When it comes to managing staff when tensions are raised, there is a lot to be said for staying cool, applying some common sense - and helping colleagues to consider the consequences of any particular course of action.
Not only could this help with workplace relations in the long run, but it could ultimately save your business a lot of time and money at a time when both are at a premium, particularly for small businesses without standalone human resources departments.
Human nature means that we are unlikely to get along with everyone we meet, all of the time.
In the sometimes confined environment of work, it can be easy for what are sometimes small annoyances in someone’s nature - or the way they go about their business - to become exaggerated. Often escalating into full-blown grievance investigations, perhaps even involving employment lawyers.
But lodging a formal grievance need not be the default position. In fact, the chances are that your firm’s own employment procedures say that it should not be - a fact that can often be overlooked in the heat of a particular moment or issue.
There are, of course, times when the nature of an issue means that a formal grievance - and even more serious courses of action - is entirely appropriate. Issues such as discrimination, bullying and misconduct, for example, must be fully investigated.
Yet, we see quite often, grievance investigations which should never reach that stage. That’s why it’s important that when a colleague comes to you with a complaint - or you are considering a complaint yourself - that you take a breath, apply some common sense and consider the best course of action.
Peoples’ perceptions of what lodging a grievance can achieve are sometimes neither reflective of human nature, or what employment law states should happen.
It is my experience that people do not often think of the long-term implications. How might relationships be affected by the impact of a formal grievance meeting and any subsequent investigation, whether the conclusion is that a resolution is imposed on either - or both - parties, or if the complaint is not upheld?
For so many people, a simple conversation to air any gripes or issues and find a mutually agreeable way forward to overcome them can be more meaningful, effective and longer-lasting.
I know that if I was doing something which was unintentionally upsetting a colleague, I would much rather try to have an open conversation with them to see if we could find a resolution informally.
Speaking as a lawyer, it’s more likely that any gripes between staff members can be resolved more amicably - with a solution that both parties can agree to - with a discussion like this to find common ground, rather than an employer imposing a course of action which may not suit either, depending on the circumstances.
Bottling things up at work serves little good. It’s better that you are open and honest with your employer and colleagues. But the best courses of action are those proportionate to the level of complaints.
It’s important that we do not lose the human touch in our human resources. There are so many pressures on businesses right now that spending a little time talking informally could save a lot of time, expense and stress in the long run, whatever the size of your business.
This article featured in the Scotsman on Monday 26 June 2023.
