Conflict in the workplace

The last few years have seen businesses strive to adapt to the ever-changing expectations of their employees. Employers are increasingly expected to take a position on key issues like diversity, political conflict and polarised discussions over cultural and religious beliefs and opinions affecting their workforce. Recent examples include the war in Gaza and the tension between transgender rights and those holding “gender critical” views.

The increasing use of technology bringing our offices into our living rooms and the opportunities for expression on social media all serve to blur the line between our private and our work life, leaving employers with the unenviable job of trying to maintain appropriate standards of behaviour and manage resulting conflict. Most employers have seen a steady increase in complaints and grievances, but many are finding that the standard grievance policy route doesn’t always help resolve this type of workplace dispute.

In this webinar, we will explore this increase in workplace conflicts and the changing expectations of a multi-generational workforce and will consider how mediation and facilitated conversations can support businesses searching for a way to resolve the challenges of conflicting beliefs and cultural values.