[MUSIC] My name is Dr. Juliet Hassard. I'm a lecturer in Occupational Health Psychology and Deputy Director of the Center for Sustainable Working Life here at Birkbeck College, University of London. My area of expertise broadly relates to working well being. So within that, a particular interest is mental health in the workplace, work-related stress management and prevention, looking at and supporting workplace health promotion initiatives, and supporting psychosocial risk management initiatives and workplace interventions. In a previous presentation, Dr. Duncan Jackson talked about and examined some of the causes and consequences of conflict in the workplace. Conflicts can have beneficial as well as detrimental consequences in terms of employee health and productivity. Some of the benefits is they may foster innovation processes, improve decision making. But we can also see there are a number of costs associated with conflict in the workplace. And this may include strain, decreased employees' wellbeing, productivity, and cooperation. So in terms of this presentation, we're going to look at and focus more specifically on how we manage conflict in the workplace. So within this we're really going to examine some evidence-based practice and really concentrate on an applied focus. So one of the important questions we're going to ask ourselves and discuss, is look at where we can intervene. So where can we manage conflict in the workplace? And primarily, there are three different areas where we may start to look at managing this issue. At the organizational level, at the group and team level, and at the individual level. Conflicts at work have a diverse landscape. So the natures and types of conflicts at work are diverse. So for example, an extreme form of conflict in the workplace is bullying and harassment. But we can also see that at a more minor level, disputes and disagreements within the workplace can also be viewed as conflict in the workplace. In the previous presentation, Dr. Jackson talked about intraorganizational, interpersonal, and intrapersonal forms of conflict in the workplace. We also know based on the research that many of these types of conflicts have implications for employees' health and performance. So when we think about the diverse nature of conflict in the workplace, we also have to think about strategies that complement and deal with this diversity. So what we need are a range of approaches to address and manage conflicts effectively and constructively. Thinking about the complexity of conflict in the workplace, we need to think about and examine both the structural aspects within the organization, but we also have to think about the wider social and physical environment in which we live on a daily basis. So many of these factors are outside the direct control of organizations. But it's important to consider the direct and indirect roles when considering ways in which to intervene in the workplace. So when we think about managing conflict, we'll look at firstly what initiatives we can target at the organizational level. There are three broad categories that we can think about at the organizational level. We can think about policy, working conditions, but also organizational culture. So thinking firstly about policy, when we think about extreme forms of conflict in the workplace, we want to ensure that we have policies that demonstrate a zero-tolerance policy. And these specifically relate to bullying, harassment, or even workplace violence. Secondly, we want to think about promoting a culture where bullying and unwanted behavior is not tolerated and collaborative problem solving is encouraged both at the team and of course at the individual level. So be aware of organizational and structural factors that are associated with conflict at work and take steps to address them. So fundamentally, when we think about this, this is about examining and managing working conditions and organizational practices. Let's look a little bit more at policy within the organization. When developing policy, the primary aim is to outline your organization's approaches to tackling bullying, harassment, and other unwanted behaviors. This policy may include a statement from senior management endorsing the policy. It may also include definitions of what constitutes unacceptable behavior. It may also include definitions of what bullying is or is not, for example. A policy often will include a statement about responsibilities regarding the elimination of bullying or other unwanted behavior. Information about how individuals can initially raise their concerns about unwanted behavior or bullying. And information about sources of emotional support, particularly for those that may be the victims of extreme forms of conflict that may result from bullying, harassment, or even workplace violence. The policy should often outline the procedures that the organization will follow for both the complainant and alleged bullying and unwanted behavior. Information about the potential outcomes in rehabilitation is also really important in terms of guiding those that may be victims of very excessive forms of unwanted behavior and conflict in the workplace. A really important point to consider in terms of organizational policy is the importance of all key stakeholders communicating both the importance and the location of the policy within the organization. They're important advocates of including and informing employees regarding the content of this policy and the systems and the monitoring procedures it outlines. [MUSIC]
