Many business owners dread having to deal with workplace conflicts. Whether this is unhappy relationships between workers or disputes between managers and employees, you must deal with this quickly and effectively, or you may continue to see disruption in your office.
HR policies are the basis for successfully navigating conflict in your business. A strong HR policy can build trust between employees and managers and foster a healthy attitude to disputes, meaning you can solve them with minimal disruption.
But how can you develop an HR policy that works? And why are they so important?
Why HR is Important in Resolving Conflict
There are lots of different types of conflict that could arise in a workplace. Examples include bullying or poor employee performance such as poor attendance and time wasting. In extreme cases, conflict could consist of discrimination and criminal acts like theft.
It can be challenging for managers to deal with these conflicts, especially if they have limited experience in HR. While talking directly to employees can help solve problems in minor conflicts, you must have an HR system in place that can help solve more significant issues.
HR policies offer dual value. Firstly, they provide guidance on how to deal with disruption in the workplace. Secondly, they inform employees about the behaviour that is expected of them while they are working.
When all employees and managers are aware of these policies, it can foster a more transparent workplace culture, with fewer disruptions due to conflict.
How to Develop Strong HR Policies
However, the question for many small business owners is usually: how do I create successful HR policies, especially for dealing with conflict?
The policies you choose to implement in your business are up to you; however, an HR professional may suggest standard procedures that should be included in your HR policy.
This includes a substantive disciplinary policy to address poor employee performance and a grievance policy to deal with any problems between employees or managers.
These separate but related policies should establish:
- What is expected of employees in the workplace
- The steps to resolving disputes internally
- Any obstacles that may hinder employee performance
- The process of raising a grievance
- Timescales for managers to address issues and resolve them
Our Advice
Without solid HR policies, it’s unlikely that you will be able to manage workplace conflict effectively. These policies will set out an exact process for employees and senior managers to raise issues, discuss them, and find resolutions.
Strong HR policies can also help if an employee grievance goes further, for example, to an employment tribunal. In this case, it can help if you show that you’ve followed a strict and fair process in addressing the conflict with your employee.
However, while even small businesses need comprehensive HR policies, developing effective and successful policies requires expertise. So, we’d suggest seeking help from an experienced HR professional.
