Conflict in the workplace can be one of life’s inevitabilities.

With so many different personality types working together in a close, often-pressured environment, little niggles between colleagues can easily escalate into more serious conflict issues.

Full-time employees can spend a third of their waking week with colleagues. With so much time spent together, it’s hardly surprising that conflict in the workplace is an issue dealt with by managers and human resource departments across the globe.

According to Mindful Mediation, “Workplace stress (of which conflict is one of the leading causes) is estimated to cost the Australian economy $14.81 billion a year,” with an average of 3.2 days per worker lost each year due to workplace stress.

http://www.mindfulmediation.com.au/workplace-conflict-
management/#:~:text=Workplace%20conflict%20is%20often%20associated,year%20due%20to%20 workplace%20stress.

If left unresolved, conflict can significantly impact employers, employees, their families and the bottom line of the business. Here area some of the effects of conflict in the workplace:

When conflict arises, it can distract employees and shift their key focus from the tasks at hand to the issue of the conflict. The time spent addressing or focussing on the conflict rather than working can easily lead to a decline in productivity or work not getting completed to the same standard.

Conflict can often lead to a drop in self-esteem for everyone involved. Personal attacks and insults which often stem from conflict can make a person question themselves and lose confidence both in their abilities and themselves.

Even the highest of performing staff can experience a drop in output during conflict.
This may stem from the emotional stress, lack of attention to the tasks at hand or time taken out of the office. While deadlines may still be met, tasks may not be completed to the highest standard.

During times of conflict, staff absence may increase. This can arise from increased stress and anxiety or colleagues may simply be unable to face each other. According to AIG Absenteeism & Presenteeism Survey Report 2015, the average cost of unscheduled absenteeism costs Australian employees $44 billion per year.
https://surveys.aigroup.com.au/index.php/548887/lang-en

Ongoing conflict can lead to emotional stress that filters into every area of the employee and employers’ lives. Unfortunately, it’s not always possible to leave workplace issues behind in the office so this stress is often taken home and can impact families too.

Ultimately, if conflict isn’t resolved quickly, it can lead to employees leaving the workplace. Staff turnover can cost a company 30-150% of their salary each year https://blog.hhr.com.au/costs-of-employee-turnover so resolving conflict should be a company’s highest priority.

In isolation, the effects of conflict may seem manageable, but when combined, conflict in the workplace can significantly impact the bottom line of the business.

As an employer, it’s your responsibility to mitigate the risk of conflict and adopt robust conflict management processes to ensure the smooth running of the business.

Regardless of the size of the business, effective conflict resolution processes can mitigate workplace conflict before it impacts the turnover of the business. Resolutions can range from simple discussions designed to air grievances before they escalate, to more serious personality management strategies.

ExceedMe is currently offering conflict resolution packages for your workplace. Working with the existing team, we provide actionable strategies on how to manage conflict to avoid it escalating and becoming detrimental to your business.

To find out more about our conflict resolution packages in the workplace, contact Jade on 0477 650 000 today.