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  • As you may expect, conflict in the workplace can be a serious issue for a small business. Unresolved conflicts among workers can create a difficult working environment both for those involved and others witnessing the dispute. These issues also have a direct impact on the financial well-being of your business.

    According to a report published by the University of New Mexico, the collective cost of unresolved conflicts can be as high as $300 billion annually for businesses across the country. Other analyses peg the figure at approximately $359 billion in lost revenue.

    Without a way to resolve contentious relationships, you’re inadvertently increasing the risk of developing a dysfunctional workforce that hurts your business in the long run. It’s time to break down to root causes of employee conflicts and how your business can resolve these problems.

    What Causes Workplace Conflicts?

    Honestly, conflict in the workplace can originate from any number of sources. It could be something as simple as a department manager being rude to a new hire or something like an employee who feels like they’re not treated fairly by their colleagues. At worst, the root of the conflict can be something like blatant harassment or inappropriate, lewd behavior.

    Hot-button topics are also notorious for creating unnecessary conflicts at work. The crux of the problem could be anything from political opinions to which sports franchise has more clout. The trick is to have a strategic conflict resolution plan to solve the problem.

    Five Steps To Resolving Workplace Conflicts

    It’s important to have a plan that helps you handle conflict and help everyone work towards a common goal – growing the company and furthering its success. Use the following steps to address conflicts before it’s too late.

    1. Meet with the conflicting parties

    Defining the root cause of the conflict is the first, and arguably most difficult, step. It’s critical to discover how the issue got to this point in the first place. Meeting with the conflicting parties can help you get both sides of the story and identify if the problem is easy to address or will require a more detailed response.

    These meetings should happen in a private, neutral setting. Both parties need to have their voices heard so that each of them acknowledges the other’s perspective. You’ll also want to play the role of an active listener. Make sure both parties know you’re paying attention and obtain as much information as possible to help them come to a reasonable solution.

    2. Investigate the conflict following the meeting

    Following the meeting, it’s always wise to investigate the integrity and the validity of each party’s explanation of how the conflict started in the first place. Often, you’ll discover that the root of the problem is nothing more than a usual misunderstanding among two dedicated, passionate, and career-minded professionals.

    3. Determine ways to truly resolve the conflict and meet a common goal for all parties

    The next step involves a fair amount of creativity on your part. You have to think outside of the box and brainstorm ways to manage and ultimately resolve the issue once and for all.

    This process may require additional communication, investigation, and planning. Don’t be afraid to sit down with both individuals again to openly discuss ways that manage and resolve the conflict. Use this brainstorming session to come up with ideas to deescalate the situation and come to a conclusion that benefits everyone.

    4. Develop a conclusion

    Once you gather all the information, you can finally make a determination on the extent of the issue, how the conflict began, how it escalated, and what everyone can do today to finally put the negativity to rest.

    The idea is to lay out a clear plan of action to find common ground and focus on the task at hand: working towards the same goal and furthering the company’s success as an efficient team of skilled professionals. Once this plan is in place, communicate it with the individuals so that they can put an end to the ordeal.

    5. Decide on preventative strategies for the future

    The last step is to ensure that this particular conflict doesn’t happen again. Evaluate the situation to see if this conflict can rear its ugly head again. If so, create an action plan to not only avoid conflicts, but also quickly address them in the future if they do occur.

    Six Ways Small Businesses Can Minimize Conflict

    While some conflict is inevitable, there are ways to minimize the likelihood of workplace disputes. There are a variety of strategies small business can utilize to protect themselves and their employees from these issues.

    Establish written rules and clearly defined company policies

    A good policy will make the conflict resolution process smoother when issues arise. Use your employee handbook to lay out clear guidelines about employee conduct and expectations for people within your company. These ground rules will help set the tone for what is and isn’t acceptable and clearly describe the consequences and next steps for misbehavior.

    Hire the right people

    The right employees will be less likely to create conflict. It’s important to not only hire people with the right skills, but also a good temperament for your business. You can also conduct background checks to try and identify any red flags that may cause problems in the future. Spend some time to properly vet each prospective employee to minimize the chances of conflict in the future.

    Provide management training

    Another way to minimize the impacts of conflict is better management training. You can’t be everywhere at once throughout the day, so you entrust your management team to be your eyes and ears. Training managers and other appropriate personnel on established policies and identifying brewing conflicts can help your business quell minor issues before they grow into severe problems.

    Create a fair grievance process

    Poor communication is a problem. A fair grievance process is an effective problem-solving tool that allows employees to feel heard and managers to identify the source of conflict before it becomes a bigger issue.

    No matter what policies you put in place, the process needs to be transparent and equitable. The same standards should apply to management and workers. This process will keep everyone accountable to each other and quickly soothe exasperated employees.

    Feedback

    Feedback is what brings the resolution process back to the beginning. You may spend a tremendous amount of time making written procedures and policies – and for good reason – but there’s still plenty to overlook.

    Give employees a way to provide feedback so that they share ideas on how to make the workplace a better place, whether that’s an anonymous tip line or a company email address. This feedback loop can help you fine-tune your policies to your workforce and, hopefully, put petty fights and arguments to rest.

    Protect Your Business From Conflict

    Workplace tension is a recipe for lost productivity and heated arguments. However, it’s not always easy to put conflict resolution strategies into place by yourself. GMS has the human resource experts to provide you with the tools and support you need to manage employee relationships.

    Ready to make your business simpler, safer, and stronger? Contact GMS today about how we can support your business through dedicated service and support.

  • Back in 2018, Florida voted to ban vaping in enclosed workplaces. The new law went into effect in July of 2019, but Florida isn’t alone in its ban on vaping in the workplace. Several other states, including California, New Jersey, and New York, all prohibit the practice in any place where smoking is not permitted, while other states have bans for specific settings, such as in enclosed workspaces or schools.

    As more states take action to prevent vaping in workplaces, it’s a good time for business owners both in Florida and outside the state to figure out what they need to do to prepare their company from past and future legislation.

    An employee vaping in the office before Florida’s ban on vaping in the workplace.

    What Does Florida’s Workplace Vape Ban Mean for Business Owners?

    There are a couple of different takeaways for Florida’s ban on vaping in the workplace. The first perspective is what it immediately means for business owners in The Sunshine State. In short, the state now prohibits both vaping and smoking in “enclosed indoor workplaces.” This term is a technical way of saying the ban exists for any workspace that is predominantly closed in by walls or other physical barriers, regardless of whether they have windows or any other uncovered openings. Private residences used for work are exempt from the ban, except in limited exceptions where the residence acts as one of the following:

    • A childcare, adult care, or health care provider
    • A retail tobacco or vape shop
    • A bar that does not serve food

    The other perspective involves businesses outside of Florida that either have some form of workplace vape ban in place or operate in a location without any such legislation. For the former group, it’s important to look up the details of your state’s laws. For the latter, Florida’s ban is yet another example of a state cracking down on vaping. In fact, you may want to be proactive about establishing vaping policies in your workplace.

    What Should Business Owners Do About Vaping?

    For businesses in Florida and other states with vape bans, the answer is simple: Set clear guidelines regarding smoking and vaping prohibitions. This policy should clearly state that employees are prohibited from smoking or vaping in enclosed workspaces per your local laws. In addition, the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM) suggests taking the following steps:

    • List the procedures for when the proprietor or other person in charge witnesses or is made aware of a violation
    • Post signs to indicate that smoking or vaping, or both, are prohibited

    As for business owners in locations without any vaping-related regulations, they need to decide if they want to treat vaping the same way as traditional smoking. While allowing employees to vape in the workplace will help limit time lost from smoke breaks and keep those who vape pleased, this decision can come at the cost of another employee’s happiness. It also doesn’t help that the Centers for Disease Control deems e-cigarettes as potentially unsafe.

    Ultimately, the decision to have a vaping policy is up to the business owner if there’s no existing legislation that dictates otherwise. If a decision is made to prohibit vaping in the workplace, SHRM suggests doing the following:

    • Evaluate existing smoking policies and clarify what smoking products are covered what areas of the worksite are non-smoking spaces
    • Make it clear whether employees can bring e-cigarettes into certain areas when not in use or if they’re completely banned from the property
    • Update the company’s clean-air policy to reference e-cigarettes and other vaping products (if a clean-air policy exists)
    • Inform employees of any workplace policy changes before they take effect (60 to 90 days’ notice is good except in the case where the state stipulates rollout times)

    Keep Your Business Prepared for the Future

    No matter where your business is located, it’s important to keep up to date on key legislation that can make your current workplace policies go up in smoke. As a Professional Employer Organization, GMS has the experts on hand to make sure your business stays compliant with new laws while also saving you time and stress by managing key functions like payroll, benefits administration, and other important services.

    Ready to make managing your business a lot simpler? Contact our Florida office or one of our other locations today to talk to one of our experts about how we can help your business prepare for the future.