There are many qualities about work that can make or break the job for you. Whether or not you enjoy the work, and presence of pressing deadlines are big factors, but there is another that is just as important: your coworkers. The issue with coworkers is, unless you own a business or run a branch, you don’t get to choose the people you work with. For many people, this isn’t an issue. Fortunately, most employees are professional and at least acceptably courteous — they learn to be; otherwise, they will find it difficult to hold a job. Sometimes, however, a couple of employees just don’t work well together. Whether it’s the competitive atmosphere or simply a clash of personalities, there are times when it is very difficult to diminish tensions throughout the workday. Although the likelihood is small, there is always the possibility that employees with tension between them may lash out and act violently towards one another. In order to increase productivity of tense employees and avoid the possibility of violence, there are a few things you can try to diminish the antagonism and resentment that may be present between your employees.
- Confront the Issue: The longer you let an issue stir the worse off it will be. Once you determine that there is an issue between any employees, you should consider the issue and address it immediately. Allowing it to “work itself out” is usually not a good idea.
- Listen to Both Sides: Showing favoritism or immediately taking sides will simply exacerbate things. Before you decide to hand out punishments or penalties, make sure you know both sides of the story well. Instead of acting as a judge, act as a mediator.
- Find Common Ground: as a mediator, you should seek to find something that both employees can agree to, which will allow you to bridge the gap between them.
- Seek Compromise: Unless one employee is being completely unreasonable, your best option to eliminate tensions is to seek compromise. Favoring one employee in the resolution will only cause the other employee to be as angry with you as he or she may be with the other, and will likely raise tensions altogether.
Of course, these are only things you can do to try and stifle the aggravation. As DUI lawyers in Washington, DC know very well, acts of violence may sometimes be very hard to avoid in the workplace. Once it has happened, however, it is important to take care of it properly. If you have been charged for assault at work, contact Washington DC criminal lawyers today for a consultation.