Leading Out of Conflict: How to Recover After a Significant Workplace Event

Written by: Siobhan M. O’Brien

After a strike, contentious round of bargaining, workplace investigation or other operational conflict, the effects of anger and resentment can fracture workplace relationships. Employers often observe increased levels of hostility, a lack of engagement, a greater number of grievances and increased retention issues.

Part of the challenge to recovery is that the issues affecting employees will have also affected management and HR. During a lengthy strike or investigation, management and HR will have faced exhaustion, stress, tension and, in some cases, they will have been the object of derogatory comments or personal attacks in the name of labour relations.

Leadership must guide the recovery from these conflicts.

Short- and Long-Term Strategies for Conflict Recovery

To the same extent employers prepare strike contingency plans or investigation roadmaps, when faced with the return to work after a strike or re-engagement after a serious workplace upheaval, management should invest time and effort in a deliberate recovery and repair process.

This should include short-term and long-term strategies.

In the short term, management can engage employees with a welcome-back meeting, a wellness check-in, or other such debrief that would be appropriate in the circumstances. The purpose of such a gathering would be to set the tone for moving forward, to reiterate the organization’s commitment to well-being, anti-harassment and anti-violence, and to begin to heal strained relationships.

Employees should be reminded of employee assistance program (EAP) benefits and encouraged to use them.

Management staff and HR should be prepared with a communications plan and talking points to ensure the tone and message of the re-entry plan are consistent across the organization. They should also identify flashpoints for conflict and develop a plan to de-escalate those areas.

In the long term, management may want to take formal steps, such as an audit of employer practices, to assess which measures and strategies may be put in place to improve employer-employee communication and de-escalate potential conflict before it arises.

As part of an audit process, leadership should specifically address the following points:

• Is there an existing forum/system for employees to voice concerns or ask questions?
• Is there a conflict management system in place?
• If the forum/system is used by employees, collect examples of effective communications/use/outcomes.
• If the forum/system is not being used at all, or is being used ineffectively/inconsistently, ascertain why and what can/should be done.
• Consider which other vehicles (if any) are used in the workplace to facilitate communication and resolve workplace issues at an early stage.
• Ascertain whether the employer collects data from these vehicles/keeps track of data—and if it does not, create a plan to collect data received, if any, as well as the employer’s response.

Additional Recommendations

Tools to measure employee engagement, such as an alienation index tool, may be used to develop effective management action plans to strengthen employee engagement.

Similarly, an employer may want to look to develop or enhance conflict management systems, if they are not currently in place. Such systems are proven to increase employee goodwill and co-operation with an organization’s goals and policies.

Some workplaces may require the assistance and intervention of a third party to repair and recover. Workplace facilitators and conflict resolution specialists may be engaged to support the organization in moving forward.

Reflect on lessons learned. Review factors within the control of management, the positive steps taken and steps that could have been taken to mitigate harm.

Give thought to promptly acknowledging any role in creating harm and apologize. Showing responsible leadership can restore broken trust.

Celebrate signs of recovery. Reward forward momentum.

Conclusion

While labour disruption can be inevitable, leaders can guide their organization through the repair and recovery process to restore and improve the workplace. Recovering from these conflicts can transform and significantly impact employee engagement, workplace culture and retention.