Follow These 5 Steps to Resolve Workplace Issues

Santa Rosa Star Staffing

 

Human resource management is a game of juggling employees with different attitudes, ideas, beliefs, and cultural backgrounds, ensuring that everyone is working in harmony. Of course, this is easier said than done. Not surprisingly, these personal differences are often the culprit behind conflicts in the office.

Here’s what you can do to manage and resolve these workplace issues.

  1. Let Things Simmer Down

The last thing you want to do is attempt to resolve the conflict between two or more parties in the office while tempers are still high. Give everyone a bit of time to breathe and calm down before having a discussion on the problem. Better yet, try to nip the issue in the bud before it escalates. For example, if some people in the team aren’t pulling their weight, much to the frustration of their teammates, address the issue early before it blows up.

Either way, try to address the problem when the affected parties are calm enough to have a civilized discussion.

  1. Create an Open-Door Policy for Employees

An open-door policy for your staff members ensures that you are always on top of problems and issues within the workplace. Many managers are guilty of being too engrossed in their work that they end up becoming detached from the situation “on the ground.” By creating an open-door policy, you are telling your employees they can come to you with any problem—big or small.

  1. Don’t Let Problems Linger

Allowing issues to get better on their own can seem like a good idea—after all, your employees are adults who can manage themselves and solve problems on their own. But it’s also true that employees tend to become discouraged when they see issues go unaddressed.

Bottom line? It’s much better to address issues as they happen, or, as pointed out previously, early on before they escalate into larger fiascos.

  1. Be Fair

Ultimately, creating a fair working environment is something that should start at the top. Fairness in management means giving credit where it is due and enforcing disciplinary action when warranted. Favoritism kills employee morale, so try to praise the whole team when they do great work, singling out specific employees only when they do something extraordinary. Above all, make sure all rules apply not just to regular employees, but management as well.

  1. Dole Out Punishments that Match the Offense

If someone is guilty of causing problems in the workplace, any punishment assigned must be equal to the offense. Don’t go overboard on an employee whose only offense is being late to work a handful of times. At the same time, you may have a zero-tolerance policy on things like theft and sexual harassment, which will show employees that you genuinely care about their welfare.

If you need to bring in human resources professionals to improve your workforce management, talk to the staffing services experts of Star Staffing! Contact our offices at 707-762-4447 to learn how we can help your organization.