Every manager at one time or another has been faced with having to settle an argument between employees. It’s a messy business. Unfortunately, most managers are ill-equipped to jump into the fray. It can also be very awkward and uncomfortable. As a result, it can be tempting to ignore the problem and hope it will go away in due time. Not only is that wishful thinking, the situation will only worsen and impact those in close proximity to the feud. This leads to a decline in productivity and low morale. Not to mention the fact that it also reflects poorly on the manager – they’d be viewed as shirking their responsibility. And settling workplace disputes is part of the job.

What Parenting Teaches Us

Settling fights between employees is not that different from a parent dealing with a squabble between siblings. We’ve all had that experience either as a parent, or sibling. Conventional wisdom tells us that it’s usually best to let the two parties work it out between themselves. Sounds good in principle but is mostly ineffective. This is due to the fact that the “fighting parties” are usually too emotionally invested, hence, unable to think in an objective, rational manner. Eventually, mom or dad (or both) will need to be called in to serve as a combination referee, judge and jury. The same thing holds true in the workplace. In fact, most people don’t like conflict and will simply try to avoid the other person. Alternatively, in an effort to avoid face-to-face confrontation, the war may move to the email battleground which is an extremely poor vehicle for resolving conflict. This approach only makes matters worse, quickly escalating into a public confrontation. The following are guidelines on how to best settle employee fights:

1 – Just the Facts, Please!

It’s important to gather all the facts before taking any action. Request a meeting with each individual (separately of course) and have them share their version of the problem. Be careful not to make any judgments during the process. Remember, you’re “Switzerland,” neutral. This may require follow-up conversations involving others to corroborate the respective stories.

2 – Isolate the Root Cause(s)

Once you have a good grasp of the situation, identify the probable cause. Generally speaking, employee fights fall into the following categories:

• Personality Clash – Let’s face it, sometimes people simply don’t like each other. Chalk it up to poor chemistry.
• Competing Goals and Objectives – Both individuals are well-intentioned but may be fighting for the same resources from a scarce pool.
• Compensation and Reward Programs – You may discover that the comp program may unwittingly promote and reinforce individual versus team performance. Yes, money drives behavior.
• Dysfunctional Work Processes/Systems – This is a very common cause of disputes within organizations. For example, you’re trying to hit your month end sales target which is dependent upon having the right inventory available. The current report indicates the product is available but after you’ve committed to the customer, you find out the report is outdated or incorrect. Of course, you take your fury out on production/planning when in fact it turns out the system is outdated and unreliable. A request was made by production to update it but denied by senior management.
• Turf Wars – This is the equivalent of taking care of your own. Protecting or defending your “neighborhood” (department, team, functional area, etc.)
• Personal – Something is going on outside of the workplace that has nothing to do with work but has carried itself inside.

3 – Solve the Dispute

At this point, you should have enough information to decide on a course of action. Invite the feuding parties to meet with you. You’ll essentially be playing two different roles, facilitator and manager. As facilitator, your task is to clarify and confirm your understanding of the facts. If you’ve done your work properly, you ought to be fairly close to the “truth.” Allow each individual to speak without interruption. Prepare for the possibility of an emotional outburst. Sometimes, pent up frustration and anger will surface. Though you may feel uncomfortable, this is actually a healthy part of the process. It’s okay for people to vent – within reason. If it devolves into a “he said, she said” shouting match, it’s time to step-in. This is where you put your manager’s hat on. It’s your job to represent the company and what’s in the best interest of everyone involved. Don’t be afraid to share your own opinion as well.

It helps if you follow these guidelines for settling workplace disputes:

Focus on the big picture by uniting everyone under a common cause. Identify several areas where there’s agreement. For instance,

• “Can we all agree that this in-fighting (or behavior) is counterproductive?”
• “Is it fair to say that we’re all “pulling” for the same cause and really want to do what’s best for the company?”
• “We may not solve this in one meeting, but going forward, may I have your commitment that we will work together to address the contributing factors/causes leading up to this problem?

This line of questioning depersonalizes the conflict by moving the attention away from the individual behavior to the “greater good.” It would be difficult for a reasonable person to answer “no,” to any of these questions. Some causes can be very complex – especially those related to process inefficiencies. In this case, the manager should make every effort to resolve the problems. Since many processes run cross-functionally, this may require involving other managers and Departments.

Regarding causes due to personal differences, the manager should remind all involved of the company’s guiding principles which often include values such as respect, integrity, fairness, teamwork, etc. Behavior to the contrary should not be tolerated. 

Achieving a peaceful, harmonious work environment is a noble aspiration. As long as humans are part of the equation, you can bet there will be forces working against you. But if handled correctly employee disputes can actually build stronger relationships than ever before – all for the good of the company.