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Helping managers deal with conflict at work

By Sue Mennell (21-03-2007)
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Learning and Development News - Helping managers deal with conflict at work

According to the CIPD Survey report February 2007 on Managing conflict at work, the average cost associated with employment tribunal claims comes to almost £20,000 per employing organisation each year. Employers spend an average of 15 days management time dealing with a claim. Many of these claims can start with situations such as employee problems not taken seriously, badly handled discipline interviews or misunderstandings between people - issues which if not dealt with, can become tribunal claims.

Acas Chair Rita Donaghy said "Conflict is a fact of life, but the effect it has on your organisation depends on how you manage it. When managers are not given the necessary skills to resolve issues, it can often seem easier to avoid the situation and hope it will go away, but that is how problems escalate. The benefits of being proactive about conflict management can be significant. The recent CIPD Survey shows that those organisations which provide training in mediation skills typically receive fewer employment tribunal claims than those that do not. So there are real benefits in ensuring employees have the necessary skills to effectively manage conflict."

The Acas booklet, Managing conflict at work is available free of charge at www.acas.org.uk.

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