Conflicts happen. It’s a fact of life. But when they happen in the workplace, things can get ugly and the effects can be far-reaching. If you are wondering how to avoid conflict at work (and who isn’t?), we have some tips for you:
1. Implement team building activities
Team building activities allow employees spend time together outside of work, gain a better understanding of each other, and facilitate communication. Knowing your team members as people and not just co-workers creates empathy, which creates a level of understanding and often helps to diffuse potential issues before they turn into full-on disputes.
2. Utilize technology
One of the most common office disputes is over limited meeting room space. Whether a failure of your scheduling system has allowed two people to schedule their meetings at the same time or someone scheduled a meeting room and didn’t use it, implementing a system like Robin can be transformative for your office. Robin simplifies scheduling, visibility, and management of meeting rooms, desks, and people in your workplace. It allows employees to schedule meeting rooms, view availability on high-tech displays, and can even automatically show meeting rooms as available if the originally scheduled meeting is abandoned.
3. Cater lunch for your team to share the table
Lunch is one of the biggest missed opportunities for many companies to build a sense of community among employees. By catering lunch and encouraging employees to sit together at a real lunch table instead of their desks, employees will communicate more, build friendships, and feel like they’re part a team. At Cater2.me, our mission is to inspire meaningful connections with every shared meal. From planning to on-site setup and feedback collection, we can manage every aspect of your catering program.
4. Recognize hard work
Employee appreciation boosts your team’s engagement with the company and it motivates team members to become more invested in the success of the company as a whole. Satisfaction and productivity rise when employees are recognized, and high moral is one of the best ways to prevent employee disputes. Implementing an appreciation program for your employees is a great way to keep everyone positive.
5. Foster communication with chat platforms
Chat platforms are not only a great way for your team to quickly communicate with each other, but they also create a more personal experience than email. When employees feel that they’re friends that talk every day and not just formal acquaintances that they email from time to time, it’s more likely that they’ll attempt to avoid disputes and prioritize workplace harmony. Chat platforms also facilitate teamwork through group chats, improving collaborating and building team unity.
