My personal and career experiences suggest we all struggle at times to have work that meets our expectations. I’ve had my share of incompatible roles, and I’ve helped hundreds (if not thousands) of people improve their work situations through mediation and other conflict resolution techniques.
What’s the #1 Cause of Conflict at Work?
Conflict arises when expectations aren’t met. Too often, those expectations are not shared. When they are, they are vague, and no one clarifies them. New employees are left to guess how to be successful in their jobs. Managers do what they think their employers want and need from them. Employer entities assume it’s obvious what is expected. There’s an employment partnership, but it’s not effective. They’re partners in confusion and conflict, which is not what any of them expected when they agreed to come together in furtherance of what they thought were compatible goals. Fortunately, this is all fixable. It starts with clarifying the roles.
The Role of the Employer Entity
If you’re a senior executive leading an employer entity, your role is to:
- Create and consistently communicate clear expectations, including any changes to them
- Provide the orientation and ongoing training necessary to set employees up for success in meeting those expectations
- Honor the law and other agreements the business has made
Your employees are watching and will follow your lead.
The Role of the Manager
Managers, we need you to:
- Honor the agreements you made with the employer entity
- Reinforce for employees the expectations of the employer entity
- (MOST IMPORTANTLY) Help employees meet those expectations
The Role of the Employee
Don’t deplete your own integrity.
- Learn about the employer’s vision, goals, and expectations.
- Give a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay–work when you’re supposed to be working and while you’re at work.
- Be solutions-oriented and peak up when you need help, don’t understand, or feel treated unfairly.