Enabling and empowering employees to manage conflict is essential to morale and productivity. Ideally, it is best to address and resolve issues before they escalate into full-blown conflicts. But when problems do arise, they are more likely to be solved quickly if employees have conflict resolution capabilities. To prepare workers to prevent and resolve conflicts, arm them with skills including listening, problem-solving, negotiation, emotional intelligence, communication, empathy, reducing bias, and managing stress. Of course, you want to encourage employees to come to you with conflict-related concerns, and no conflict should be dismissed or minimized. However, employees feel more empowered and trusted if they have the opportunity to work out differences among themselves when appropriate and possible. Read the full article.
