From Conflict to Collaboration: Strategies for Resolving Issues in the Employer-Employee Relationship

The diverse interests and goals of individuals can create inevitable conflicts between employers and employees.  Conflicts can be transformed into opportunities with effective conflict management strategies which will lead ways to good collaborations and growth of employer-employee relationships. This blog will explore the mutual benefits of employer-employee relationships to resolve issues and transform conflicts into collaboration fostering a positive work environment.


Open Communication and Active Listening

The keystone to conflict resolution at the workplace is open and effective communication. Employers and employees must communicate consistently by expressing information and concerns. On the contrary, active listening is also another way to understand what employers or employees feel which will resolve many issues. 

Two-way communication is addressed as another communication resolution to employer-employee-related issues. Means that, if employees find unacceptable things with the top management, they should not stay silent but politely discuss things to avoid the same issue turning into a big conflict. (Ismail, 2022)


Inspiring and rewarding employees

Goal-setting theory is a theory that sets a challenging goal for the employees. (Riggio & Porter, 2013) When employees are rewarded by setting goals and achieving them, there is a tendency for them to be inspirational and get high job satisfaction for what they do. Here, employers should encourage their employees to achieve targets by giving different rewards that will make employees commit to their best performances. As a result, organizations will grow up with productivity, and employers and employees will not have conflicts in their work expectations.


Mediation and Third-Party Involvement

In a situation of a conflict between employer and employee, it is wise to involve a neutral third-party mediator who can facilitate resolution otherwise the conflict can get worse. Mediators trained in conflict resolution techniques can help employers and employees clarify issues, identify common ground, and find mutually agreeable solutions (Colvin, 2019).


Negotiation and Compromise


This is a strategy used to conceptualize alternatives to resolve a conflict. Employers and employees can engage in principled negotiation, a collaborative and problem-solving approach that focuses on interests rather than positions (Fisher, Ury, & Patton, 2011). Not only conflicts can be resolved but also relationships can be strengthened by negotiation and compromise.


Training and Development Programs 

Conflict resolution workshops and courses can provide individuals with valuable tools and techniques to effectively navigate and resolve conflicts (Cropanzano & Wright, 2018).  An organization can build a culture that promotes understanding and collaboration by investing in empowering employees with conflict-resolution skills.


Establishing Clear Policies and Procedures

Clear policies on topics such as attendance, leave, performance evaluations, and dispute resolution can help manage expectations and minimize misunderstandings (Dessler, 2020). Conflicts will not happen if the employees are pre-informed about company policies and rules. In addition, giving constant updates about these policies ensures the trust in employees minimizing the chances of them getting into conflicts related to company policies.


By following the above-mentioned, organizations can resolve conflicts and transform them into effective collaboration to empower employer-employee relationships. Hence strengthening the employer-employee relationships is significantly important to mitigate conflicts and foster an effective work environment.



References

Colvin, A. J. (2019). Resolving workplace conflict: An exploration of the options for dispute resolution in the contemporary workplace. Industrial Relations Journal, 50(2), 139-157.

Cropanzano, R., & Wright, T. A. (2018). Organizational behavior and human resources management: Conflict and negotiations in the workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 289-315.

Dessler, G. (2020). Human resource management. London, UK: Pearson.

Fernandez, P. (2020). Perspectives, empathy and conflict resolution: The role of empathy in facilitating durable dispute resolution. International Journal of Conflict Engagement and Resolution, 3(2), 113-125.

Fisher, R., Ury, W., & Patton, B. (2011). Getting to yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Ismail, F. (2022). WAYS TO IMPROVE EMPLOYEE RELATIONS AT WORKPLACES. International Journal of Accounting, Finance and Business (IJAFB). 7(39), 194-206.

Riggio, R. E., & Porter, L. W. (2013). Introduction To Industrial / Organizational Psychology Sixth Edition Consulting Editor.


Comments

  1. M K D Pandula Piumal30 November 2023 at 21:25

    The blog highlights the use of goal-setting to inspire and motivate employees while avoiding work conflicts. Can you provide examples of how your organization implements these theories?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nipuni Mahathanthri20 December 2023 at 11:20

      True. For example let's say one employee working at the cashier in an education institute gets a bonus but another doesn't. The reason is that the employer has clearly set a target that "if you achieve 40 registrations per month by this deadline you'll be getting a bonus" The employer who received the bonus has covered the target but the other one has not not covered it. So it clearly shows that goal setting motivates employees and avoid conflicts.

      Here, the goal setting has to be conveyed to the employees by the employers very clearly. Or else the conflicts might arise as taken from the above example, the one didn't get a bonus can complain that the employer gave the bonus based on favourations.

      Delete
  2. MAHESH KULARATHNA1 December 2023 at 10:20

    Employers and workers have a formal connection called an employment relationship. It emerges when a person undertakes employment or provides services for a fee within specific circumstances. Whatever the cause of the workplace conflict it will effect to the organization. Increased Absenteeism or Turnover , Tension or Arguments Between Employees , Reduced Productivity or Quality of Work.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Nipuni Mahathanthri20 December 2023 at 11:09

      Agreed. If employee-employer relationships are strong and have much trust and confidence in each other, conflicts can hardly arise at the work space. Even conflicts do arise, they can be solved easily by using open and honest communication, mediating a third party to perceive the conflict in another perspective.

      Delete

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