Wednesday, January 27, 2016

8 Steps to Workplace Conflict Resolution



Wherever there are people, there will always be conflict. Employee conflict is bound to happen at any company, regardless of size or industry. Ensuring that your company culture is strong and you are hiring the right people can limit many potential issues and conflicts, but it doesn't prevent them from ever occurring.

When conflict does arise in the workplace and impairs the productivity and performance of your employees, refer to these 8 steps on how to diffuse it:

Step #1: Encourage the employees to work it out on their own. Before management or HR personnel step in, encourage the employees involved to try and resolve their issues themselves by thinking about their situation, communicating in a non-accusatory or non-aggressive way, maintaining composure, and staying respectful. If handled in this way, the majority of conflicts may end here.


Step #2: If there's still conflict, it's time for the managers/HR personnel to get involved. If the conflict still exists after Step #1 and it's affecting the work performance of the employees, it's time to get their managers and/or the company’s HR personnel involved.
Step #3: Listen to both/all sides of the conflict objectively. Privately speak with both/all sides of the conflict. Be sure to stay respectful of privacy and listen with an objective ear. Taking anyone’s side may be viewed as choosing a favorite and will therefore only aggravate the problem and cause it to worsen. It can also cause negative feelings and resentment.
Step #4:Identify the real issue - it could be hiding. When speaking with employees privately, try to identify the real, underlying issue. Perhaps the conflict is only a small piece of a bigger problem that has been building, or maybe it has nothing to do with the other party or work. It could be a personal problem that is carrying over into the workplace. If personal problems are the issue, suggest taking some paid time off (if they have it available) or even unpaid time off to resolve their personal issues.
Step #5: Bring both/all parties together to discuss the conflict. Once you've identified the real issue, bring both/all parties together to discuss the conflict with an emphasis on staying professional. Like in Step #1, encourage the employees to think about their situation, communicate in a non-accusatory or non-aggressive way, maintain composure, and stay respectful.
Step #6: Find a common ground, encourage compromise, and work out a solution. Finding a common ground between both/all parties of the conflict can help bridge the gap that separates them. This is the first step toward working out a solution and/or compromise.
Step #7: Make sure no negative feelings are left behind. If either/any of the employees are left with unresolved negative feelings, the negativity can fester and become another, bigger problem down the road. That’s why it's critical to ensure that both/all parties have been heard. If they feel understood, it's easier to come to a solution/compromise that makes them feel positive about the outcome and valued as employees.
Step #8: Be positive and learn from the conflict. Workplace conflict doesn't always have to be viewed in a negative light. Treat conflicts as opportunities for employees to learn about each other. Clearing the air and working through a conflict can actually bring everyone closer.

Take Proactive Measures to Prevent Workplace Conflict



Besides creating and maintaining a strong company culture, defining acceptable behaviors that apply evenly throughout the company in an employee handbook and offering training to all employees on how to avoid and handle workplace conflict are great ways to take proactive measures against it. The best method is leading by example. Behave the way you want your employees and coworkers to behave, and you will be able to see a difference!

Contact us today if you'd like some advice on how to hire people that fit into your company culture and will be less prone to conflicts.

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Wednesday, January 13, 2016

2016: New Year, New Staffing Goals That Are SMART for Your Business



The holidays have come to an end, the Times Square New Year's Eve ball has been dropped, and the wait is finally over - 2016 is officially here and with the new year comes new resolutions and goals. Setting goals specific to staffing and staffing needs is just as important for your business as goals related to growth. If you're SMART about your goals, you’ll have plenty to show for it this time next year.



"SMART Goals" is a phrase used to help people set goals that are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound - SMART. Here are 6 SMART Goals you can incorporate with your 2016 staffing goals:

1. First thing is first - if you haven't already, identify your company's culture. Company culture - it may be revealed on a company's website, often on the About Us page. It encompasses the company's vision, values, norms, symbols, language, assumptions, beliefs, and habits as a whole. Being able to identify your company's culture becomes important as you try to find and hire the right type of people that are a good fit with the company's vision and goals. It's also important that potential hires fit in with your other staff. How can a goal like this be measured? Something you can look at is turnover rate - if you're hiring the right people that fit your company's culture, the turnover rate should decrease over the next year.

2. Make sure that your staffing goals are aligned with the growth of the business. Each aspect of your business should have goals of their own that help achieve the "big picture" goals. If a "big picture" goal is to increase business by a certain percentage, the number of employees hired should also increase accordingly. If your staff doesn't grow as your business grows, you may end up with overworked, bitter people who are unhappy and eventually leave. Creating a comfortable workload for employees makes for healthy and happy employees which in turn makes them and your business more productive.

3. Continuous improvement of the interview and hiring process. It's going to happen - if you have been carrying out a process for a long period of time, your view of that process can get stale and eventually, you’re just going through the motions. Getting a fresh perspective can not only help you improve staffing processes, it can also help you get excited and even energize you for the new year. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback from staff/coworkers and even job seekers that went through the process in the past to find out ways to improve your interview and hiring processes. You can also look at your goals and company culture to help improve these processes as well.

4. Providing valuable training for your staff. It's never done once a person accepts a job offer - there's always room for continuous improvement. To keep your staff up with the times and educated, provide training on relevant topics for your business. Identify what those relevant topics are by looking at business trends and asking your staff, then ensure that all staff are aware of the training.

5. Keep it fun! When you hire the right people, you want to ensure that they are not just robots coming to work, working, and leaving like drones every day. Creativity and innovation can come from a friendly and fun environment. Throw company-wide parties and team bonding trips and watch your staff flourish.

6. Get hiring help when needed. If you find that your company is struggling to find the right people to add to your team, it's time to enlist some help. We like to say that staffing success begins with us, and we've been helping our clients find the right people for their businesses since 1972. Our experts will guide you through the entire process from recruiting to offer acceptance. We specialize in office, industrial, technical, and professional staffing services.


How can you achieve all of these goals and more?
The key is simply to start. Don’t allow yourself to get overwhelmed or try to make your goals perfect. By taking a step back from the task at hand and developing a staffing strategy today, you can achieve all of these SMART goals, and even more.

If you need help with #6 above, contact J & J Staffing today to get started finding the right people for your company.