Workplace Conflict Essay

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Workplace Etiquette: How to Avoid Conflict in the Workplace May 14, 2010 Conflict in the Workplace Avenues of life are surrounded by conflict, including the workplace. Conflict is a typical and expected component of the workplace and personal lives that can be helpful in making essential amendments in the environment. Unresolved conflict can produce feelings of unhappiness, discontent, desperation, misery, and a multitude of other emotions. Conflict can result in emotional or physical withdrawal, job resignation, personal relationship termination, hostility, and violent behavior (Rau-Foster and Mary, 2003). The effects of conflict in the workplace can be prevalent and costly. Studies have shown that management spends 24 – 60% of his or her time dealing with anger that leads to reduced productivity, increased stress, high turnover, absenteeism, poor performance, violence, and sometimes death. Workplace conflict is the consequence of an assortment of prevailing factors; the thought of being taken advantage of is the most significant. Other common conflict scenarios include unclear responsibility definition, unrealistic job expectations, being misunderstood, and limited resources such as space, money, supplies, time, materials, and equipment as well as personal conflict of interests (Lankton-Rivas, 2010). Conflict also develops because of goal and value differences within the company. Each individual needs to know how his or her personal goals and efforts fit within the organization. If the company’s values and goals are not sufficiently conveyed to employees, conflict may arise if the employee’s goals and values are at odds with those of the company. According to Mark Sichel, author of Workplace Etiquette: How to Avoid Conflict in the Workplace, there are several ways in which to avoid

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