Workplace conflict

Overview
As the name implies, workplace conflict is an angry, conflictual or confrontational relationship between co-workers or an employee and his or her supervisor. Workplace conflict may be caused by a personal, professional, physical, emotional, or psychological perception of threat or risk to yourself or someone else.
Generally, the perception of positive relationships between supervisors and employees is related to higher levels of work satisfaction. Conflict with a supervisor is usually related to organizationally relevant outcomes such as job dissatisfaction, lack of organizational commitment and turnover. Conflict with co-workers is usually related to personally relevant outcomes, such as depression and other physical symptoms that may have a psychological basis.


Characteristics
Physically, you may experience fatigue, a decreased energy level or sleep disturbances. You may also feel queasy the night before work. Psychologically, you may feel angry, irritable, powerless, worthless, defensive and frustrated. You may also experience low self-esteem and a loss of motivation. Socially, workplace conflict may impact your work performance and other work relationships. You may have a higher level of absenteeism and a fluctuating work pattern. You may also feel isolated, procrastinate or withdraw from work activities.
Sometimes, a conflict in the workplace can be more than you're able to handle at the time. Symptoms such as sleep disturbances, decreased energy, changes in appetite, anxiety, depression, inability to concentrate and hopelessness may warrant further evaluation by a health care professional.

As with all physical symptoms, consult a medical doctor to rule out a medical condition. If these or any other symptoms cause you distress that doesn't seem to improve, seek additional help and support from a mental health care professional.


Coping strategies
You may want to begin by assessing the problem. Document the nature of the conflict, how long it's lasted, and who is involved. Consider what you've done to resolve the conflict. Also, understand the nature of your job and the culture of the organization. If performance issues are a concern, what is the severity, frequency and duration? Be aware of the impact conflict can have on your personal life, physical health and emotional health, as well as that of the other people involved. Keep in mind the potential for violence in the workplace, as well as discrimination or bias issues. If you have any concerns about workplace conflict, consult your human resources representative or an appropriate member of the management team that's responsible for ensuring your company's policies and ethical guidelines.
If you're a supervisor, document any previous or current work performance issues for the employee, as well as any previous problems with other supervisors. Find out if the person has a history of anger management concerns, including angry outbursts in either a personal or work setting. Also find out if there has been any current or past human resources involvement.

To approach conflict negotiation and resolution in a positive manner, be direct and straightforward. Focus on the issues rather than the person involved. Use an appropriate problem-solving approach, and strive to achieve a win/win solution. Keep in mind that several outcomes to conflict negotiation are possible. In a win/win situation, an agreement that meets the needs of both people is reached. With a compromise, each person gives up part of his or her agenda. Or, you may agree to disagree. In this case, you will acknowledge that agreement is not essential to reaching mutual goals, and that disagreement does not damage your relationship. In a win/lose situation, one person prevails and the other loses. This outcome has a high potential to damage the relationship. If you don't reach a solution, the conflict or disagreement may simply continue.

If you find yourself working with a difficult person, having a strategy in mind may be helpful. Start by assessing the situation. Stop wishing the person were different, and distance yourself from the difficult behavior. Formulate a plan for interrupting interactions with the person, and implement your strategy. Monitor the progress or the effectiveness of your coping strategies and modify them when appropriate.

You may also want to consider seeking outside resources to help yourself cope with workplace conflict. For example, options may include individual or career counseling or training in stress management, assertiveness or anger management. Consulting peers and seeking support from human resources or an appropriate manager can be useful as well.