THE LAWYERS WEEKLY
April 6, 2012 | 25
BUSINESS
CAREERS
Anger
Continued From Page 23
Intolerance of differences is
another big source of conflict.
Coworkers in different age
groups can have vastly different
ideas around workplace behaviour, the work ethic, motivators
and expectations. When those
ideas clash, it’s a major source
of friction.
“People bring broad differences to the workplace, whether its
communications styles, the foods
they eat, how they interact with
people,” says Swartz.
“The workplace is a difficult
environment. We have to con-
sider appropriate behaviour
regarding equity, equality, and
creating an environment that’s
free of harassment and discrimin-
ation. But, at the same time, many
workplaces are informal. Finding
the right balance can be a strug-
gle. Some people come to work
with different values and expecta-
tions and that causes friction with
people who want to enjoy the
time that they spend working.”
What’s going to work best is if
the parties come up with a solu-
tion themselves.”
A common internal mediation
mistake is taking sides depending
on who speaks first. You have to
ensure that each person gets their
say —give time to each and don’t
judge too quickly (or at all). Meet
individually with each person
first. Before bringing them
together, think about ways to
frame the discussion to move
them toward a future perspective,
as opposed to an investigation
into the past.
n;Person 1: ‘I didn’t realize you
needed this task done for this
time frame.’
n;Person 2: ‘Yes, you’re right. I
didn’t tell you the timing, but I
was very anxious about it and
that’s why I lost my temper.’
Follow-up
Follow-up on the relationship is key. It prevents people
from falling into past habits and
holds them accountable — to
themselves, the other person
and the mediator.
“If the conflict has been long-
standing, you can’t expect a
short meeting to clear the air
completely. To me it’s about
restoring the working relation-
ship,” says Swartz. “You set the
right course by having the con-
versation, but perhaps have
some check-in points to follow-
up. Usually do it individually to
ensure the intent of what people
agreed upon is being carried
through in good faith by both.
Do they have ongoing concerns
that are arising? Have things
changed that has impacted on
what they decided would work
for them?”
“What you’re trying to do is
build capacity so that when the
next difficulty arises, there are
steps to take to tackle it.” n
Duff McCutcheon is communications specialist at the Human
Resources Professionals Association (HRPA). Visit www.hrpa.ca.
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Managing conflict
Clearing the air requires a
stepped approach, depending on
the level of conflict and the state
of a relationship.
If caught earl, and if the con-
flict isn’t too serious, often it can
be resolved positively with a sim-
ple conversation between the two
parties. Career coach and motiva-
tional speaker Colleen Clarke rec-
ommends coaching the parties to
avoid blame and to use conversa-
tion that frames the issue in terms
of how the perceived behaviour
impacts the person. For example,
“Mary, when you send me e-mails
that belittle my work perform-
ance, I feel hurt and frustrated. I
would appreciate it if you have a
concern about my work, that we
discuss it adult to adult.”
However, if the conflict has
been going for any length of time
and the parties are too emotional
to resolve the problem on their
own, it will require a neutral third
party—an office manager, senior
partner or HR professional—to
help mediate the dispute.
Ontario Courtroom Procedure,
3rd Edition
General Editors:
The Honourable Madam Justice
Michelle Fuerst & The Honourable
Madam Justice Mary Anne
Sanderson
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Mediation tips
The first step for any would-be
mediator is to define your role:
Will you being making a decision
on behalf of the parties? Are you
just there to facilitate the discussion? You also need to be very
clear about confidentiality, about
who in the organization will be
privy to the dispute, the mediation and the outcomes.
“Sometimes managers, in
their role as problem solvers, feel
the need to provide solutions,”
says Swartz. “They hear a problem and feel the need to provide
a solution. Resist this urge.
Ontario Courtroom Procedure is the only resource to
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Order Today! Take advantage of the 30-Day Risk-Free† Examination.
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licence. Butterworths is a registered trademark of Reed Elsevier (U. K.) Limited and its affiliated companies. Other
products or services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. © 2012 LexisNexis
Canada Inc. All rights reserved.
Order Today! Take advantage of the 30-Day Risk-Free† Examination.
Visit
www.lexisnexis.ca/bookstore or call 1-800-668-6481
† Pre-payment required for first-time purchasers.
* Purchasers will be placed on standing order to receive future editions automatically on 30-day risk-free examination
terms.
Price and other details are subject to change without notice. We pay shipping and handling if payment
accompanies order.
LexisNexis and the Knowledge Burst logo are registered trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties Inc., used under
licence. Butterworths is a registered trademark of Reed Elsevier (U. K.) Limited and its affiliated companies. Other
products or services may be trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies. © 2012 LexisNexis
Canada Inc. All rights reserved.
