personal values, which depend on many factors and can lead to arguments.
7. Different ways of doing things
Each worker performs tasks differently, and if this clashes with another worker's way of doing things, it can create a conflict.
Now that we know some of the causes that can generate conflicts, let's see how to prevent misunderstandings.
It is always better to be safe than sorry or resort to a solution to workplace conflicts. So below we will help you on how to prevent misunderstandings.
FREE DOWNLOAD
Learn to develop conflict resolution skills and learn effective negotiation techniques to deal with difficult people at work.
How to resolve labor disputes?
1. Assertive communication
Communication is very important to give clear and specific instructions on the tasks to be performed. But this communication must also be assertive, so that the message can be understood.
2. Define the company structure
Employees must be familiar with the structure, organizational chart, and who plays the role of leaders, in order to be aware of their responsibilities and know the communication channels.
3. Empathize and negotiate
There must be a relationship of respect, understanding and the possibility of negotiating with employees to make them understand that being able to be in their place and reaching agreements is the most important thing.
The most important thing in the resolution of labor conflicts
The human resources department is responsible for detecting labor conflicts in time, having an action plan and an effective and prompt response.
They should present themselves as neutral in confrontations, having strategies that can help in different cases. Some of the actions you can take are to meet with the people involved to reach agreements. Listen to both parties involved in the conflict, understand and propose solutions that benefit both.
Avoid making the confrontation personal, identify the differences and what prevents you from reaching an agreement. Then you move on to the resolution stage, in which case you should do the following.
The first thing is to detect the conflict in time, so that it does not become a more serious problem. Study the situation and listen to both parties. Define the objective that you want to achieve by resolving the problem.
Negotiate between both parties to reach a joint solution, assessing which of these solutions will benefit everyone involved. Once we find a middle ground, we must follow up on the case to find out if what was proposed is being fulfilled.
In short, labor conflicts are very common, which is why the human resources department must be prepared and, if they occur, know how to respond effectively and in time before the problem spreads.
The main thing is to identify the causes, as we mentioned above, and there may be many of them, but the ideal is to keep team leaders alert to possible conflicts, training staff to resolve them without having to escalate the problem further.
It is not always that simple, for this there are different techniques that will help you negotiate with the parties involved, and they are the ones mentioned above: identifying the problem, mediating between both parties, acting as an arbitrator and negotiating.
We hope that after reading the article you have a clearer idea of what to do in these cases, and can structure the appropriate strategies for each case.
Courses that may interest you
Do you want to acquire more skills that will help you perform better in the area of Human Resources Management? We recommend our courses on Wellbeing and Positive Psychology, Time Management and Productivity , and Effective Communication.
