A 3-Step Action Plan for Overcoming Workplace Conflict

February 14, 2017      |      Posted on Posted in Total Well-Being
A 3-Step Action Plan for Overcoming Workplace Conflict

Warfare is not exclusive to military operations. It can take the form of a tyrannical boss, job insecurity, competition between employees, clash of personalities, even unreasonable demands for time and effort. Pressure mounts, last-minute crises arise, appointments are missed, papers get misplaced and projects are covertly sabotaged. Add that to the stress already created by juggling home and family, constantly racing against time, and personal sacrifices for work, and the workplace can feel like a combat zone.

Conflict in the workplace costs everyone; whether measured in mental health or the costs of goods and services, workplace conflict is truly a no-win situation. In bottom line terms, resentment in its various forms costs American employers over $800 million a week. But the workplace doesn’t have to be about revenge. You can take control of your job and end the stress that affects not only daily productivity but health and happiness.

There are easy and practical ways to help anyone discover personal power at work and create choices where none seem to exist. Use the following exercise to overcome feelings of frustration and futility, take control of negative situations and get on with the job.

1. Recognize

  • Make a list of hazards that affect you on the job. Include human ones.
  • Keep a diary of events in the office that may be suspect. Discard annoyances.
  • Recognize your feelings. Have you been concerned, harboring resentments, or feeling anxious and afraid?

2. Respond

  • What is one thing that I can do to correct a bad situation? (e.g., Simply writing in a journal is an action step.)
  • What am I waiting for? The right time? How long am I willing to wait?
  • Are there risks in taking a next step?
  • Evaluate your concerns, consider another opinion, and then take them to someone who can do something about them. Remember to follow up.

3. Reinforce

Choose the affirmation that fits your situation:

  • My opinions and questions are valid. I have the right to a response.
  • I can say no!
  • I can drop this matter, forgive those involved and deflect the situation. I practice patience and tolerance.
  • I am as important as anyone else in this company. I am a valuable employee.
  • I will teach others how to treat me. I deserve courtesy. I deserve respect.
  • I have the power to direct my life, my career and my health.

Be persistent and enlist support in overcoming workplace conflict. Ask for suggestions and learn from them, both what to do and what not to do. Motivation is the key to perseverance. Your success begins when you start; there is no end. Success is a rolling stone that can keep on going as long as momentum is provided.

For more workplace survival techniques, strategies for coping with difficult behavior (including your own!) and real life examples from people who have regained personal power on the job, read Workplace Warfare: Break Through Bureaucracy and Love Your Job Again by Dr. Ann Clark, CEO and Founder of ACI Specialty Benefits.