Set emotions aside
The last thing a conflict needs is more emotions. HR Zone warns against involving emotions in any way when dealing with the problem. Everything must be resolved in a calm, objective and professional manner.
Do not let the problem go too far
As with most problems, the sooner you detect the bad situation and deal with it, the simpler and faster the solution. Ignoring the problem in the long term and letting it escalate sends a message to other workers that you do not plan on solving such issues. That in itself might lead to further problems.
Do not judge
You can only serve as a judge ruling on the individual participants of this office battle if one worker is bullying the other one. If it is just a standard disagreement, let the participants solve the issue on their own.
Sit down with the employees
Sit down individually with the participants of the disagreement and explain you are not there to judge who is right or wrong, but have to solve the problem because it is having a toxic impact on the whole office. Remind the employees they should behave professionally and need to solve the problem on their own.
Take necessary measures
Take measures that prevent the problem further escalating in the future. For instance, let the individual employees work on different projects or warn them that they will not receive any bonus if the situation repeats itself.
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