Turning Conflict into Productivity at the Workplace

I recently overheard a work oriented conflict at the spa the other day. The coordinator of the spa was telling the owner that there was a conflict because the employees felt like it was unfair that they had to attend a meeting at the spa on a day it was normally closed.

The owner immediately got defensive and said, “Well, they are going to have to come whether they want to or not.”

As a business owner myself, I know that it’s sometimes difficult when someone does not agree with your plans or your ideas. Sometimes it’s just simply that a particular person doesn’t see the vision you have for your business. But when things are forced upon people, they usually show resistance. Let’s face it…no one like to be told what to do.

I thought about a possible solution. If the owner and the coordinator sat down with each employee and allowed them to give input, they would probably feel more included and want to be more productive. It might seem that this technique is putting all of the power in the hands of the employees. But it’s not. It’s creating a productive work environment where everyone is happy and everyone wants to participate because they felt included.