The Human Resources Employee Relations and Strategic Partnerships team helps employees and supervisors resolve work-related conflicts. This information is provided to employees by that team.

More than two years of lost watercooler conversations, no or few face-to-face meetings and connecting virtually accomplished what it needed to: keeping distance between us to slow the spread of COVID.

That distance also created a lot of room for new dynamics between us, and we are just learning to navigate how these changes can negatively impact our relationships with our colleagues.

One of the roles of our office is to address colleagues in conflict. There are many experts in conflict resolution within the university who may be able to help before conflict escalates, and offices are available to help navigate difficult conversations.

However, most situations can benefit by keeping some general advice in mind when engaging with colleagues. By no means is this advice a “one size fits all” solution, but if you’re in a situation with a colleague that could be better, consider if these steps may help.

Be thoughtfully intentional about how you interact.

Over communicate your intentions, the context of what you’re sharing, and be thoughtfully intentional about bringing others into conversations or updating teammates.

With remote modalities in the workplace, our natural ability and opportunities to connect with each other have changed, so making an extra effort to keep communication open and clear is necessary.

Even if you’re working in-person, be thoughtfully intentional about connecting with others.

Listen.

Actively listening to what the other person says is key to preventing misunderstandings.

And, ask questions.

It’s just as important to ask questions for clarification. This is particularly true if your team is primarily interacting through remote options, which naturally limit our opportunities to communicate.

Asking thoughtful, positively framed questions can prevent or correct misunderstandings, miscommunications and missed opportunities – which are often the source of workplace conflict or reduced productivity.

Assume positive intent.

Conflict is not always bad. How we deal with conflict is what can determine the outcome. Conflict can lead to creativity and innovation when individuals handle conflict in a positive way, making our relationships, productivity and the university better as a result.

Particularly with remote work, body language cues are not as easy to see, so start with an assumption of good intention. Responding with a mental framing that your colleague has good intentions toward you sets up conversations or interactions for success and collaboration.

If you think a conflict may be arising, consider your approach. Could communicating face-to-face be better than emailing, texting and chatting? Consider taking a break, and reconnecting – potentially in person — when some time has passed.

Keep it focused.

When a conflict occurs, focus on facts and goals. Don’t make it personal about what you perceive to be the other person’s character flaws. Productive conflict is not about “winning.” It is about finding a solution that moves the organizational objectives forward.

Think about your objectives and the problem you’re trying to solve. Focus on the greater good of the university and the tasks at hand. Diversity of perspectives is positive and can bring about creative solutions.

Reflect on your own actions and position, too. What are you doing to contribute to the conflict that you should change? Sometimes, it is appropriate to agree to disagree and support an approach even if you may want to do it differently.

Ask for help from the university.

If you do have concerns that you’re in conflict with a colleague, do your research about ways to resolve conflict. The university offers a wealth of options to help with workplace relationships and conversations. Reaching out early to those resources during a conflict or concern will allow the opportunity for earlier solutions.

University resources include the Ombuds, your department human resources representative, your supervisor, the Employee Assistance Program, and the Office of Equal Opportunity. In addition, Training and Organizational Development offer classes to help you be successful through education in a broad ranch of workplace issues.

More information about resources to help you address workplace conflict.