How to resolve conflicts between managers and employees

This article is about conflict resolution in companies and organizations. Management has a responsibility in two respects:

• Division of tasks
• Preserving the health of employees

Conflicts between manager and employee come unexpectedly. A majority of organizations have a policy on how to deal with conflict. But what is the course of action in each case? In her article, she discusses the most common types of conflicts that managers face and provides some practical advice on how to handle them.

1 -Difference in opinion

Empathy is the key here. Being in the shoes of your employees will allow you to understand what they are thinking and help them explain themselves in a better way. A lack of empathy can lead managers to be defensive, which causes escalation of conflict. It’s important that comments aimed at correcting employees be done with respect and without anger or cockiness. It’s also important that you listen to your employees.

2 – Diplomatic immunity

Employees who refuse to respect the rules, their colleagues or managers are in conflict with the organization and have a negative impact on it. That being said, you should avoid being direct in order not to escalate the situation. So what should you do in this case? Use neutral language when talking to the employee; avoid mentioning how they are wrong. The last thing you want is for them to deny everything and refuse any kind of conversation.

Two possible approaches: First , discuss it with them like an adult (don’t attack them, make your points without aggression). Second , remove the individual from the situation. Ask them to do some other tasks while you follow up on your discussion with their team members. If they are not responsive, you should ask them to leave the organization because conflict is not sustainable.

3 – Fear of failure

Employees who are afraid of failing generally have a lack of confidence in themselves That being said, these employees will often lack assertiveness and let others take control of their work. Employees who want to avoid failure should be given a chance to succeed by being put in a position where they can actually win. By giving them a chance to prove themselves, you give them a sense of accomplishment which boosts their self-esteem and confidence. However, failure is inevitable for everyone, so if the employee in question cannot succeed in spite of how many chances you give to them, it’s time to let go.

4 – Fear of rejection

People who are afraid of rejection generally don’t like socializing with others. They lack confidence and tend to be introverted. These employees need guidance and support to improve their social skills. You need to give them time and chance to do that. If you push them into a position where they have no choice but interact with others, they’ll end up feeling rejected by everyone which will cause conflict within the team as well as between employees and managers.

5 – Incompatibility

If you hired someone based on their abilities and skills, you should consider that they might be a bad fit for the organization. In this cases, it’s best to start by dealing with it without rejecting them immediately. Ask them to discuss the situation in order to understand what is going wrong. Try to understand from their perspective why they think they are incompatible with the organization. If you are not able to find a solution, the best thing to do is try to work it out together or let them go if they are unsuitable for your organization.

If an employee finds that he or she is incompatible with the organization, it’s important that they don’t take things personally. They might feel rejected by the team which might cause them to feel bad about themselves and their skills.

6 – Unmet expectations

Employees who are expecting things out of the blue tend to have a lack of clarity about their work or tasks they should be doing. You need to remember that employees who are not clear with what they need to do during the day will go to their manager for help. Depending on whether you are going through a good or bad moment, this can lead to conflict because there is the potential that your employee’s expectations will not be met. In order to prevent this from happening, it’s important that you provide employees with clear and specific instructions about what they should be doing during the day.

7 – Poor teamwork

Employees who are not good team players might cause trouble within the organization. Not only will their teammates struggle with working together or providing input, but they might also start having difficulty in connecting with each other and working as a team. To prevent this from happening, you need to give them clear instructions on how they should work as a team.

8 – Communication failure

Employees who are not good at communicating with others will have difficulty in communicating their ideas or opinions. This kind of employee might feel isolated within the organization because they don’t know how to express themselves properly even if they are surrounded by people who are willing to listen to them. Employees need to learn how to communicate their thoughts to one another. It’s important that managers give them guidance on this aspect so they can grow as professionals and contribute more within the organization.

9 – Misunderstanding the goals of others

Employees who have a lack of interest or enthusiasm might fail to see what is going on around them. Their lack of understanding about the goals and objectives of their peers might make it difficult for them to contribute to the team. Employees need guidance on how they should work as part of a group. If you notice that your employees are not able to work together, you can provide coaching or more training on improving their teamwork skills.

10 – Inability to face criticism

Employees who are not able to accept criticism will find it difficult to improve their performance. They might feel like they are worthless and that nobody cares about them. If you want your employees’ career to grow, you need to make sure that they can handle constructive criticism. You should provide guidance on how they should deal with feedback properly because only then they will be able to learn from their mistakes and become better professionals.

11 – Inability to fix a mistake

Employees who don’t know how to fix a mistake might have issues with deadlines or completing tasks correctly. They might also start having problems with other people in the team because of their lack of responsibility. It’s important that you give them guidance on how they should resolve mistakes. This will help them become more reliable and better professionals overall.

12 – Lack of motivation to learn new things

Employees who lack enthusiasm might not be able to catch up with the rest of the team because they are too slow. They might also struggle with learning something new or adopting a new skill. You need to provide guidance and support on how they should learn and improve their skills in order to allow them to overcome any difficulties they might face during the learning process.

13 – Insecurity about work-related tasks

Employees who feel insecure about what they need to do will not be confident when talking to clients or attending important meetings. They might also struggle to perform their tasks properly because they are too nervous about making mistakes. It’s important that you give them guidance on how they should deal with work-related problems and situations, while helping them build their confidence in the process.

14 – Low tolerance for stress

Employees who cannot deal with stress will find it difficult to cope with everyday issues and conflicts. They might also start having problems at home because they spend too much time on work. If you want your employees to grow as professionals, you need to give them guidance on how they should manage their stress properly so that they can overcome any difficulties and challenges that come their way.

15 – Inability to motivate themselves

Employees who don’t know how to motivate themselves will always depend on others when it comes to achieving goals and objectives. They might also start having problems with the tasks assigned to them because they lack enthusiasm and dedication. If you want your employees to achieve their full potential, you need to provide guidance on how they should improve their motivation skills.

16 – Loyalty to the old ways of doing things

Employees who are too loyal to the old ways of doing things might find it difficult to adopt new practices, systems or procedures that are currently being used within the organization. It’s important that you give them guidance on how they should change their mindset in order to embrace the most effective ways of achieving success.

17 – Prone to procrastination

Employees who are prone to procrastinating might find it difficult to meet deadlines and complete tasks within the required timeframe. They might also start having problems with other people in the team because they keep pushing back important issues and tasks. It’s important that you give them guidance on how they should become more productive when working on their assignments.

18 – Lack of confidence in themselves or their skills

Employees who don’t believe in themselves will make mistakes, which in turn will impact their performance in the future. They might also start having problems with taking on important responsibilities because they lack self-esteem. You need to provide guidance on how they can build their confidence so that they can become more reliable and better professionals in the long run.

19 – Lack of motivation to work with others

Employees who are not motivated enough to work with other people might find it difficult to form strong relationships with their colleagues. They might also have problems with getting along with other people because they are too focused on their own issues and priorities. You need to provide guidance on how they should develop the right mindset in order to work well with others.

20 – Problems with delegation

Employees who struggle when it comes to delegating tasks will not be able to achieve their full potential. They might also find it difficult to cope with increased responsibilities because they always have to do everything on their own. You need to provide guidance on how they should delegate work orders properly so that they can benefit from the help of other people in the team.

21 – Low energy levels

Employees who do not have enough energy levels will struggle to focus on their work and get the job done. They might also start having problems with making progress because they lack motivation and enthusiasm. You need to provide guidance on how they should boost their energy levels so that they can become more productive and better professionals in return.

22 – Inability to face conflicts or problems

Employees who don’t know how to face conflicts or problems will always shift the blame on other people when things go wrong. They might also start having problems with their colleagues because they do not want to confront them when they make mistakes. You need to provide guidance on how they should develop a problem-solving mindset in order to resolve conflicts or fix problems on their own.

23 – Lack of accountability

Employees who lack accountability might shift the blame on other people when they make mistakes. They might also start having problems with their colleagues because nobody wants to work with them due to their lack of responsibility and reliability. You need to provide guidance on how they should take responsibility for their actions so that they can become more reliable and accountable professionals in the long run.

24 – Problems with communication

Employees who fail to communicate properly might struggle to reach their full potential because of miscommunication between them and other people. They might also start having problems with their colleagues due to the lack of transparency within the team. You need to provide guidance on how they should become more effective communicators so that they can cooperate with other people in the team and resolve any potential issues.

25 – Issues with multitasking

Employees who struggle when it comes to multitasking might create problems within the team because everything gets delayed. They might also start having problems with their work because they cannot keep up with deadlines. You need to provide guidance on how they should improve their multitasking skills so that they can become more reliable professionals in the long run.