In a perfect world, your new business would be full to the brim of people who genuinely like each other. Teams would work like well-oiled machines, and no one would ever dream of leaving a passive-aggressive note in the break room. However, reality is often less idyllic. When you have a personality conflict in your department, things can very quickly go from bad to worse. Addressing these issues early and openly can prevent a big blow-up and reduce the amount of time your employees are feeling resentful on the clock.
Address the Problem Early
If you have two employees who are regularly coming to you with complaints about each other, or who seem to bicker at every team meeting, now is the time to resolve the issue. The longer you wait, the more likely it is to become a much larger problem. While this is a concern for businesses of any size, new, small companies in particular have to pay close attention to conflict. Two employees fighting can create a negative atmosphere that bleeds into other workers, which can spell disaster when there are only so many workers to begin with. As soon as you have the impression that there's an issue between two employees that goes beyond a simple disagreement, make an effort to address the situation.
Establish Clear, Open Communication
The first thing you should do to resolve conflict is to talk to the employees in question. You can talk to them separately if you like, but you absolutely must talk to them together. Make sure everyone is on even footing, however: If you plan to talk to each employee alone, give both of them this opportunity before you talk to them together. Otherwise, you're creating a situation where one of your employees might feel trapped or ambushed, potentially exacerbating the situation.
Let your employees know up front what the conversation is about so neither of them are blindsided. While the odds are good they're both aware of the issue, it is possible that one of them doesn't realize the impression he or she is giving. Ask them frank questions about what's been going on, and be willing to pause the conversation if things become heated. These sorts of talks give both of them the opportunity to express the issues they're having and help you figure out the best steps going forward.
Set Ground Rules
Once you've brought the conflict into the open, the next step is to resolve it and move on. One of the ways Forbes recommends you do this is to make it very clear what kind of behavior is and isn't acceptable. This is a vital move for a new business, which is not only setting the tone for this conflict but for its office culture in the future. You're already setting an example by resolving the conflict, but be sure to take it a step further by addressing the source of the conflict itself. Were the employees unsure which of them should have final say? Take this as an opportunity to establish a clear chain of command. Was one or both of them undermining the other in some way or instigating arguments? Create some sort of employee performance plan to address attitude problems in the workplace.
By dealing with conflicts this way, you give your business a strong foundation going forward. See every conflict either as an opportunity to create a plan of action or a moment to implement a previously created one. As time goes on, you'll have a set of guidelines for dealing with common issues and the experience needed to address the unexpected.
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