Critical Customer Service Statistics
Workplace Conflict
According to Kathy Gurchiek's article "Boiling Point" (HR Magazine), data surrounding workplace behaviors and employee conflicts emphasizes the need to investigate why an employee may be acting out, not cooperating, failing to fulfill their job responsibilities, or being difficult to work with. It is easy to jump to conclusions and respond to the symptoms when there may be underlying reasons for inappropriate behavior. These need to be assessed and addressed quickly, before they affect other employees or lead the offending employee to believe the behavior is acceptable.
A chart in Conflict at Work (Myers-Briggs Company) identifies the following as the top five reasons for workplace conflict:
- 47% – Poor communication
- 42% – Lack of role clarity
- 38% – Heavy workloads
- 37% – Personality clashes
- 30% – Changes in policies, products, or organizational structures
As a leader, there are ways to mitigate many of these issues before they interfere with teamwork and customer service.
Review your communication strategies when introducing changes to policies, products, or organizational structures, particularly when those changes affect employees' jobs and workloads. Plan a communication strategy that is proactive—seeking input, for instance, on potential changes—and respectful of employees, both as a group and individually. Without their understanding and support, changes can create unnecessary conflict and make it more difficult for employees to focus on serving customers.
Routinely review workloads and role expectations with employees. Surprises in the form of workplace conflict can distract from the work that needs to be done and ultimately affect the quality of service provided to both internal and external customers.
Personality clashes will happen as long as human beings work together. Establishing a value-driven culture that insists on respectful behavior and dialogue is critical, even if it isn't always easy. Unresolved conflict can undermine teamwork and make it harder to deliver the level of customer service your organization expects.
It is also important to follow up with employees and take the pulse of how things are going. Find out how you can help them do their jobs to the best of their ability and meet your expectations so they can concentrate on providing excellent customer service.
Remember that nothing absolves employees from performing their assigned duties in a timely and quality manner. However, excellent communication with your employees and a willingness to address workplace conflict will better ensure ongoing business success—serving you, your employees, and your customers. It's a WIN-WIN-WIN!
