6 Types of Workplace Disputes and How to Navigate Them

Disputes in the workplace are common, and in many ways, are a standard part of working life. The severity of the dispute can vary widely. While most incidents can be resolved with a simple conversation, others are more complex. This article is here to help you navigate these complexities. Here are 6 types of workplace disputes and how to deal with them properly. 

Interpersonal Conflicts

Interpersonal conflicts represent one of the most common workplace disputes and arise when employees have disagreements or ‘clash’ over a certain topic. Usually, these instances aren’t serious, but the longer they go on, the more serious they can become. 

It’s important to resolve them as quickly as possible. Most of this type of dispute can be sorted via a couple of brief meetings. Your employer should be alerted to the dispute, at which point the right course of action is to arrange an intervention with both parties. This usually happens with  the employer/manager there to mediate the situation. Through open communication and a grounding in respect, all involved can work toward a mutually beneficial solution and put the issue to bed.

Personal Injury Situations

Being involved in an accident or incident that causes personal injury at work is a stressful event for many reasons.This can cause conflict between employee and employer. These sorts of disputes usually surround the topic of liability and compensation, whereby the injured party decides their injury was caused by negligence on the employer’s behalf. 

If you’re an employee who’s going through a personal injury dispute, it’s a good idea to hire a labor and industries lawyer to help you navigate legal complexities. HR (human resources) will also be involved in mediating through a series of meetings to help find a solution.

Workload and Responsibility Disputes

Another common dispute arises when employees feel overworked and that their responsibilities are stretched beyond their capacity. These issues often arise due to unclear job outlines. Either the employer hasn’t properly relayed the ins and outs of the role or the employee hasn’t understood them properly. It could also be that the employer increases the workload to a level beyond the employee’s contractual obligations. They can also arise from an employer being dissatisfied with an employee’s commitment to their role. 

No matter which of these is the case, a meeting with both parties, with an HR representative present, is usually the first step to resolution. Both individuals have their say and leave the meeting with roles and responsibilities more clearly defined. It may take a few of these meetings before the issue is fully resolved.

Company Policy Problems

Company policy can cause a dispute when an employee feels policies are unreasonable or unfair. This often happens as a result of a separate dispute, through which the employer has outlined some aspect of the company policy by way of refuting the employee’s claims. 

In these cases, HR and company higherups will need to deliberate to determine how ‘fair’ a policy is, and whether or not aspects of company conduct need to be changed. In these cases, it’s common for several employees to raise concerns at once, pointing toward a systemic issue.

Discrimination and Harassment Disputes

Unfortunately, cases involving discrimination or harassment are becoming increasingly common. Over 40% of employees claim to have witnessed this problem within their workplace. These disputes arise following a wide range of issues, including but not limited to, gender, religion, sexual orientation, age, disbities, and race. 

Resolving these issues requires an employer to take them seriously and not simply brush them off, If you’ve been a victim of this kind of dispute, your employer should conduct a thorough investigation and take appropriate action to ensure it doesn’t happen again.

Leadership and Management Issues

Finally, some disputes originate from disagreements about a manager’s leadership style. As you can imagine. This encompasses a broad spectrum of potential problems, from complaints about the manager is too harsh or accusations of favoritism. 

An employer should implement a clear framework that ensures key leadership attributes are adhered to under a broader company policy. When an employee voices a concern, the employer should reference the concern against these policies and make alterations if necessary. 

Wrapping Up

We hope that you have a core understanding of the main types of disputes that can arise at work and how they are resolved. Remember, this is only an overview: conduct further research on your own so you’re adequately prepared for anything your job throws at you.