As weird as it sounds, office dramas are exciting. Some people even miss working from a physical office for this reason. The truth is that these conflicts can delay results and reduce productivity. Another unfortunate truth is that dramas continue to happen despite the work from home set up. As a business leader, these are some tips to help solve the problem.
Talk to people involved privately
There’s no need to resolve all conflicts publicly. Call the people involved and allow them to clarify what happened. Perhaps, there’s a valid explanation for their actions. Listen to both parties and avoid taking sides. You don’t want to escalate the tension. Provide the chance to air all the issues and prevent them from getting worse.
Allow employees to choose whom they want to work with
Not everyone feels comfortable with the other employees. During a regular workday, asking employees to collaborate is already challenging. It’s even worse given the current set up. Therefore, you have to avoid doing group projects if possible. If necessary, you have to ask your employees to choose whom they want to work with. You expect them to be professional and be able to work with anyone. If these personal conflicts will only delay the process, you would rather let them choose a partner. Working from home is already an uncomfortable setup. The only way to make it better is by allowing employees to work with someone they like.
Imagine if you ask them to present together during a virtual meeting. If they don’t like each other, it can lead to a terrible output. It’s also the same during a regular office presentation. They might not even agree about the use of visual aids or projectors. It will increase tension in the room if the presenters have conflicts. You can invest in a ceiling mount like the ones at unicol.com to reduce tension.
Streamline communication practices
Another strategy is to streamline communication practices. If you create group chats or use messaging software, everyone should know about it. You also have to remind your employees about their responsibilities in checking the messages. Sometimes, conflicts are a result of miscommunication. Once you streamlined the communication practices, you can prevent this problem.
Be clear in giving instructions
Office dramas may also be a result of the failure to understand your instructions. Therefore, it helps to have better instructions. Try your best to offer a step-by-step process in every task. Giving instructions in person is already difficult. Doing it virtually might lead to misunderstanding. If you don’t want your employees to point blame at each other, you have to consider offering better instructions.
Again, while some employees like seeing these dramas, they’re counterproductive. Make sure that they don’t happen. Once you start seeing signs of conflicts, you have to deal with them right away. You also have to be a better leader and not the cause of issues. Avoid doing things that will lead to more office dramas. You can create a competitive environment, but it should be as healthy as possible.
