Coworker Conflicts

4:23:55

2023-10-25

704

1- Be polite and direct when addressing an issue. Don’t beat around the bush when you have a problem with your coworker. It is usually easier to address the problem as soon as it comes up, rather than stew over it or get someone else involved.

Be informal about it the first time you address the person. You could say, “Hey, Jack, I’ve been noticing that you’ve been returning the truck almost on empty lately. Could you remember to bring it back with a full tank next time?”
If the behavior continues after you have informally addressed your concern, you may need to ask your supervisor to intervene. Follow your company’s rules on handling employee conflict resolution.

2- Use “I” language to avoid blaming your coworkers. It’s important to express yourself in a respectful manner. When discussing issues with a coworker, don’t make them feel defensive when you speak to them. You can do this by using “I” statements. The other person hears your reactions to the situation, not your accusations.

Instead of saying, “We are always waiting on you to get your portion of the work done,” you could say, “When the work isn’t in on time, I get worried that we’re going to miss our deadline. It would be helpful if everyone could meet their deadlines on the agreed-upon day.”

3- Find a support network at work. You spend a lot of time with the same group of people at work; why not get to know some of them better? Try to make some good connections with others, and develop a network of friends who can help you through your work (and life) frustrations.

- Spend your lunch break with your coworkers and get to know them better away from work.
- Spend a few minutes chatting with your coworkers each day.
- Invite them to get together after work for dinner or drinks.

4- Keep records of any ongoing problems you may have with a coworker. If you are dealing with a coworker bullying or harassing you, be sure you are keeping track of all incidents with that person. Record the date, time, what happened, and if there were any witnesses.

Be sure to find out what your employer’s protocol is in dealing with coworker conflict, bullying, and/or harassment. Your employee handbook or human resources representative would be a good source of information.
Research laws protecting your rights when you are being bullied or harassed by a coworker.

5- Escalate the situation by going to your boss if you need to. You may or may not get along well with your supervisor, but keep the lines of communication open between the two of you as best you can. Remember that it is part of your boss’ responsibility to ensure that you are in an environment that enables you to get your work done, so don’t feel like you need to keep concerns from them.

- If you are having a difficult time communicating and getting along with your boss, you may wish to bring your concerns to your HR department. You could say, “Ms. Jones, I’m coming to you because I’ve been having some problems working with Mr. Roberts lately. I’m hoping you can help me figure out what to do.”