It is common for a type of work to occur in a work environment. conflict between manager and employeehowever, when the discussions go beyond the limits, they need to be resolved.
Since, when a conflict between manager and employee is poorly managed, the company loses money.
This is what a study pointed out American NCBI which showed that in the USA there is a loss of almost 3 hours a week to resolve conflicts in the workplace. As a result, companies lose about $ 359 billion in lost time.
That is, when the conflict between manager and employee is not resolved, the tendency is for there to be loss of productivity, unsatisfactory results and high turnover.
So, how is it possible to resolve the conflict between manager and employee effectively? In this article we have prepared some tips to help you. Check out!
Situations that generate conflict between manager and employee
Mediating and dealing with conflicts is not an easy task, since there are different beliefs, opinions, profiles and egos within a company. Because of this, it is common for there to be divergence. However, harmony, in this sense, cannot be lost.
We list some of the situations in which there is a likelihood of generating a conflict between manager and employee.
Professional devaluation
Not valuing what the team does and always trying to take the merits of the results alone is one of the main causes of conflict between manager and employee.
When there is no professional appreciation, there is no trust and the employee does everything out of obligation, just to “stick to the schedule”.
Therefore, to avoid conflicts with your employees, create routines where he is valued for the good things he does. Give him chances to grow and walk side by side in defeats and victories.
For this, it is important to know the strengths and weaknesses of your employee, so that it is possible to take advantage of what he does best, enhancing his qualities.
Insubordination
Insubordination can even cause dismissal for just cause and occurs when an employee rejects, for different reasons, the order of a superior. This is one of the causes of the conflict between manager and employee.
This is because when it reaches this point there is no more respect between the parties and differences of opinion are enough to cause fights.
Therefore, it is important that the manager do not be disrespectful to the team and always try to resolve all pending issues without dragging or ignoring them for a while.
Excessive competition
Competition in the job market is common and can even be healthy if it encourages professionals to be better every day.
However, when someone believes that in order to grow, they must go over everything and everyone ends up generating conflicts in the business environment.
This is because the tendency is that excessive competition turns the environment into a hostile place and with rivalries that create unease among the team.
To improve this scenario, the manager has to pay attention to work relationships and minimize only individual benefits that instigate this excessive competition.
For this reason, collective awards, which encourage teamwork, and offer the same conditions to everyone to achieve a certain benefit, can help in this regard.
Negative feedback
You Negative feedbacks can be beneficial when constructive, but they can also create conflict between manager and employee. Since, uViolent communication can damage relationships in the workplace.
Therefore, when giving negative feedback, one of the causes of a possible conflict between manager and employee, use a positive vocabulary, be transparent and rely on data.
In fact, this was one of the topics we covered in the article “How to give negative feedback: 6 steps to achieve it without any constraints”.
A feedback, even if negative, requires security from the manager in relation to what he is talking about, in order to avoid a possible conflict between manager and employee.
When feedback has a concrete basis, it makes the employee see this moment as an opportunity to evolve and not as something detrimental to his career.
Relationship problems
A survey by Sodexo showed that companies that prioritize quality of life have a 91% better working climate. And the quality of life is linked to good work relationships.
If there is a conflict between manager and employee the whole team is affected and the climate becomes heavy, employees become tense, uncommitted and relationship problems become evident.
So, the relationship problem is one of the situations that can cause conflict between manager and employee. For when there is no sincerity, justice, ethics and respect in relationships, conflicts are a negative consequence in this regard.
Tips for dealing with conflict
Unresolved and constantly evolving frictions can be extremely negative in a company's routine.
Differences of opinion happen constantly, however, when a conflict between manager and employee begins to impact the company's results and the team's productivity, it is necessary to create strategies to deal with them.
Below we list some tips to change this reality.
Eliminate prejudice
A good manager needs to let go of his prejudices and his biases of thinking in order to be above conflicts. For that it is necessary to be in constant reflection and with a great sense of self-awareness.
This helps to understand differences, opposing opinions and to avoid conflict between manager and employee. The manager needs to be open to understanding both sides of the coin and to understanding the occasions for disagreement without pre-judgment.
Use active listening strategies
Active listening can be a decisive factor in minimizing the conflict between manager and employee. Being all ears can be a great asset for the manager to put himself in the shoes of his subordinates.
Listening is the first option to lessen the impact of a conflict between manager and employee. And that does not mean that it is necessary to agree with everything that your team says. But you need to respect them and empathize by listening to what everyone has to say.
Practice empathy
The resolution of a conflict between manager and employee necessarily involves the practice of empathy. This is where a bond of trust is created between the team.
Creating empathy is not an easy task, showed a survey by Society for Human Resource Management. According to her, only 40% of managers are able to effectively empathize with their employees.
However, it is extremely necessary for the manager to put himself in the other's place, understanding his feelings and behaviors. Since it will thus be possible to impact the cultivation of good relations and the retaining talent
Ask HR for help
Follow the code of conduct and company policies are one of the first steps to be able to mediate a conflict between manager and employee. However, this step is not always sufficient for conflicts to be resolved.
In this case, HR needs to be part of conflict resolution, with strategies that determine something more customizable to what is happening.
Including guiding the manager on how to deal with the employee, without exceeding the limits and the company's code of conduct.
Investing in business communication
One study by Project Management Institute Brasil (PMI) revealed that 76% of the largest companies in the country put communication as the main reason for the failure of business activities.
And when it comes to communication failure, we can also highlight the damage it brings to internal relations. Thus generating a conflict between manager and employee.
After all, when neither one nor the other knows which way to go, it is common for disagreements to arise, “he said he told me” and serious failures in the transmission of information.
To improve this communication, the company can invest in information channels that facilitate the relationship between manager and employee.
Daily, weekly, biweekly or monthly strategic meetings can help to evaluate results and redirect the execution of tasks. Eliminating possible noise in the communication capable of generating some type of conflict between manager and employee.
Solve conflicts today!
The conflict between manager and employee can be detrimental to the company if it is not treated with due importance. Postponing the solution of these divergences can have negative impacts on the organization.
Since the loss of team productivity, the creation of a toxic environment and the increase in absenteeism rates and turnover. Therefore, it is very important to follow some of the tips that we quote throughout the article to deal with the conflict between manager and employee.
Mainly avoiding situations that can lead to these conflicts. To this end, managers are required to empathize with employees, cancel thought biases, practice active listening and even resort to HR.
To better understand the importance of conflict management, read our article “What is conflict management? Learn to deal with disagreements in the company ”.
