Presenter: Jan Elsley

Fear of confrontation Fear of not being liked Lack of experience /confidence Fear of escalating the issue Anxious about being accused of bullying Input vs output (time and effort vs likelihood of success value)

Withdraw, attack, surrender, stand our ground.

Functional conflict Good conflict

Stimulates creativity, interest, curiosity, great ideas, different way of doing things, strongly expressed feelings, arguing, motivation, group cohesion and identity

Dysfunctional conflict Bad conflict

Unhealthy, destructive; impacts team and individual, financial and productivity costs, relationships, family; could result in litigation, criminal offence/fines

Discomforts Incidents Misunderstandings Tension

Crisis

What types of conflict do you deal with/ are involved in?

Determine where each of these are on the conflict ladder. Identify what level the conflict is at.

Sort it out yourselves Someone else can deal with it . Letcan it go with it.. HR deal Deal with yourself Thats the it way things are done around here Discuss with others who can support you Refer person to external resolution Theyre always like that youll get used to practitioners it Out ofto sight, out of mind Refer HR or senior organisational manager to resolve Refer to an external agency/legislative body

 The type of conflict The severity of the conflict The parties/who is involved The impact on you, the team or the business Your skills The resources you can access/use.

Listen, observe Identify what is happening get the facts Diagnose the conflict the cause/severity Identify how you will manage/intervene Know what resources to use or are available

When to act, how to act = important.

Listen, listen, listen Honest, open, conversation Talk with not to Respect, dignity and confidentiality Act on gut feeling Take care making assumptions What part have you played (navel gazing)? What is the cause of the conflict? Find out what the real concern is Dont be afraid to challenge Base decisions on facts Where possible try to leave the conversation on a positive note.

One size doesnt fit all

Individual

When you I felt In future .

Supervisor

I have been told, I noticed/saw .. What is your version of what happened? Is there any reason why this happened? Your behaviour/action had an impact on the team/ John in the following ways . This behaviour is not the way things are done/acceptable because the team/John . In future, I am expecting that .

Anti-discrimination and Human Rights commissions Safe Work Australia

Fair Work Commission, Public Sector Acts, Professional body standards of practice Workplace policy, practices, procedures and training

Draft Code of Practice: Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying

Position requirements, regular review and development meetings, workloads Team goals, culture and development Reward and recognition practices

Anti-Discrimination policies and practices Code of conduct, Performance management, Unsatisfactory performance policies

Fierce conversations (Susan Scott):

Achieving success at work and in life one conversation at a time. HR Daily articles and webinars

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland PROSCI change management practices and principles webinars, training LEADR mediation, conflict coaching (CINERGY) AHRI training and networks AIM events, mentoring programs and networking ADCQ training, information sheets,

Jan Elsley
(HR generalist, investigation and mediation practitioner)

0403662618 elsley.je@bigpond.com