WORKPLACE CONFLICT QUESTIONNAIRE FOR EMPLOYERS

WorkplaceConflict Questionnaire

for Managersand Employers

Source: http://www.osach.ca/products/resrcdoc/rvioe528.pdf

What kind of work environment are youpromoting? What level are you on the Workplace Conflict Graph?

Please answer thesequestions honestly

People focus	Sometimes	Most of the time	Always
Do you give people personal responsibility?
Do you actively seek out the views of others?
Are you committed to team development?
Do you instill confidence in others?
Do you encourage open feedback and debate?
Personal integrity	Sometimes	Most of the time	Always
Do you do what you say you’ll do?
Do you show respect to everyone?
Can you say sorry when you’ve made a mistake?
Are you open and honest about your mistakes and do you learn from them?
Are you fair in all your dealings with others?
Visibility	Sometimes	Most of the time	Always
Do you actively promote an open door approach?
Do you champion a culture of respect and dignity?
Are you available to listen to the views of others?
Are you prepared to talk to customers and clients about the need for respect and dignity at work?
Have you put building a culture of dignity and respect on your main agenda?
Promoting standards	Sometimes	Most of the time	Always
Do you establish individual and team goals?
Do you give personal recognition to others?
Do you use feedback and coaching constructively?
Do you schedule regular time for improving Inter-personal relationships?
Are you constantly looking for opportunities for improvement?
Challenging the status quo	Sometimes	Most of the time	Always
Do you openly challenge unacceptable behavior?
Do you seek out prejudiced attitudes?
Do you critically examine policies and procedures  to make sure they’re fair to everyone?
How did you do? Add up the checks in each column
TOTAL checks in each column
Multiply the number of checks in each column by:	0	2	5

Find your OVERALL TOTAL:

 (Maximum total score possible 125)

If you scored:

101–125: Youhave excellent skills in creating a culture of dignity and respect.

(LEVEL 1 onWorkplace Conflict Scale)

76–100: Youhave reasonable skills in creating a culture of dignity and respect.

(LEVEL 2 onWorkplace Conflict Scale)

51–75: Youhave some awareness of requirements but significant effort is still needed.

(LEVEL 3 onWorkplace Conflict Scale)

0–50: Youdon’t yet understand what is needed to create a culture of dignity and respect.

(LEVEL 4& 5 on Workplace Conflict Scale)

Overview of The Different Levels On The Conflict Scale

LEVEL 1:   Everyday Stuff

These are the normal day-to-day differences that arise from the fact that the workplace is essentially a gathering of many individuals with unique needs, ideas, values, beliefs and goals.  So long as these conflicts are not allowed to degenerate, then the cost to both employer and employee is minimal.

LEVEL 2:   Uncomfortable

In some instances, the normal day-to-day differences begin to transform into conflict of a more invasive nature.  At this point conflict is not caused by differences in values, goals, etc., but instead by:  bullying; jealousy, rumors, discrimination; etc. Sometimes, it is just a matter of employees feeling under-appreciated or that they are not getting any acknowledgment for a job well done. Though there is not much cost to the employer at this point, there is tremendous emotional distress in the form of stress, depression and anxiety to the employee.

LEVEL 3:  Beyond Normal Skills

As conflict escalates, the emotional distress the employees experience begin to rise and in many instances, they spend more and more time away from the workplace. In so doing, there is increased use of personal time and sick days.  As a result, the conflict begins to negatively affect the employer financially.  In order to resolve the conflict quickly, conflict resolution skills beyond those we use in normal everyday life are needed.  Examples include: peer mediation, facilitation, managerial mediation, peer review panel, etc. Managers and employees who are versed in basic negotiation strategy are also helpful at this stage. As you can see, employers who have conflict management policies in place will be at an advantage when conflict reaches this level and higher. 

LEVEL 4:  Formal Processes

If Level 3 conflict resolution attempts prove unsuccessful, and the conflict becomes more ingrained, then formal grievance processes are begun at level 4.  These may include: investigation, arbitration, formal mediation and/or legal proceedings. Prior to becoming entrenched in a time-consuming and costly lawsuit, some employers prioritize the use of out-of-court means of resolving the conflict.  Those with financial means utilize outside independent mediators or ombudsmen and/or lawyers who provide preventive counsel.  Because of: (i) the loss of time and effort of the employees involved and (ii) the money spent to deal with this matter, the cost of the conflict to the employer sharply increases at this level.  As we see, there continues to be enormous emotional distress for the employee.

LEVEL 5:   Intractable Wars

Without some sort of effective conflict resolution, employer and employees are involved in a lose-lose situation.  At this point, it is highly possible that Level 4 processes are still ongoing.  It is also a possibility that formal proceedings have concluded but the parties involved are still employed by the organizations and must essentially continue working together.  Other employees may have gotten involved by taking sides, etc. It is clear that regardless of the outcome of the formal proceedings, the underlying conflict is still occurring. Given that the costs are enormous for both employers and employees, all the parties involved must be willing to consider more stringent approaches to get rid of the conflict… quite possibly even termination.

WORKPLACE CONFLICT SCALE (Including Cost Of Conflict)

WORKPLACE CONFLICT SCALE

Cost of Conflict To EMPLOYEES  

(Emotional)

The workplace conflict scale shows that the cost of conflict to employees is increased emotional distress. As the conflict passes from Level 1 towards Level 5, employees in conflict experience one or more of the following:

• Low productivity
• High anxiety & stress
• Increased absenteeism
• Resignation or termination from position

Cost of Conflict To EMPLOYERS 

(Money and Time)

For employers, the cost of conflict in the workplace lead to loss or unprofitable use of time and money. This is caused by:

• Inconsistency in service. 
• Increased absenteeism of employees which leads to lower quantity or quality of production.
• Higher employee turnover from employees who leave their jobs.
• Costs of recruiting, interviewing, hiring and training new employees. 
• Costs to defend employee lawsuits and pay damages in settlements or adverse verdicts.

LEVELS 3 & 4: MEDIATION - The Process Examined

Even after the parties to a conflict are educated regarding the benefits of mediation, they may still be reticent to participate because they are not familiar with how the process works. Below is a brief outline of what disputants can expect if they were to choose mediation:

• Mediator’s Introductory Statement:

The first step in the process wherein: introductions are made; the mediator summarizes the how mediation works; and ground rules for the process are agreed upon.

• Parties Opening Statements:

Next, each party to the dispute gets an opportunity to state their view of the issues involved in the conflict and their personal concerns.

•  Open Exchange:

There is then a period of open exchange among the parties wherein they get an opportunity to directly confront each other within the safety of the mediation room.

•  Issues Clarification/Agenda Setting:

The mediator then summarizes and presents the primary issues that are at the root of the the conflict (The mediator usually discerns these from attentively listening to the parties during opening statements and open exchange. 

•  Option Generation:

After confirming whether or not the mediator is correct in his/her assessment of the issues causing the conflict, all the parties then work together to generate as many options as possible that may resolve the dispute in a satisfactory manner to all involved. This is sometimes referred to as "brainstorming".

•  Negotiation and Settlement:

From the ideas generated during brainstorming, the parties then negotiate with each other to choose the ones that may work best for all of them in the reality of their workplace.

• Agreement of Understanding:

Finally, the parties and the mediator, may or may not choose to draft and sign a written document outlining everything that was agreed upon during mediation. 


Now this is the basic outline of what one may expect during any mediation. As you can see, it is an informal process that gives each person an opportunity to express themselves.  This is not a conflict resolution option to be feared: on the contrary, when compared to other legal proceedings where someone else decides the outcome, mediation is self-empowering. This is because it gives the participants the chance to take control of the outcome and craft a solution that will meet their individual needs.




~Here is to Zen in the workplace!