Blog Layout

5 Critical Tips for Resolving Conflict in the Workplace

Admin • March 4, 2019

The reality is that conflict is a part of life – especially in the workplace. Increasingly short deadlines, high pressure projects and the constantly increasing pace of business makes conflict more and more likely. Soft skills play a vital role in effectively resolving conflict at work.


Handled poorly, workplace conflict can have severe personal and financial impacts. The good news is that with the right skills and developed levels of EI you can handle conflict confidently and with respect. Here are five critical tips to keep in mind if you find yourself in a workplace conflict situation.

Don’t be defensive - workplace conflict doesn’t have to be bad

Remember that conflict does not have to be negative. A Canadian survey found that conflict can, in the right circumstances “lead to better solutions to problems and challenges, major innovations, increased motivation and higher work team performance”.


It’s all in how you handle the situation.

Remember your default style

If your first reaction to conflict is to run as far and as fast as you can – don’t feel bad. You are not alone. According to Harvard Business Review, even experienced managers avoid conflict – it depends on whether you are an Avoider or a Seeker. According to HBR, everyone has one of these as a default response. Neither style is wrong, but as HBR says, understanding that these fall back styles exist can make it easier to correctly understand your responses and that of the other person.

Stay within the lines

When dealing with conflict it is important to remember that conflict may be the visible result of a behaviour that has legal implications. Harassment, bullying, and sexual harassment are examples of behaviours that can lead to conflict but are serious offences in themselves. There are formal guidelines for dealing with these behaviours so being able to recognise when these behaviours are triggering conflict is important.

Know yourself and your typical responses

When dealing with conflict it is important to remember that conflict may be the visible result of a behaviour that has legal implications. Harassment, bullying, and sexual harassment are examples of behaviours that can lead to conflict but are serious offences in themselves. There are formal guidelines for dealing with these behaviours so being able to recognise when these behaviours are triggering conflict is important.

While you can’t control the behaviours of other parties, understanding yourself and how you respond to conflict can have a major effect on the outcome of a situation. Self-knowledge and high levels of emotional intelligence can help you empathise with others and offset your own non-constructive responses. Remember that in conflict situations, perception can easily displace the facts, so being able to come back to a position of listening with empathy can reduce the chances of accelerating misunderstandings.

Watch your tone and posture – remember voice and non-verbal cues

Very little communication results from what comes out of our mouth. According to Psychology Today, the general theory is that “55% of communication is body language, 38% is the tone of voice, and 7% is the actual words spoken.” Most of the communication we bring to a conflict situation is interpreted and induced (correctly or incorrectly) from tone of voice, and body language.


Your stance, movement and tone of voice all carry signals to the other party about how you are thinking about them and the issue at hand. These signals aren’t always correct, but by being aware of your own body language you can actively and consciously signal a willingness to engage in good faith. Open gestures, loose relaxed posture and an even vocal tone are just some of the things that you can do to signal your own positive intent.

Staff reflect what managers model

Remember that a company and management culture that actively models successful and positive outcomes from conflict resolution shows its staff that its OK to disagree, and provides examples of behaviours that help staff find constructive respectful ways to deal with issues.

Need some new skills for managing conflict? Book a FREE personal one-on-one soft skills assessment session, and find out how soft skills could benefit you or your workplace

FREE DOWNLOAD

Presentation Skills - Tip Three

By Admin • December 3, 2020
Light for life When giving a virtual presentation it’s important that you are seen in the best light, literarily! The lighting that you choose to use can make or break a presentation. Too much light and you can look washed out, too little light and you won’t be seen at all. Get the light just right and you’ll shine like a star.  Take one minute of your day to learn more about the importance of lighting.

Presentation Skills - Tip Two

By Admin • November 24, 2020
Space: the final frontier Virtual presenting is all about knowing how to use your space and being aware of how much space you have to work in. Unlike presenting or training in-person where you have a whole room or stage to work with, in a virtual world your space is much smaller and new rules apply, so it's good to know how to fill your space without slipping over the edges. Take one minute to view tip two in our virtual presenting series to see how you can own your space and stay in your virtual box.

Presentation Skills - Tip One

By Admin • November 5, 2020
The eyes have it Whether you be presenting in person, or in a virtual situation its all about making contact with your audience. Connecting with an audience requires us to show our true selves or put another way, to be authentic. One of the best ways to show our authenticity is to reveal ourselves through our eyes, we do this by looking others in the eye, when we do this, they see our inner selves, which sparks a genuine connection. When presenting virtually the lens is the representation of everyone you are speaking with, so the lens becomes their eyes and we must look into that lens and express emotion in the same way we do when we are with people in a physical environment. So, sit back and take one-minute to view tip number one in our presentation skills video training series to help you connect in the virtual world.

Credit Control - Tip Three (for getting paid)

By Herduard Joy Cetron • October 30, 2020
Do you know the difference between aggressive, assertive and non-assertive? This is an important question for anyone working as an account receivable person / credit controller. You see, a big part of getting invoices paid on time is your voice, your voice has to become an effective tool for encouraging your customers to pay their invoices on time and your voice needs to be used in an assertive manner. When you are assertive people follow your lead and will be guided by you, being assertive creates trust and gives you the authority you need to be taken seriously. Another aspect of being a good account receivable person / credit controller is maintaining your record keeping, using the CRM software or accounting software correctly. Document, Document, Document. If you keep accurate records it will stop your customers from trying to trick you are out right lying to you, because they will know that you have documented what they have promised to do and you can refer back to previous conversations and quote their own words back at them, this has a powerful effect on people trying to mislead you.  So sit back and take one-minute to view tip number three in our credit control video training series to help you get your invoices paid on time.

Credit Control - Tip Two (for getting paid)

By Admin • October 22, 2020
We are here to help you get paid, whilst maintaining excellent relationships with your customers What kind of relationship does your accounts receivable team have with your customers? For the most part credit controllers and accounts receivable teams don’t have much of a relationship with customers except to chase them for payment which means in many cases it’s a negative relationship. We see this as a flawed relationship, wouldn’t it be better for your business and the customer if the relationship between the customer and the accounts receivable team was a positive one? How about starting the relationship on a positive note and keeping it that way, viewing accounts receivable as part of the customer service process can ensure you not only get paid faster but have a deeper more meaningful relationship with customers. In this set of short one-minute training videos we will arm you with the skills to make sure your invoices get paid on time every time.

7 Key Soft Skills for Tech Teams in the Post 'COVID-19 Normal'

By Admin • October 20, 2020
The IT sector has traditionally placed priority on the team members having gun tech skills – sometimes at the expense of other, seemingly less important soft skills. As COVID-19 redefines the way we work, the need for soft skills in this sector is becoming increasingly apparent.  Soft skills now dominate the list of proficiencies needed by our future tech workforce. As Deloitte Access Economics points out, “ten of the sixteen ‘crucial proficiencies in the 21st century’ identified by the World Economic Forum are non-technical”. The days where the technically gifted can get away with operating as a lone wolf are long gone. Technology team members are now expected to have solid non-technical soft skills. If you want to improve the effectiveness of our tech teams or to shine as a team member, here are eight soft skills that will give you an edge. And if you are looking to get into the sector, these skills could make a tangible difference to your employment prospects by making you stand out from the crowd. According to an Australian Department of Employment 2016 report, a quarter of entry level employers report having difficulty filling vacancies because applicants lack employability skills.

Credit Control - Tip One (for getting paid)

By Admin • October 15, 2020
We are here to help you get paid whilst maintaining excellent relationships with your customers. Surprisingly, one of the biggest fears in business is asking to be paid. Many business owners and accounts receivable people have never been taught to ask for payment and the rules around maintaining positive relationships whilst reducing outstanding invoices.  In this short series of credit control videos, we will arm you with the skills to make sure your invoices get paid on time.

Customer Service Tip Three

By Admin • October 8, 2020
We are here to help. Tips to stay cool, calm and collected in Customer Service As Des’ree sang in her 1994 Hit song You Gotta Be. “You gotta be cool, you gotta be calm, you gotta stay together and love will save the day”. This is a wonderful mantra when working in customer service, when you are cool, calm and collected you have power over yourself and power over your role. It's not always easy to keep your head when things are frantic with customers being demanding and the pressure to keep calls to a certain time limit and make, or answer X many calls an hour. Having an assertive tone of voice, great eye contact and body language are important. So, sit back, relax and take one minute to watch this training video to let us help you to be super cool with your customers.

Customer Service Tip Two

By Admin • October 5, 2020
We are here to help. Tips to stay cool, calm and collected in Customer Service Conflict is my friend, now that’s a bold statement, we know, but once conflict is embraced it can be managed and used to build stronger relationships with customers. Conflict is only a problem if it spirals out of control, during this time of COVID-19 many of our clients have reported that their customer service teams are experiencing far more conflict with customers than they have previously, tension not addressed grows and something quite minor can turn into a serious conflict which could mean losing a customer. So, sit back relax and take one minute to watch this training video to let us help you embrace conflict.

Customer Service Tip One

By Admin • September 24, 2020
We are here to help. Tips to stay cool, calm and collected in Customer Service Over the past few months we have had many conversations with our customers and clients about how they can continue to give their customers (internal and external) a great customer experience. COVID-19 has changed the world completely, who would have thought that most customer service teams would now be working remotely or in an office environment that is unrecognisable from this time last year. As a professional customer service person it's part of our role to deal with that stress with humility, style and above all cut through the stress and get to the real issue then help the person to resolve their issue(s). We will be posting short video tips each week. Enjoy, remember to centre and breathe.
More Posts
Share by: