A quarter of UK employees have experienced workplace conflict in the past year according to a CIPD study. The workforce is also a reflection of our wider society, experiencing polarisation of views and employees are increasingly voicing them.
The CIPD report reveals that only a third of employees involved in conflict at work feel it was resolved. 30% of employees reported that the conflict had been ‘partly’ resolved’ and 34% said that it had not been resolved at all. However, 81% of employers stated that they feel they are doing enough to avoid and manage harassment and bullying in the workplace.
Lucy Fitzgerald, CEO of Fitzgerald HR said, “many employers have confidence in their policies for addressing bullying and harassment; the disconnect between intentions and outcomes often stems from challenges in practical implementation’. “Policies on paper can seem robust, but if workplace culture or leadership behaviours don’t fully align then employees may still feel unsupported or unheard. Often, employers are driven by the desire to quickly resolve issues, leading them to overlook deeper problems or the complexity of interpersonal conflict.”
Policies
Businesses are being urged to implement robust policies that address workplace conflict after research shows discrepancy between an employer’s procedures and employee’s experiences. The report noted that procedures are often drawn out, which adds to the employee’s stress and also means more cost for the business. It is therefore vital for an employer to act quickly.
Rachel Suff, from CIPD says “having an anti-bullying and harassment policy that outlines a robust approach to inappropriate behaviour can help to prevent conflict and enable people to speak up. This will help to create a culture where every individual feels able to challenge unfair treatment.” But employers must put this policy into practice.
Training
Without the right skills and training managers could be the cause of conflict within their team, but at Guildford HR we are independent which is important and are therefore not aligned to either party.
Kate Palmer, employment services director at Peninsula, said: “Employers should not forget that line managers will need specific training and support. Businesses should ensure line managers understand company policies and procedures given that they are on the frontline implementing them.”
McAdams said organisations could boost line managers’ confidence in challenging inappropriate behaviour by being clear in their recruitment practices about the behavioural and technical skills and competencies required of their line managers, as well as providing support and development for managers to enable them to gain the required skills and competencies. Guildford HR can help with training line managers to have these difficult conversations.
Employees understand but tolerate others’ points of view less and less. Many issues that come up at work (such as defining hybrid work arrangements) are subjective and require flexibility, but people are defaulting to their clear definitions of ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, without seeing the need for nuance. This therefore creates conflict.
What can employers do?
If managers can bring their employees together to listen to each other the more chance there will be to resolve problems before conflict arises. Employers could think about having facilitated conversations with their employees and talk about their processes of dealing with conflict. This will allow employees to have open discussions with each other, facilitated by a neutral third party. This won’t always be the right solution, but it may stop the small issues becoming bigger.
People are feeling increasingly empowered to speak up and less inclined to accept perceived injustices, perhaps influenced by witnessing others taking similar actions. Employers, especially those in regulated industries, are encouraging employees to speak up, and giving them tools to do so – including anonymous channels.
If you would like to have a discussion about how Guildford HR can support your business, whether it is policies, guidance or training do not delay and contact us today to arrange a free of charge discovery call on 01483 362732 or hello@guildford-hr.co.uk
HR Policies | What we do | Guildford HR
References
- CIPD study (2024)
- Peninsula
