Workplace conflict is an inevitable challenge that is faced by every organization as a result of the varying employee backgrounds as well as different approaches towards achieving shared organizational goals and purposes. In a survey conducted by the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development in 2015, it was revealed that 4 out of 10 employees in the UK report some form of conflict at work every year. The common conflicts witnessed at the workplace involve employees and their line managers or between the employee and senior staff members. Employees may engage in conflicts due to various causes ranging from misunderstood communication to mismanagement by the organization (Gupta, Boyd, " Kuzmits¸ 2011). This forces individuals to express themselves in various ways including noncooperation, insults, anger, and bullying. It is, however, important that the conflicts are managed and solved. As a result, conflict may lead to work disruptions, reduced productivity, absenteeism, and high turnover.
Employers have the opportunity to manage conflicts at the workplace by creating organizational culture designed to address the challenges as much as possible and equitably resolve the conflicts which employees are unable to solve themselves (Bingham, 2004). As such, employers must consider key factors including: ensuring that communication and policies are consistent and clear while making rational for transparent decision; and ensuring that employees are accountable for the resolution of the rising conflicts. In order to effectively solve conflicts, organizations must have a fair grievance process which encourages reconciliation (Gupta, Boyd, " Kuzmits¸ 2011). There should be well written policies with definitions regarding dispute mechanisms at the workplace to provide clear guidance to both employers and employees. The policies should also spell out the strategies’ terms including frequency, eligibility, approvals or sign-offs to settle dispute, and decision process. Therefore, below is a clearly outlined plan that an organization can adopt to resolve its disputes.
Dispute Resolution Plan
I. Introduction
The first step to addressing conflicts at the organization is creating an open-door policy platform in which employees are encouraged to meet their superiors in order to address the issues that affect them or their work (Singleton, Toombs, Taneja, Larkin, " Pryor, 2011). It is important that the employees know there won’t be any negative impacts for speaking out their complaints or grievances. Thus, most organizations clearly highlight their stance for supporting the grievances process as detailed below:
This Dispute Resolution Plan sets out how the company intends to meet its obligation of settling any possible conflicts within the workplace as contained in Section 214(2)(a) of the Company’s Cooperation Act.
II. Receiving and addressing complaints
Organizations are expected to adopt policies in writing with clear definitions of dispute mechanisms. This provides guidance to the employees and employers (Singleton, Toombs, Taneja, Larkin, " Pryor¸2011). It is important that the policy clearly states each mechanism as well as factors such as the decision process, eligibility, and required approvals to settle the matter.
a. All complaints and grievances raised by any employee or other organizational member for that matter must be addressed in accordance with the company’s Policy for Handling Complains (as attached in Annexure A).
b. The Complaints Policy outlines the procedures that the company has established in relation to:
(1) Receiving and dealing with filed grievances
(2) The method of giving remedies for complainants
(3) Referral of complaints to the management team
(4) Timeframe for complaints resolution
(5) Recording complaints
(6) Using complaint records to monitor systemic issues
III. Information to all employees on dispute resolution
1. The company will ensure that the complaint policy is available to all employees
2. It will also outline the procedure existing for complaints resolution including referrals to the top management
IV. List of Annexures
The complaints Policy is outlined in Annexure A
The annexure is a very important element of the plan as it highlights the common steps towards workplace dispute resolution. Apart from the open-door policy, the annexure illustrates the management review step in which issues are taken to the next management level for resolution (Certo¸ 2018). Alternatively, the employees should go further to a panel of selected supervisors or a pool of trained employees who have experience in dealing with such disputes. Furthermore, as a policy framework, the annexure highlights the ethical issues that must be considered while filing a dispute (Moore, 2014). These include creation of awareness of the dispute process, fairness, remedies, and responsiveness. The detailed annexure is presented below:
Annexure A
POLICY FOR HANDLING INDIVIDUAL COMPLAINTS
1. General
(a) The company acknowledges the right of every employee to complain about issues they feel unsatisfied about.
(b) All employees shall be informed of their right to make grievances and the method through which this is to be done
(c) The company is committed towards ensuring an efficient, fair, and courteous resolution of all employee disputes
(d) The company will, at all times, have the conflict resolution department that is responsible for ensuring that all grievances are solved satisfactorily.
2. Fairness
(a) All complaints addressing procedures will consider the need to be fair for both parties of conflict
(b) The company’s handling process shall be based on the rights of the complainant to;
Get a fair hearing
Non be subjected to any charges for filing a dispute
Provide relevant materials or evidence to support the claim in the grievance filed
Be informed of the processes including the avenues for further review that the company adopts
Be aware of the response of the company to the complaint made
Be aware of the decisions made and the reasons for doing so
And confidentiality is paramount upon request
3. Responsiveness
(a) The company will strive towards ensuring that all complains filed as addressed in the shortest time possible within a period of 15 days
(b) The company will further agree to a resolution at the first contact with the complainant
4. Remedies
(a) The company will ensure that all remedies are given in line with the complaints made by considering what is reasonable and fair, the legal obligations, and industry practice.
(b) The remedy chosen must follow all the complaint aspect. Such may include; a refund, goodwill gesture, and apology.
5. Reading and analyzing
(a) All disputes filed within the company must be logged, regardless of its merit.
(b) The log will document the following:
Date of filing the complaint
Policy number
Complainant name and the contact details
Complaint particulars
Measures used to resolve the conflict and the dates in which they occurred
If unresolved internally, there should be an indicated date on which the dispute was referred to external resolution schemes
Final resolution details
6. .Disputes
It is important to direct efforts towards addressing a complaint rather than letting the unresolved issues escalate
In the case where solution to address a dispute cannot be found, it is important to consider the next level of management. It will be up to the aggrieved person to decide whether the complaint should be referred to the top leadership.
7. Review
The complaints handling process (strategies) adopted by the company will be reviewed in less than every 12 months.
Summary
The plan presented reflects an organizational approach to addressing disputes. The key element, as observed in the plan, is communication. The employees are expected to follow the right channel as they file their disputes. Apart from the fact that they must follow different levels of management, they are also expected to consider key filing processes that enhance the documentation of the disputes. Resolving disputes is a very significant component of management as conflicts can affect the performance of employees as well as the overall organization. An authenticated plan can, thus, act as a drive towards conflict resolution.
References
Bingham, L. B. (2004). Employment dispute resolution: The case for mediation. Conflict Resolution Quarterly, 22(1‐2), 145-174.
Certo, S. C. (2018). Supervision: Concepts and skill-building. McGraw-Hill Education.
Gupta, M., Boyd, L., " Kuzmits, F. (2011). The evaporating cloud: a tool for resolving workplace conflict. International Journal of Conflict Management, 22(4), 394-412.
Moore, C. W. (2014). The mediation process: Practical strategies for resolving conflict. John Wiley " Sons.
Singleton, R., Toombs, L. A., Taneja, S., Larkin, C., " Pryor, M. G. (2011). Workplace conflict: A strategic leadership imperative. International Journal of Business " Public Administration, 8(1), 149-163.
