The great guest posts keep on rolling in this week. This next one focuses on workplace conflict resolution and come from Claudia Vandermilt. Claudia works in conjunction with Villanova University and University Alliance to promote professional training materials. She’s currently enrolled in Mastering Organizational Effectiveness through Villanova because there’s little else more challenging than remaining organized.
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In a perfect workplace, everyone would work together in peace and harmony – there would be no politics, disagreements or differing opinions. However, no such workplace exists; conflict is a normal part of daily life and doing business, as each employee has a different view on the world (which is also what makes a business successful). It’s also a typical challenge for HR.
HR professionals, like yourself, must work hard to create a work environment that allows employees to grow and thrive, and to work together without tension. It’s your job to ensure that interoffice conflicts don’t escalate into interpersonal conflicts, so intervention is necessary. Your HR knowledge, management and mediation skills play a critical role in getting employees back to being productive.
From your perspective, conflict within the workplace should actually be considered neutral territory. Your job is to take into consideration the individual, their concerns and the policies of your organization. While addressing conflict is often not an enjoyable part of being in an HR role, it is an aspect that cannot be ignored.
Conflict Resolution vs. Conflict Avoidance
Determining precisely when to intervene in an employee conflict is tricky, but leaving a conflict totally unresolved can greatly harm productivity and teamwork. Addressing conflict isn’t easy, but giving employees the opportunity to be heard can have positive results for the staff and organization. In a supportive environment, employees experience higher morale and file fewer formal grievances, as they feel validated and appreciated.
Because most conflicts can be resolved quickly and fairly, it’s best to address them early. Waiting too long or avoiding the conflict altogether only adds to the tension and could even escalate the grievance. When faced with the challenge of conflict resolution, consider the pros and cons of intervention:
• Pros
Dealing with conflict resolution results in:
o Stronger relationships
o Builds teamwork
o Diffuses anger
o Encourages problem solving
o Re-focuses employees toward results
o Conveys a positive environment
o Encourages open communication
• Cons
Avoiding conflict results in:
o Defensiveness
o Discourages productivity and teamwork
o Damages relationships
o Creates hidden agendas
o Drains energy and morale
o Produces stress and animosity
o Harbors workplace chaos and negativity
In your role, you have the ability to create a positive, supportive work environment that opens communication and enables employees to achieve success. Swiftly dealing with workplace conflict creates a harmonious environment that motivates employees and encourages creativity, willingness and loyalty.
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Guest Post: Before You Worry About the Interview Questions
I'm sorry to have been absent from the blogging world for a while but I just recently entered the world of dog ownership (picture on the right) and the puppy has been occupying way too much of my time. But I'm back now and we've got some great stuff on tap for this week including a few great guest posts. The first guest post is contributed by Katheryn Rivas, who writes on the topics of online universities. She welcomes your comments at her email: katherynrivas87@gmail.com.
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We often read so much about how to prepare for the actual back and forth discussion part of our job interview that we don't actually get any advice about how to prepare for the logistics of going to a job interview. When I say logistics, I mean all of the details surrounding the interview itself. If you don't get these details right, they can seriously hamper your efforts to nail down that job. And in this economy, you can't afford to let the details keep you from getting a steady paycheck.
Anyhow, when you get ready to go off to your interview, take a moment to track down some of these logistical details. These may seem obvious and common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people might forget these in the nervous rush of thinking about the interview. And, of course, good luck!
Plan Your Route
Before you leave for the interview, plan out the route you will drive to get there. Keep in mind an alternate route as well so that you can adjust where you go in case there is a traffic jam. Also, use a traffic monitoring system, such as the one on your GPS, or use the radio to get traffic updates.
Figure Out the Parking Situation
Next, you should try to figure out the parking situation at the place where you are interviewing. Some places have easy parking, while others will require you to get your parking ticket validated. Simply check with whomever helped you set up the interview for more information.
Where Will You Meet?
This is a pretty basic step, but it's still one that needs to be taken so that you can avoid some anxiety once you arrive at the office. Simply establish where you will wait or how you will meet with whomever is going to interview you. Should you wait in the lobby? Will someone come and get you? Do you take the elevator up? Establish the process here to save yourself some trouble the morning of the interview.
Know Your Interviewers
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| A picture of little Jack taking a nap |
Anyhow, when you get ready to go off to your interview, take a moment to track down some of these logistical details. These may seem obvious and common sense, but you'd be surprised at how many people might forget these in the nervous rush of thinking about the interview. And, of course, good luck!
Plan Your Route
Before you leave for the interview, plan out the route you will drive to get there. Keep in mind an alternate route as well so that you can adjust where you go in case there is a traffic jam. Also, use a traffic monitoring system, such as the one on your GPS, or use the radio to get traffic updates.
Figure Out the Parking Situation
Next, you should try to figure out the parking situation at the place where you are interviewing. Some places have easy parking, while others will require you to get your parking ticket validated. Simply check with whomever helped you set up the interview for more information.
Where Will You Meet?
This is a pretty basic step, but it's still one that needs to be taken so that you can avoid some anxiety once you arrive at the office. Simply establish where you will wait or how you will meet with whomever is going to interview you. Should you wait in the lobby? Will someone come and get you? Do you take the elevator up? Establish the process here to save yourself some trouble the morning of the interview.
Know Your Interviewers
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Astronology - 2011 Office Spring Cleaning
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Thursday, March 17, 2011
March Madness
As mid-March hits, productivity starts to go down in the office. The weather gets nice outside, fun holidays like St. Patrick's Day is celebrated and baseball Opening Day and Summer are both right around the corner. But March is also bad for productivity because of March Madness. For a few weeks, afternoons are spent bracket-watching as hopes and dreams are beaten as the buzzer is. Well what happened if you had the coolest boss ever? someecards.com and Sports Pickle took a look and the result is pretty funny and pretty awesome.
Also, you have a few minutes left to still join the bracket that is being co-hosted by my two blog passions: Astron Solutions World of HR and NYaT: http://www.nyat.net/2011/03/join-nyats-tournament-pickem-and-win.html
Make sure to join quickly so you are in the running to win and enjoy March Madness!
Also, you have a few minutes left to still join the bracket that is being co-hosted by my two blog passions: Astron Solutions World of HR and NYaT: http://www.nyat.net/2011/03/join-nyats-tournament-pickem-and-win.html
Make sure to join quickly so you are in the running to win and enjoy March Madness!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Another Plug for Napping at Work
Here at the Astron Solutions World of HR blog, you may think that we're obsessed with napping. In January of 2009 we quoted a study that we found on ESPN.com that says that people ought to take afternoon naps, in March of 2009 Jennifer wrote about National Nap Day, Labor Day last year we posted that Bloomberg and Yahoo! gave a nod to napping, and a month ago Astronology said that 50 million Americans suffer from sleep problems. Well napping has moved past the traditional workplace and is now prevalent among basketball players in the NBA according to the New York Times:
Speaking of basketball...if you are interested in getting involved in a NCAA tournament pool, you can check out my sports blog, NYaT, where we have a pool open to all Astron Solutions World of HR readers. Go over there and test your mettle for a chance to win bragging rights as the best of the blog. Good luck!
In the United States, napping is often stigmatized, seen as evidence of laziness or a lack of purpose. But in the world of sports, and certainly in the N.B.A., the attitude is entirely different.The key now is to figure out a way to get rid of that stigma in the rest of society. A 20-30 minute "power nap" at work can be the way to keep your employee base fresh and to keep them from burning out or making mistakes. While others may be okay shunning naps, here at Astron's World of HR, we're trying to make it an accepted practice in the workplace.
“You’re nocturnal in terms of what you do, playing at night, so your body adjusts to the rhythm of being up late, getting in early in the morning,” said Grant Hill, [Steve] Nash’s teammate with the Phoenix Suns. “You’re tired around midday. Naps are important. It refreshes you. It gets you ready for competition.”
Speaking of basketball...if you are interested in getting involved in a NCAA tournament pool, you can check out my sports blog, NYaT, where we have a pool open to all Astron Solutions World of HR readers. Go over there and test your mettle for a chance to win bragging rights as the best of the blog. Good luck!
Tuesday, March 08, 2011
Astronology - 2011 Salary Increase Updates
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Monday, March 07, 2011
Contacting Ex-Employees
When employees leave your organization, a lot of information tends to leave with them. As much as they document their everyday activities and hand off work to co-workers, there's always something that they forgot to leave behind. Most of the time the employee who leaves says "contact me for anything you need", and although this is just said as a courtesy, there may be times when contacting that employee for a quick question is absolutely necessary. But how much is too much and how long is too long to contact an old employee?
The question comes after I read an article from Ask a Manager about an employee who was being harassed by their old boss 16 months after leaving their old job. This is an extreme circumstance (it seems like the boss is an extra vindictive person) but it should prove a point that while it's okay to contact an old employee a few times, it should be done sparingly and it should be done with a great deal of gratitude.
In one of my old jobs, my predecessor left for another job within the company (at a new location). He was a really nice guy and had a hard time saying no to anyone so he let everyone know that he was available to help when he left for his new job. Well the problem was that everyone wanted to contact him and they wanted to contact him all the time. It not only made him feel that he really had never left his old job, but it also was really frustrating for me because--correct or not--it always made me feel that no one had trust in me to make the right decisions in these situations.
It's always nice to have old employees who are readily available to help, but it's always worth understanding that the person who left is under no obligation to actually help you--and it could be doing a lot of damage to the confidence of the people left behind. It's okay to contact old employees but, as they say in alcohol commercials, if you choose to do so, do so responsibly.
The question comes after I read an article from Ask a Manager about an employee who was being harassed by their old boss 16 months after leaving their old job. This is an extreme circumstance (it seems like the boss is an extra vindictive person) but it should prove a point that while it's okay to contact an old employee a few times, it should be done sparingly and it should be done with a great deal of gratitude.
In one of my old jobs, my predecessor left for another job within the company (at a new location). He was a really nice guy and had a hard time saying no to anyone so he let everyone know that he was available to help when he left for his new job. Well the problem was that everyone wanted to contact him and they wanted to contact him all the time. It not only made him feel that he really had never left his old job, but it also was really frustrating for me because--correct or not--it always made me feel that no one had trust in me to make the right decisions in these situations.
It's always nice to have old employees who are readily available to help, but it's always worth understanding that the person who left is under no obligation to actually help you--and it could be doing a lot of damage to the confidence of the people left behind. It's okay to contact old employees but, as they say in alcohol commercials, if you choose to do so, do so responsibly.
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