6 Ways to Handle Employee Conflict in the Healthcare Setting
Lives depend on effective teamwork and quick decision-making in healthcare facilities but employee conflicts can easily arise.
The means to ease the tensions caused by conflict and to promote harmony within the workplace are essential not only for the benefit of a clinical manager or an employee, but also for the patient.
While addressing problems between staff members, mediators should be cognizant of a few simple skills that may improve outcomes during a dispute.
1.
Determine If Counseling is Necessary Healthcare professionals deal with a variety of personalities, and more often than not, the minor exchanges of frustration between workers do not require remediation.
However, when the productivity of the treatment facility is stifled by a persistent problem, or when that conflict manifests in front of the patients, the employer should regard the issue as worthy of consideration.
2.
Maintain an Attitude of Understanding An employee who feels that their employer is "out to get them" or is "on the warpath" will most likely not respond well to counseling, resulting in further delay of optimal patient care.
It is important to first retain composure, and to address any complaint as legitimate and deserving of attention.
Fixing a problem on this scale is requires more than simply finding a culprit and taking action; the solution must incorporate the community-based nature of the workplace, which requires keeping communication lines open.
Those communicating are more likely to feel then that their complaints will be addressed, and that a meeting to discuss the issue will improve matters.
3.
Make Sure All Parties are Present While one worker may bring a grievance about another to the employer in confidence, true conflict resolution must require both parties present.
Doing so allows for communication lines to stay open, and each person has the chance to address the truth of the matter as they perceive it.
While anonymity may be important in some cases, starting with "it has been brought to my attention" implies that the opposing account is completely factual, and smears the objectivity of the employer in the eyes of the accused.
Already in such a case, the tone of mediation has been compromised and replaced with one of reprimand.
4.
Agree on Order and Scope of the Meeting While order and scope may seem intuitive in the proceedings, they are easily the most quickly forgotten.
The employer should make clear that each person will get a chance, without interruption, to state their impression of the order of the events leading up to the conflict.
Emphasize that only the issue at hand should be discussed, and that derogatory comments and outbursts will not be tolerated.
Ensuring both sides respect each other, even when they disagree, will benefit the parties long after the situation has been resolved.
5.
Find the Common Truth There is a saying that within two accounts of a story, there is the one truth of the first person, the one truth of the second person, and the real truth of the story, fifty-fifty down the middle.
While both sides may feel their account is completely factual, it is the employer's responsibility to sift through the facts to find the common ground between the two.
This, again, requires an understanding approach; often the obvious discrepancy in facts between parties conceals a more inconspicuous similarity of feelings.
Only after hearing both sides and seeing the overlap of those feelings can understanding between parties take place.
6.
Agree on an Action That Benefits Both Parties Punitive action should not be the goal of the meeting.
Instead, the employer should attempt to find a solution that helps both sides, using language that achieves that goal.
For example, phrases such as "What you did was wrong" should be replaced with "While I understand where you were coming from, next time, let's try it this way.
" Having a tangible goal in mind at the end will not only give the employer a means to follow up on progress, but also give employees the chance to actively work towards resolution long after the meeting has ended.
While such a diplomatic approach may not appeal to employers hoping for a more aggressive solution, it is important to note that the goal here is to resolve the conflict, not merely repress it.
For a problem to be completely remediated, both parties, while perhaps a little ruffled--but certainly not embittered--must feel as if they have been heard, treated fairly, and arrived at some sort of agreement that did not force them to forfeit their stance entirely.
By creating an environment where issues can be voiced and respected, the employee maintains a positive outlook, which in turn affects the ability of that healthcare provider to continue providing quality care to the patient.
Kathi Wynn, Owner/President Riley Wynn HR Consultants http://www.
rileywynnhr.
com
The means to ease the tensions caused by conflict and to promote harmony within the workplace are essential not only for the benefit of a clinical manager or an employee, but also for the patient.
While addressing problems between staff members, mediators should be cognizant of a few simple skills that may improve outcomes during a dispute.
1.
Determine If Counseling is Necessary Healthcare professionals deal with a variety of personalities, and more often than not, the minor exchanges of frustration between workers do not require remediation.
However, when the productivity of the treatment facility is stifled by a persistent problem, or when that conflict manifests in front of the patients, the employer should regard the issue as worthy of consideration.
2.
Maintain an Attitude of Understanding An employee who feels that their employer is "out to get them" or is "on the warpath" will most likely not respond well to counseling, resulting in further delay of optimal patient care.
It is important to first retain composure, and to address any complaint as legitimate and deserving of attention.
Fixing a problem on this scale is requires more than simply finding a culprit and taking action; the solution must incorporate the community-based nature of the workplace, which requires keeping communication lines open.
Those communicating are more likely to feel then that their complaints will be addressed, and that a meeting to discuss the issue will improve matters.
3.
Make Sure All Parties are Present While one worker may bring a grievance about another to the employer in confidence, true conflict resolution must require both parties present.
Doing so allows for communication lines to stay open, and each person has the chance to address the truth of the matter as they perceive it.
While anonymity may be important in some cases, starting with "it has been brought to my attention" implies that the opposing account is completely factual, and smears the objectivity of the employer in the eyes of the accused.
Already in such a case, the tone of mediation has been compromised and replaced with one of reprimand.
4.
Agree on Order and Scope of the Meeting While order and scope may seem intuitive in the proceedings, they are easily the most quickly forgotten.
The employer should make clear that each person will get a chance, without interruption, to state their impression of the order of the events leading up to the conflict.
Emphasize that only the issue at hand should be discussed, and that derogatory comments and outbursts will not be tolerated.
Ensuring both sides respect each other, even when they disagree, will benefit the parties long after the situation has been resolved.
5.
Find the Common Truth There is a saying that within two accounts of a story, there is the one truth of the first person, the one truth of the second person, and the real truth of the story, fifty-fifty down the middle.
While both sides may feel their account is completely factual, it is the employer's responsibility to sift through the facts to find the common ground between the two.
This, again, requires an understanding approach; often the obvious discrepancy in facts between parties conceals a more inconspicuous similarity of feelings.
Only after hearing both sides and seeing the overlap of those feelings can understanding between parties take place.
6.
Agree on an Action That Benefits Both Parties Punitive action should not be the goal of the meeting.
Instead, the employer should attempt to find a solution that helps both sides, using language that achieves that goal.
For example, phrases such as "What you did was wrong" should be replaced with "While I understand where you were coming from, next time, let's try it this way.
" Having a tangible goal in mind at the end will not only give the employer a means to follow up on progress, but also give employees the chance to actively work towards resolution long after the meeting has ended.
While such a diplomatic approach may not appeal to employers hoping for a more aggressive solution, it is important to note that the goal here is to resolve the conflict, not merely repress it.
For a problem to be completely remediated, both parties, while perhaps a little ruffled--but certainly not embittered--must feel as if they have been heard, treated fairly, and arrived at some sort of agreement that did not force them to forfeit their stance entirely.
By creating an environment where issues can be voiced and respected, the employee maintains a positive outlook, which in turn affects the ability of that healthcare provider to continue providing quality care to the patient.
Kathi Wynn, Owner/President Riley Wynn HR Consultants http://www.
rileywynnhr.
com