How to solve workplace conflicts - people are being mocked and teased?

Kindly suggest me, how to solve workplace conflicts.

In every organization, serious people are being mocked and teased, and the victim has no option but to leave the organization. Discussion of personal matters should be avoided, but how?

Dear Ashish,

This is in addition to what Madhuri has suggested.

You need to train your staff on "Assertive Skills" as well. This will help those who are being teased unnecessarily.

Secondly, you need to work on the organization's culture as well. Your post indirectly shows that there is a lack of team spirit in your company.

Thirdly, managers should understand the cost of attrition as well. The exit of every single employee is quite detrimental to the company, and a lot of cost is incurred in arranging the replacement. This fact should be emphasized in the minds of the employees.

Lastly, you need to train your managers on "Conflict Handling Skills" as well. It is the duty of managers to eradicate negative conflict and substitute positive conflict in its place. It appears that they lack this skill.

The incident also speaks about leadership in your company. They are not monitoring exactly what's happening in their company.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

*“Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance.”*

As Mr. Dinesh Divekar said, it has a lot to do with the organization's social culture. All employees may not have the same demeanor. Some may be exuberant socially, and others may be reticent, while yet others may be inhibitive. Instead of showing an understanding of this diversity and respecting other employees' privacy, the other employees indulged in teasing him, which may drive him to leave the service. The HR should discuss this issue with the offending employees and emphasize the need to have a proactive and amiable approach. Mr. Divekar has come up with good suggestions to reorient the attitude of the offending employees and their victim.

B. Saikumar
HR & Labour Law Consultant
Chipinbiz Consultancy Pvt. Ltd
Mumbai
022-28324234

This scenario is termed as Workplace Bullying, and unfortunately, there is no remedy for this. No law in India provides any remedy for employees who are targeted for bullying. Workplace Bullying is not limited to any specific types of companies or industries; it is common everywhere. The only solution is to survive this scenario. Such organizational culture leads to workplace politics. I believe the following write-up will give you better insight into the matter.

Impact of Workplace Bullying on Organizational Culture - Impact of Workplace Bullying on Organizational Culture | Global Human Capital Management and Development

I have done extensive research on this subject. Let me know if you have any queries.

Thanks, Sanjeev

Just some general thoughts on this:

I have firsthand experience of this issue. I agree it is commonplace even in countries where there are laws or rules against bullying in the workplace. In my opinion, the situation is allowed to exist because of weak managers who are not prepared to address the situation and maybe are worried about making things worse - it is always easier to do nothing whereas addressing these issues requires courage. Most managers, in my experience, do nothing at all unless it is really serious.

Those who are affected by this sort of issue need to collect evidence - keep a diary of events and write down things that are said and done which cause upset and offense then go to your manager and relate the facts as calmly as possible. It may also be a good idea for those who feel the same way to get together to encourage each other and maybe together make a representation to the relevant manager (or go to the personnel/HR department) again presenting recorded facts.

I suspect that this is more prevalent in public service environments (where there is probably less incentive for individual managers to deal with these things) than in smaller private companies.

I hope this is of some help.

Best wishes from the UK (Sorry but better if I remain anonymous!)

You can come up with a policy wherein the employees would be punished for such acts. A harassment policy that includes sexual harassment, harassment/discrimination based on gender, race, color, religion, age, national origin, disability, and sexual orientation. This way, out of fear of punishment, employees will avoid such behavior, contributing to maintaining discipline.

The managers are the ones requiring retuning. The bullies are clearly demotivated and classically pick on someone to raise their self-esteem. Managers, even without addressing the problem, may by using motivational techniques such as job enlargement and enrichment, get the bullies to focus on their tasks more so they don't have as much slack time to bully nor the desire to do it.

Conflict between employees is common and unavoidable. It can be good or bad depending on how well a leader resolves the conflict in the workplace.

What Actions Should Leaders Take When Employee Conflict Appears?

1. Keep the Employees Calm and Let Them Tell Their Story
People are not smart enough when losing their temper, thus the mediator needs to make them calm down before taking further actions. You can choose to have a meeting with both sides at the same time or do it individually. There are different opinions on this issue, but the key here is to let them tell the most honest story to see the panoramic picture of the dispute. Remember to assess the degree of conflict to avoid turning a meeting into a war when talking with two individuals or two groups at the same time. Active listening will help both individuals feel understood and respected.

2. Identify the Root Causes
By listening to both sides and gossip around, you will have the big picture of the conflict among employees. The dispute between two parties in the workplace doesn’t necessarily have a job-related impediment. Sometimes it stems from interpersonal issues. Focus on the behaviors, not the personalities, when asking questions about what happened. In the case of group arguments, the influence of negative emotions might be the real cause of employee disputes. Have you ever heard of crowd psychology? When you know the source, you can figure out the most suitable outcome for the issue.

3. Look for a Resolution, Not a Judgment
As a leader, you should never take sides even though you are closer to one side than another. It’s hard to stay objective, but you have to be fair if you want to resolve the conflict successfully. There’s no room for blaming anyone as it makes no sense. Moreover, this action can burn the last bridge on the way to finding peace again. Encourage your employees to accept the differences in personalities, habits, and personal values among people instead of trying to prove “I’m a winner and the other is just a loser.” By giving the missing sight of the situation, a lot of misunderstandings can be overcome easily. If the same conflict arises again, it’s time for you to reevaluate these employees. Job rotation or firing decisions could be made if needed to prevent a bigger impact on other employees in the team, department, and organization.

Preventive Measures

1. Enhance Communication Among Employees
Communication plays a crucial role in preventing future conflict in the workplace. A friendly environment will create favorable conditions for employees to understand each other, exchange ideas, and give feedback. For introverted employees, you may want to provide communication skills training or team-building activities to encourage them to talk more. Remember to find the ways to deal with difficult employees who can cause several unexpected disputes in your organization.

2. Develop Formal Processes and Procedures for Resolving Employee Conflict
Of course, you can’t cover all types of employee conflict in a document, but you will have the base of common cases to follow. An official process will help your employees know exactly how to find help when an argument happens. By keeping an eye on your employees, you can see the conflict before it becomes out of control.

3. Lead by Example
A happy corporate culture is the key here. Employees often look at leaders at all levels of organizational hierarchy to copy their behaviors in the workplace. Put more simply, from the CEO and department directors to supervisors, need to be examples of good interaction and communication in the organization. Conflict is an essential part of human life in general and the world of work in particular. What we need to do is respect the differences from one individual to another and find the best ways to harmonize conflict to minimize the negative impacts on other people and the whole organization.

Hope this helps.
Regards