CONFLICT IN THE WORKPLACE

Essay by carmella robinsonUniversity, Bachelor'sA+, June 2005

download word file, 6 pages 4.0

Conflict in the workplace is inevitable, where there are people who are trying to accomplish a goal together, you will find conflict. One solution to workplace conflict is to hold regular staff meetings.

Staff meeting is essential to having a good and productive company because it gives staff a time and a place to vent their frustrations and to discuss problems they may be having on the job. Regular mandatory staff meetings should be held to allow staff to communicate ideas and to voice their opinions about the company's progress in achieving good customer service and to expose any issues they may have with their co-worker. Staff could brainstorm ideas on how the policies should be re-written or if new rules should apply. By brainstorming with staff, the company can gain an understanding of what needs to be changed and staff can understand what the company expects of them.

Finally, staff meetings could be used for staff to communicate their feeling especially those staff that may not feel comfortable speaking out or voicing their opinions in meetings.

Before we can provide mediation as an alternative solution one must first understand what is mediation? According to T. Moore, the author of " Mediation in the Workplace", mediation is a process in which non involved parties or neutral parties help two or more individuals explore ways to resolve their differences and reach an agreement that suits their individual needs. Mediation would assist in clarifying issues, helps the focus to remain on underlying concerns, creates options for conflict resolution and helps in the creation of a plan of action or agreement that is acceptable. Mediation is considered to be an alternative method of conflict resolution.

Unlike litigation or an adverse process mediation does not focus on who is right or wrong, instead problem...