In 2015, Gallup found that full-time employees in America work 47 hours a week on average. When people are in the same space that much, some of them are going to clash at some point. However, office feuds can be resolved quickly if you avoid these three, counterproductive behaviors.
1. Gossip
Allowing rumor and background chatter to build up in the workplace is always a bad idea. Whenever possible, communicate office policy—and any changes to it—clearly, through official channels. Employees want open lines of communication, and will resist leadership if they feel ignored or unheard.
2. Raising Expectations Too High
While you want to employees to know that they’re being heard, you don’t want them thinking that they decide every aspect of company policy. The key is making it clear that employee concerns will be heard, but that they won’t always get their way. And under-promising and over-delivering on any new initiative or policy is key to keeping the peace at work.
3. Not Walking the Walk
When O.C. Tanner executive David Sturt implemented an open-space floor plan at his office, he included himself in it. “Often,” Sturt writes in Fortune, “being a leader means being willing to adopt the changes we’re asking our team members to accept.” Not doing so suggest two different standards apply and erodes employee trust in leadership.
—RealClearLife
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