Ideally, everyone who works together in an office or warehouse would get along. However, the truth is that conflict between coworkers often arises. If you own a California business, it’s important that you have policies in place designed to resolve disputes between employees in a timely manner.
You want to maintain a positive workplace culture
People do their best work when they feel safe and supported. Individuals who are routinely threatened, belittled or otherwise harassed will generally be less productive and have lower levels of job satisfaction. In some cases, that employee’s negative attitude will start to rub off on others in the office.
Eventually, you will need to intervene or risk ceding control of your business to the office bullies. In addition to a workplace mediation program, it may be worthwhile to have your employees take a harassment training course. Offering such a course may empower your workers to stand up for themselves and others before a conflict escalates too far.
Mediation can avert a potential lawsuit
If you’re not willing to intervene at the first sign of trouble, your employees may decide to take legal action. Even if a workplace mediation plan doesn’t yield a positive outcome, it may help to reduce your liability in the event of a lawsuit. This is because an employee may be less likely to claim that he or she was subject to a hostile workplace.
Allowing conflicts between employees to escalate may create a toxic workplace culture. Therefore, it’s important to take steps to help colleagues resolve their differences in a respectful and timely manner. If necessary, more than one meeting can be scheduled to ensure that a problem is solved for good.
