Get back to basics to give yourself the competitive edge

Improving Profitability-Empowering Teams

How many issues end up being addressed by HR that could have been resolved by management through effective communication at an earlier point in time ? Learning how to undertake a difficult conversation or how to faciliate a conversation between others can promote early resolution and avoid issues spiralling into a problem.

Supporting management teams by equipping them with the tools to identify and deal with issues or impending conflict, can result not only in highly measurable results in terms of costs savings and improved staff retention it can also lead to a whole host of other benefits, including improved morale and productivity.

High staff turnover, high levels of absenteeism, loss of good people, all lead to more time being spent on people problems, but are symptomatic of unresolved conflict issues. Time spent dealing with staff issues frustrates managers from being able to get on with what they see as their real jobs and is a major cost to any business. One of the main causes of disruption in the workplace is conflict – between employees or teams of employees, business partners, between managers and staf. This then leads to leaking talent which exacerbates recruitment costs and even stunts growth.

A structured approach to managing and reducing these costs is possible and can produce fast effective and measurable results.

For too long business has failed to challenge an almost blind acceptance of the conventional approach of grievance/disciplinary procedures as the principal way to manage issues that arise in the workplace without considering if this is the best or most effective way or even if it might not be a positively harmful way to approach matters. Mediation or facilitated conversations are incredibly effective at steering relationships ‘in conflict’ back on track, but they can also help to promote a new collaborative culture that will bring with it many added benefits.