Conflict in the workplace is bound to surface and while many of us loathe anything that can cause discord in the office, opposing ideas aren’t necessarily a bad thing. In fact, they can encourage fruitful conversations about current business challenges or lead to the exploration of new opportunities.
But, how do you keep workplace conflict from poisoning the environment? We turned to our friends over at Power To Fly to get some professional insight. They hosted an interactive chat with Sharon Ray, chief people officer at Solstice, and conflict resolution expert with more than 25 years of experience in Human Resources.
As writer Maryella Marie uncovers, “the key is to make sure that bottled up emotions and/or uncontrolled outbursts don’t lead to toxicity in the workplace.” One of Ray’s suggestions is that you don’t let something fester. Her advice to you or a member of your team if you get off on the wrong foot with a coworker?
“Go own it!” Ray says. “Find an appropriate time to walk up to them and say, ‘I understand that we got off on the wrong foot. My apologies for that. What I’m trying to resolve is X. Can we have a conversation about that?’ Regardless of who the conflict is with — an employee, your boss, etc., they’ll think more highly of you if you demonstrate self-awareness.”
Read more of Ray’s conflict scenarios and solutions over at Power To Fly.
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