Wagatha Christie | Should it be HR's problem when staff fall out like Coleen Rooney and Rebekah Vardy?

Everyone's been there when colleagues fall out. And when it's two colleagues who everyone thought were friends, it can have huge ripple effects on the immediate team, the manager, and of course, HR.

With the so-called Wagatha Christie saga back in the news thanks to a new documentary on Disney+ featuring Coleen Rooney, thoughts might have turned to spats and falling outs in your own teams.

As an HR professional, it's likely you've had complaints from staff citing another member of staff's behaviour as the issue or problem.

And you're not alone. According to WorkNest, feuding and conflicting colleagues account for nearly half (47%) of all grievances raised in the workplace, with 30% of grievances specifically concerning conflicts between an employee and their line manager. In 20% of cases, the employee initiated the grievance, and in 10% of cases, it was the manager who lodged the complaint. 17% of grievances involved conflict between two or more employees.