People from all walks of life come together at work to reach shared goals in a constantly changing setting. This shared area can easily turn into a place where arguments and friction start. To create a collaborative and productive work atmosphere, it’s important to know what causes most conflicts at work.

This piece goes over ten common reasons why people fight at work, giving you the tools to spot and solve these problems before they get worse:

1. Unclear Communications

Communication problems are often the cause of many problems at work. Misunderstandings, anger, and frustration can happen when directions aren’t clear, deadlines are missed, or hidden plans are kept.

For example, a manager gives team members vague directions on a project, which causes them to get lost and miss deadlines. Someone forgets to copy a coworker on an important email, which makes that person feel left out.

2. Expectations That are Too High:

When standards aren’t clear or aren’t realistic, workers can feel overworked, stressed, and eventually angry. To avoid disagreement, it’s important to set goals that can be reached and make sure everyone knows what’s expected of them.

For example, a boss gives workers too little time to finish a difficult project, which causes them to become stressed out and fail to meet their goals. An employee is given a job that they don’t have the resources or skills to do, which makes them feel bad about themselves.

3. Differences in Personality:

People will not always get along. Personalities can clash, which can cause problems and stress. Some personality differences can work well together, but big disagreements about how to communicate or do work can make it hard for people to work together.

One person who is very focused on details might not get along with someone who is more open to new ideas. Someone who is outgoing might find it hard to work with someone who is quiet and shy.

4. The Race for Resources:

Coworkers may compete with each other when they don’t have enough money, tools, or raises. This competition can make people angry and create a “win-lose” mindset, which makes it harder for people to work together and as a team.

For example, two teams are competing for the same small amount of money for their projects, which causes conflict and accusations. There is an aggressive and competitive atmosphere at work because everyone wants to be promoted.

5. Treating People Unfairly:

Unfair treatment, whether real or imagined, can be a major cause of strife. This could include unfair workloads, favoritism, or not getting credit for good work. If employees think they are not being treated fairly, they may lose motivation, get angry, and be more likely to start a fight.

For instance, one worker regularly gets more difficult tasks than their coworkers, which makes them angry. A boss always compliments a worker who does a good job but doesn’t notice the work of others, which seems unfair.

6. Poor Work-Life Balance

Work-life balance is important for employees’ health and productivity. When work demands constantly get in the way of personal time, workers can get stressed, burned out, and more likely to fight.

For example, when a manager sends out important emails outside of work hours, workers feel like they need to answer right away. Employees always have to work long hours because of unrealistic targets, which makes them tired and angry.

7. Lack of Trust

Trust is an important part of any team that does well. When people don’t trust each other, they are less likely to work together and more likely to fight. This could be because of broken promises, a past of doing bad things, or management that isn’t open and honest.

Here’s an example: A boss breaks trust with their team when they break promises. People think that a coworker is taking credit for their work, which makes them angry and wary of that person.

8. Politics at Work:

Politics at work can include playing games to get power, influence, or raises. This can lead to mistrust, backstabbing, and competition, which makes it harder to work together and makes conflict more likely.

For example, employees spread stories and gossip about their coworkers to hurt their reputations. There is a lot of conflict because departments are competing for funding and attention.

9. Lack of Praise and Eecognition:

Feeling like you’re not valued or recognized can make you lose motivation and cause problems. When employees’ work is constantly ignored, they may lose motivation and become less engaged, which could lead to anger.

For example, a boss might not recognize an employee’s important role in a project’s success. People on the team don’t get much or any praise for their work, which makes them feel like they’re not appreciated.

10. Problems with Technology:

Technology can help us in many ways, but it can also cause problems. Problems with new software, unstable internet connections, or uneven access to technology can make people angry and slow them down.

For example, a group of people are having trouble working together on a project because different software tools don’t work well together. People who work with old technology feel like they’re behind their coworkers who use newer technology.

How to Avoid and Handle Conflict

If you know what causes most conflicts at work, you can take steps to stop them and make the workplace a better place to be. Here are some ideas:

• Encourage Clear Communication: Make it easier for coworkers and managers to talk to each other in an open and honest way. Hold regular meetings, be clear about what to do, and listen to what people have to say.

• Set Realistic Goals: Set goals that can be reached as a team effort and make sure everyone knows their duties and jobs.

• Accept that people have different attitudes and ways of working, and value those differences. Put together teams that use these differences to come up with a better plan.

• Effectively Manage Resources: Give out resources (like budget, tools, and promotions) fairly and set priorities based on what the project needs and what employees can do.

• Encourage fairness: Treat all workers with respect and make sure that everyone has the same chances. Take any worries about unfair treatment or favoritism into account and do something about them.

• Support Work-Life Balance: Tell your workers that they should keep a good balance between work and life. Make flexible work plans and don’t ask people to work extra hours when they don’t need to.

• Build trust by being open, honest, and dependable with others. Keep your promises and make sure your workers feel like they can voice their concerns without fear of repercussions.

• Reduce office politics by discouraging rumors and encouraging teams to work together. Encourage people to talk to each other freely and compete in a healthy way, as long as it’s for the same reasons.

• Thank and recognize your employees: Reward and recognize good work in public. Celebrate wins and show appreciation for what each person and the team has done.

• Spend money on technology training: Make sure that all of your workers have the knowledge and tools they need to use technology well. Spend money on training and offer technical help to deal with any problems that come up.

Some more strategies are:

• Training on How to Handle Conflicts: Give your workers training or workshops on how to handle conflicts.

• Mediation: If there is a disagreement, you might want to use a neutral third party as a referee to help people talk to each other and come up with a solution that works for everyone.

• Positive Work Environment: Make the workplace a good place to be by putting an emphasis on respect, teamwork, and open communication. When employees feel valued and supported, they are less likely to fight with each other.

Creating an environment where people work together

You can create a workplace that encourages collaboration, respect, and open communication by proactively addressing the things that could lead to conflict and putting in place means to stop them. Remember that disagreement is not always a bad thing.

It can lead to good change, new ideas, and better team dynamics if it is managed well. By encouraging people to work together and giving them the tools and information they need to have productive disagreements, you can give your team the power to handle the expected disagreements and do better.
———————
Transparency Disclosure: This article was written with AI assistance in the research and outlining but with comprehensive editing, refining and fact-checking by the author to ensure accuracy and high-quality content.