Conflicts at work, how to improve the work environment

 

Sooner or later, despite all the efforts and team building, quarrels arise in any team. It's not so bad if they're explicit — people talk themselves out, let off steam, and then continue to work together. Much worse are the "undercurrents" that turn the team into a tangle of snakes. Such showdowns not only harm the atmosphere, but also worsen productivity. Is there a way to get out of conflicts in a calm and businesslike manner?

Why do conflicts arise?

There are many reasons. Here are just some of them: - Differences in views and values. Employees have different values and fundamental differences in their views, which as a result cannot but lead to misunderstandings and conflicts. - Competition for resources. Problems may arise due to limitations in budget, time, staff, etc. Employees can compete, and this leads to strained relationships. - Mismatch of expectations. If people expect different results when completing tasks, this can lead to frustration and conflict. Such problems are typical not only at the boss-subordinate level, but also in horizontal communication between employees. - Misunderstanding and poor communication. Information is misunderstood and misinterpreted. Then they start the task. Problems and errors are detected. They start looking for the culprit — a ready-made conflict where everyone will hate others. - Personal differences. Hostility, bias, and dissatisfaction with each other contribute to workplace conflicts. This also includes high workload, deadlines, and demands that can create a stressful environment, which can exacerbate conflict situations. That is, because of the harsh working conditions, people stop distinguishing between work and personal, frustration spreads to business relationships. It is impossible to work out absolutely all the reasons. But there is a way to minimize conflicts if you simplify these causes and reduce them to three main factors.

Three main problems and how to deal with them

Not even half of the above is listed. There are many more real sources of problems. But it's like a mathematical problem where you can simplify division or multiplication. Or put some of the numbers in parentheses to figure out the main thing. Here are the three main factors that you need to work with in a team.: - Envy. If some are more successful, have a more advantageous position in relation to their superiors, receive bonuses and preferences, this will always be a source of trouble. Therefore, the task of the leader is not to show special favor to anyone. Even if someone works better objectively, the scheme for increasing personal success should be transparent and understandable. That is, anyone should see that you should not envy, but work on yourself. - Inability to hear. This includes all the communication problems that can arise in a work team. To solve them, it is sometimes necessary to check how well employees understand each other. Or they are just trying to prove their case, and not to hear the other one. - Toxicity. A source of "poison" is created in the team, and everyone else also turns into the proverbial snake ball. Therefore, it is necessary to look for such toxins in the first place. Getting rid of them, because reeducating adults is a rather pointless and impossible task. If you remove these three basic root causes, then all the others will not harm the team so much. Relationships will improve, even if they don't become perfect.