A recent report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)* highlighted two important findings: a significant gap in conflict resolution skills, and a marked divide between employers and employees.
Based on data from more than 2,000 employers and 5,000 employees in the UK, the report confirmed that conflict is a common occurrence in the workplace, with 25% of employees reporting that they have experienced conflict or abuse in the last 12 months. These statistics are not unexpected, as they back up a CIPD study from 2019, and align with our experience as workplace mediators and conflict management professionals.
What is surprising, however, is the significant disconnect between staff and leaders. While 75% of employers reported that employees feel confident to raise issues, this confidence is not reflected in employee data. Among those who experience conflict, only 17% felt confident to have an informal conversation with the person involved, and only 29% discussed their conflict with a manager or HR. Nearly half (47%) of surveyed employees said they took no action and ‘just let it go.’
When workplace conflict is left unaddressed, it impacts individuals, teams, and the wider organisation. It can affect the health and well-being of individuals, reduce engagement, and decrease productivity. It sometimes leads to formal processes or legal cases, which are time-consuming and costly, and which usually further damage already broken relationships.
One fundamental challenge for many organisations is that decision-making in relation to conflict – including the skills to manage and resolve disputes informally – is often limited to a few people. These people are usually HR specialists, and in some cases, in-house mediators, facilitators or conflict coaches. In this model, the ‘power’ of conflict management and resolution is held by the few rather than the many. If organisations want to shift their conflict culture, they need to look at different and broader ways to upskill their workforce.
There are some useful ways to redress this imbalance in conflict skills within your organisation:
Equip line managers with conflict resolution skills
One of the CIPD report’s main findings is the crucial role that line managers play. Although employers are confident in line management capability, nearly half agreed that managers can be a cause of conflict in their teams. This is why managers need to be upskilled to learn to confidently address workplace conflict issues effectively and informally.
When managers are trained in conflict management skills, they are more able to nip conflict in the bud, develop better people management skills, and support stronger team relationships. When managers are aware of their conflict style and communication preferences, they can better understand how their own and others’ behaviours are contributing to a potential relationship breakdown.
Recognise conflict proficiency as a strategic priority
The next step in closing the skills gap is for leaders to prioritise conflict skills in organisational development. It is helpful for leaders to understand the conflict landscape in their organisation by analysing employee feedback and ensuring that processes are in place to aid informal resolution, such as facilitation, internal mediation, and conflict coaching. The conflict culture is set by leaders who role-model constructive conflict behaviours, and informally act on issues as soon as they arise.
This approach has many advantages, including reducing the costs of unresolved conflict and formal processes. Dealing with issues early decreases management and HR time, which allows resources to be deployed elsewhere.
Unlocking the real value
In an enlightened workplace, everyone is empowered to deal with conflict issues. If organisational processes solely rely on a small number of HR and conflict specialists to deal
with challenging workplace relationships, then the workforce as a whole is not able to learn how to manage their own conflicts. This partly explains the rise in formal processes that many organisations are experiencing; people expect someone else to sort things out for them because they don’t feel skilled, confident or empowered to do this on their own.
The opportunity lies in training individuals across the whole organisation to try to manage conflict on their own, or with the support of a manager. It may be unrealistic to expect everyone to address issues directly themselves. However, when support is provided to everyone in an organisation – such as online conflict resources, open-access and live training, or having the support to speak with someone about a conflict – it enables people to act on their own. This allows people to take action and feel a sense of control and personal agency.
Leaders often see the sharp end of conflict – the tribunal or legal case, the number of formal complaints, the percentage of churn – and that is just the tip of the iceberg. For most organisations, the steps to close the skills gap are within reach. Organisations that disseminate conflict skills will reduce the negative impact of unresolved conflict and benefit from the opportunities that constructive conflict brings, such as stronger relationships, innovation, and increased wellbeing and productivity, which helps to build future-fit employees.
References
* How employers are tackling bullying and harassment at work. (CIPD, 2024).
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