7 Ways Your Company Is Wasting Money on Conflict

Unresolved, avoided, ineffectively managed, or destructive workplace conflict is expensive, both in financial and human terms:

1. Lost Work Time. Several studies over the last decade suggest that a typical manager spends between 25% and 40% of her time dealing with employee conflict. In a study I conducted in 2000, college and university managers’ time on conflict ranged from 40% to 50% of work hours. Lost work time accrues for the employees involved in the dispute, their supervisors, sometimes their peers, and human resource staff.
2. Attrition and Related Costs. Research reported in the late 1990s showed that workplace conflict left unresolved for too long leads to employee attrition or the use of valuable work time searching for alternative employment. Employee turnover that had its genesis in unresolved conflict is leads to expenditures for severance, recruitment, training and development for replacement staff, and the loss of productivity during that period.
3. Absenteeism and Increased Health Care Costs. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has reported that health care costs are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress. Stress as a reason for absenteeism increased 316% between 1995 and 1999. Stress is a known byproduct of unhealthy workplace conflict.
4. More Grievances and Complaints. Between 1992 and 1998, annual monetary benefits for EEOC sexual harassment cases increased from $12.7 to $34.5 million. Annual monetary benefits for EEOC-handled ADA cases increased from $200,000 to $49.1 million during the same period.
5. Increased Legal Fees. A 2005 Fulbright & Jaworski survey on litigation trends in the U.S. concluded that almost 9 out of 10 American companies are involved in some type of litigation and that one of the most prevalent messages to corporate counsel is "control costs."
6. Theft and Sabotage. Unhappy employees can and do damage company equipment and steal from inventory. More insidiously, covert sabotage results from the daily little acts of omission from an employee that doesn't feel heard or valued.
7. Damage to Company Reputation. When conflict goes public, the loss can be measurable in terms of lower earnings, diminished market share, or decreased traffic.

5 Ways Your Company Can Transform Conflict into Opportunity

Well-managed conflict contributes to creativity, strategic initiative, more effective systems and communication, stronger workplace relationships and a greater commitment to the organization. Good employees stay on board and better decisions lead to greater corporate health. What can you do to create such transformation? Address the root causes of unhealthy workplace conflict:

1. Help Employees Learn How to Access Good Interpersonal Skill. All the skill training in the world won't help your employees during conflict if they don't know how to access those skills when they're in the heat of the moment. The new trend in conflict resolution training is a blend of interactive, classroom-style training with follow-up coaching to help employees really use what they learned.
2. Prepare Managers to Offer More Effective Help. Many managers address conflict by imposing a solution, chastising, lecturing, re-organizing the department in question, or trying to help parties work it out without really having good insider mediation skills. Make an investment in your managers' education as in-house mediators with substantive skills to address the kinds of complex conflicts that create long-term problems.
3. Clean Up Problematic Organizational Systems. System problems can masquerade as interpersonal conflicts. As I work with parties to peel back the layers of a conflict, it’s not uncommon to uncover ways the organization’s systems are pressing upon one or more of the individuals involved and directly influencing their behavior negatively. Such system problems may be invisible until the overt conflict begins, so wise workplaces consider conflict a possible symptom of something bigger; conflict consultants can help.
4. Create Effective Conflict Management Systems. The informal system of organizational culture and formal intervention systems can have a profound influence on whether or not conflict unfolds in a healthy or destructive way. While the increasing commitment to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace is a positive step, it’s often used too late in a conflict, confuses mediation and arbitration, or imposes a process on an unwitting or ill-informed employee. Effective conflict resolution systems, even in very small organizations, create opportunities for conflict to be identified and addressed early and constructively. Such effective processes emphasize joint problem-solving early in the dispute and the use of mediation before grievances or litigation harden the conflict.
5. Make an Organizational Commitment to Taking the Time. A downside of the fast pace of today's workplace is that such ways of working get in the way of effective conflict management. Engaging conflict constructively requires focused time an
   Don't Let the January Drudgery See Your Great Plans Fade By February
   In theory, January should be a spectacular month on your career calendar. You are returning invigorated after the holidays with bubbling enthusiasm, elevated energy levels and purposeful actions around your career. You are impatient to unleash your creativity and feel great about your contribution. Yeah right! It is a far cry from reality where many people head to the office with a sullen look, depleted energy and wobbly actions. Not to mention the financial weight of surviving until pay day and the heavy debt pile from last month.Against this backdrop of going through the same disappointing experience as last year, the ‘old’ year resolutions from the past, such as ‘I want another job’ or ‘I want to start my own business’ come hurtling back with new m
   nt. Employee turnover that had its genesis in unresolved conflict is leads to expenditures for severance, recruitment, training and development for replacement staff, and the loss of productivity during that period.
6. Absenteeism and Increased Health Care Costs. The Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine has reported that health care costs are nearly 50% greater for workers who report high levels of stress. Stress as a reason for absenteeism increased 316% between 1995 and 1999. Stress is a known byproduct of unhealthy workplace conflict.
7. More Grievances and Complaints. Between 1992 and 1998, annual monetary benefits for EEOC sexual harassment cases increased from $12.7 to $34.5 million. Annual monetary benefits for EEOC-handled ADA cases increased from $200,000 to $49.1 million during the same period.
8. Increased Legal Fees. A 2005 Fulbright & Jaworski survey on litigation trends in the U.S. concluded that almost 9 out of 10 American companies are involved in some type of litigation and that one of the most prevalent messages to corporate counsel is "control costs."
9. Theft and Sabotage. Unhappy employees can and do damage company equipment and steal from inventory. More insidiously, covert sabotage results from the daily little acts of omission from an employee that doesn't feel heard or valued.
10. Damage to Company Reputation. When conflict goes public, the loss can be measurable in terms of lower earnings, diminished market share, or decreased traffic.

5 Ways Your Company Can Transform Conflict into Opportunity

Well-managed conflict contributes to creativity, strategic initiative, more effective systems and communication, stronger workplace relationships and a greater commitment to the organization. Good employees stay on board and better decisions lead to greater corporate health. What can you do to create such transformation? Address the root causes of unhealthy workplace conflict:

1. Help Employees Learn How to Access Good Interpersonal Skill. All the skill training in the world won't help your employees during conflict if they don't know how to access those skills when they're in the heat of the moment. The new trend in conflict resolution training is a blend of interactive, classroom-style training with follow-up coaching to help employees really use what they learned.
2. Prepare Managers to Offer More Effective Help. Many managers address conflict by imposing a solution, chastising, lecturing, re-organizing the department in question, or trying to help parties work it out without really having good insider mediation skills. Make an investment in your managers' education as in-house mediators with substantive skills to address the kinds of complex conflicts that create long-term problems.
3. Clean Up Problematic Organizational Systems. System problems can masquerade as interpersonal conflicts. As I work with parties to peel back the layers of a conflict, it’s not uncommon to uncover ways the organization’s systems are pressing upon one or more of the individuals involved and directly influencing their behavior negatively. Such system problems may be invisible until the overt conflict begins, so wise workplaces consider conflict a possible symptom of something bigger; conflict consultants can help.
4. Create Effective Conflict Management Systems. The informal system of organizational culture and formal intervention systems can have a profound influence on whether or not conflict unfolds in a healthy or destructive way. While the increasing commitment to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace is a positive step, it’s often used too late in a conflict, confuses mediation and arbitration, or imposes a process on an unwitting or ill-informed employee. Effective conflict resolution systems, even in very small organizations, create opportunities for conflict to be identified and addressed early and constructively. Such effective processes emphasize joint problem-solving early in the dispute and the use of mediation before grievances or litigation harden the conflict.
5. Make an Organizational Commitment to Taking the Time. A downside of the fast pace of today's workplace is that such ways of working get in the way of effective conflict management. Engaging conflict constructively requires focused time an
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   "We're not going to that stupid meeting! They'll just feed us more BS." That was the overwhelming sentiment at a recent workshop I conducted for a worldwide company doing around $8 billion is sales. It was one colossal problem they had on their hands.You see about a year ago now the folks from the parent company came in and surprised even the VPGM of this division with the news they were moving the operation to Europe. What you have to know is that this division is the core of the manufacturing business and has employees ranging in tenure from ten on the low side to thirty plus years with the company. It was a shock.What happened since the announcement was well, exactly, nothing. They hired a new staff overseas and they were moving along but thes
   l is "control costs."
6. Theft and Sabotage. Unhappy employees can and do damage company equipment and steal from inventory. More insidiously, covert sabotage results from the daily little acts of omission from an employee that doesn't feel heard or valued.
7. Damage to Company Reputation. When conflict goes public, the loss can be measurable in terms of lower earnings, diminished market share, or decreased traffic.

5 Ways Your Company Can Transform Conflict into Opportunity

Well-managed conflict contributes to creativity, strategic initiative, more effective systems and communication, stronger workplace relationships and a greater commitment to the organization. Good employees stay on board and better decisions lead to greater corporate health. What can you do to create such transformation? Address the root causes of unhealthy workplace conflict:

1. Help Employees Learn How to Access Good Interpersonal Skill. All the skill training in the world won't help your employees during conflict if they don't know how to access those skills when they're in the heat of the moment. The new trend in conflict resolution training is a blend of interactive, classroom-style training with follow-up coaching to help employees really use what they learned.
2. Prepare Managers to Offer More Effective Help. Many managers address conflict by imposing a solution, chastising, lecturing, re-organizing the department in question, or trying to help parties work it out without really having good insider mediation skills. Make an investment in your managers' education as in-house mediators with substantive skills to address the kinds of complex conflicts that create long-term problems.
3. Clean Up Problematic Organizational Systems. System problems can masquerade as interpersonal conflicts. As I work with parties to peel back the layers of a conflict, it’s not uncommon to uncover ways the organization’s systems are pressing upon one or more of the individuals involved and directly influencing their behavior negatively. Such system problems may be invisible until the overt conflict begins, so wise workplaces consider conflict a possible symptom of something bigger; conflict consultants can help.
4. Create Effective Conflict Management Systems. The informal system of organizational culture and formal intervention systems can have a profound influence on whether or not conflict unfolds in a healthy or destructive way. While the increasing commitment to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace is a positive step, it’s often used too late in a conflict, confuses mediation and arbitration, or imposes a process on an unwitting or ill-informed employee. Effective conflict resolution systems, even in very small organizations, create opportunities for conflict to be identified and addressed early and constructively. Such effective processes emphasize joint problem-solving early in the dispute and the use of mediation before grievances or litigation harden the conflict.
5. Make an Organizational Commitment to Taking the Time. A downside of the fast pace of today's workplace is that such ways of working get in the way of effective conflict management. Engaging conflict constructively requires focused time an
   Open Event Registration On Time
   When you're planning an event, timing is of essence and one deadline after another makes its mark on the calendar. Getting registration started is an early priority as people may lose interest if they can't register when they want to or they may have made other commitments by the time registration begins.If you're using online registration, a simple online form can take as little as a day to set up, but numerous factors can extend that timeline.Recently, a client presented us with a simple online form which she wanted live by the end of the week. We started the setup with some preliminary details but when the deadline came and went and we still didn't have the final details, we discovered that the event planner was having a hard time nailing down
   lls when they're in the heat of the moment. The new trend in conflict resolution training is a blend of interactive, classroom-style training with follow-up coaching to help employees really use what they learned.
6. Prepare Managers to Offer More Effective Help. Many managers address conflict by imposing a solution, chastising, lecturing, re-organizing the department in question, or trying to help parties work it out without really having good insider mediation skills. Make an investment in your managers' education as in-house mediators with substantive skills to address the kinds of complex conflicts that create long-term problems.
7. Clean Up Problematic Organizational Systems. System problems can masquerade as interpersonal conflicts. As I work with parties to peel back the layers of a conflict, it’s not uncommon to uncover ways the organization’s systems are pressing upon one or more of the individuals involved and directly influencing their behavior negatively. Such system problems may be invisible until the overt conflict begins, so wise workplaces consider conflict a possible symptom of something bigger; conflict consultants can help.
8. Create Effective Conflict Management Systems. The informal system of organizational culture and formal intervention systems can have a profound influence on whether or not conflict unfolds in a healthy or destructive way. While the increasing commitment to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace is a positive step, it’s often used too late in a conflict, confuses mediation and arbitration, or imposes a process on an unwitting or ill-informed employee. Effective conflict resolution systems, even in very small organizations, create opportunities for conflict to be identified and addressed early and constructively. Such effective processes emphasize joint problem-solving early in the dispute and the use of mediation before grievances or litigation harden the conflict.
9. Make an Organizational Commitment to Taking the Time. A downside of the fast pace of today's workplace is that such ways of working get in the way of effective conflict management. Engaging conflict constructively requires focused time an
   Two Types of Dysfunctional Personnel - Benign and Malignant Tumours
   Similar to the human body, the corporate body has two types of dysfunctional tumours – the benign or inactive ones, which are often dormant as well as the malignant or harmful types which are very dangerous. Both types of dysfunctional cannot be left to their own devices for they can cause damage to the company.The benign tumour group consists of the demotivated staff who are not contributing productively to the company. Some are unable to find alternative employment so they just hang on, waiting for payout during the retrenchment. Many comprise the “dead woods” in the company leftover after their better colleagues have all left for greener pastures. The situation is unhealthy and counter-productive as some of these individuals may compl
   ymptom of something bigger; conflict consultants can help.
10. Create Effective Conflict Management Systems. The informal system of organizational culture and formal intervention systems can have a profound influence on whether or not conflict unfolds in a healthy or destructive way. While the increasing commitment to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) in the workplace is a positive step, it’s often used too late in a conflict, confuses mediation and arbitration, or imposes a process on an unwitting or ill-informed employee. Effective conflict resolution systems, even in very small organizations, create opportunities for conflict to be identified and addressed early and constructively. Such effective processes emphasize joint problem-solving early in the dispute and the use of mediation before grievances or litigation harden the conflict.
11. Make an Organizational Commitment to Taking the Time. A downside of the fast pace of today's workplace is that such ways of working get in the way of effective conflict management. Engaging conflict constructively requires focused time and attention. It's time well-spent---an investment on the front end saves time and emotional energy on unresolved conflict later.

Imagine what your organization could do with extra employee time and extra funds found through better-managed conflict, the ability to transform conflict from a vexxing problem to creative opportunity, and a workplace environment that retains great employees.