How Should I Handle Disrespect and Conflict in the Workplace as an HR Professional?

Hi all, I need your suggestion!

Handling Workplace Conflicts

In our office, two employees are having a loud discussion that is impacting others' work. I asked them what was happening and why they were being so loud. One of the employees shouted at me very arrogantly, saying, "Don't talk to me," in front of everyone.

Incident During Morning Interaction

On the same day in the morning, I came to the office, and an employee asked me who the winner of last Saturday's competition was. I replied that our team had won the game, and he made another comment that made everyone, including me, laugh. However, another employee felt bad because I laughed.

Apology and Personal Reflection

After a meeting with the CEO and COO, he apologized to me, but it felt meaningless. I feel insulted, and my self-respect is hurt.

As an HR professional and a human being, please advise me on what I should do.

Hi,

These are trivial issues. Call the employees who have raised their voices to a separate cabin and counsel them. Educate them that raising their voice and speaking against HR are not good practices. Document this as a verbal warning in their personal file.

Hello Sir,

Thank you for the reply. The CEO and COO called him for a discussion in his cabin, and at that time, he said sorry to me, but only for formality purposes. The next day, most employees showed me their attitude, did not talk with me, and avoided me. Without any mistake, they want me to feel guilty.

With due consideration to human feelings, certain things are to be ignored. Loud voices and talk about HR, if any, can be overlooked if it is a stray comment. It is not HR's duty to tell any employee to be less noisy. The department head should tackle such intra-department issues. Just do your duty in a friendly and interactive manner.

Dear colleague,

In the first incident of loud talking, your approach was inappropriate. You should not have directly reprimanded the employee, as it is the team leader's responsibility to manage discipline. Instead, you should have addressed this disruptive behavior with the employee and advised them to take appropriate action.

The second incident is so minor that it could have been easily overlooked.

Regards,
Vinayak Nagarkar
HR Consultant