ACAS: Line Managers Struggle with Workplace Conflict

A new Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) study, reviewing conflict management within five organisations, has indicated that line managers are struggling to deal with conflict at work.

Launching the study at the most recent Wales TUC Fringe meeting, Sir Brendan Barber, ACAS Chair said: "We would all like to see conflict resolved in the workplace rather than the court room. But even when they are bubbling beneath the surface, problems at work can be very demanding to manage effectively. Many line managers do not feel equipped for the challenge and we are in danger of expecting too much of them."

He continued: "Conflict management deserves its place at the top table but, as our study shows, it's also time to recognise that dealing with conflict often relies on informal networks of interaction between people. Many of these networks - that formerly relied upon everyday contact with HR managers and employee representatives - are being eroded. I think it's time we took a more innovative approach to conflict management. And we can start by having a bigger conversation about the part conflict plays at work, whether it's visible or not."

To help address the problem, ACAS have suggested organisations take the following steps:

• share the responsibility of managing conflict by making it a strategic issue discussed at the highest level;
• provide more training for line managers not just in managing conflict but also in more generic 'handling difficult conversations'; and to
• recognise the factors that can help employers to prevent problems escalating into full blown disputes - such as effective channels of representation, particularly those provided by unions.

The Research Paper, Workplace Dispute Resolution and the Management of Individual Conflict -- A Thematic Analysis of Five Case Studies, can be accessed at http://www.acas.org.uk/.

Contact Our Edinburgh Based Employment Lawyers

For help resolving conflict in the workplace, or any other employment law matter, please complete our enquiry form or call 0131 208 3459.