Handling Workplace Conflict

Put people together for 40+ hours a week with different personalities, competing priorities, limited resources, and pressure to perform, and conflict will happen. The question isn't whether you'll face workplace conflict but how you'll handle it. Some men explode. Some stuff it down and let resentment build. Some go passive-aggressive. None of these work. Good professionals learn to navigate conflict directly and professionally.

Well-handled conflict can actually improve working relationships and outcomes. Poorly handled conflict poisons everything.

Common Sources of Workplace Conflict

• Competing for resources, recognition, or advancement
• Different work styles or approaches
• Unclear roles or responsibilities
• Poor communication or misunderstandings
• Personality clashes
• Unfair treatment or favoritism

You can't control what others do. You can control how you respond. Stay professional even when others don't. Don't let someone else's bad behavior justify your own.

Principles for Handling Conflict

Address it early: Small issues become big issues when ignored.

Go direct: Talk to the person, not about them.

Stay factual: Focus on specific behaviors and impacts, not character judgments.

Seek to understand: There may be information you don't have.

Find solutions: Focus forward, not just on who's to blame.

Know when to escalate: Some issues require involving HR or leadership.

Your Action Steps

This week: Examine how you typically handle workplace conflict. What's your pattern?

This month: If there's an unresolved conflict, address it directly.

This quarter: Build a reputation for handling disagreements professionally.