7 ways for managers to spot conflict before it happens

One of the superpowers all managers wish they had is an ability to spot conflict – whether it’s bullying, arguments or cliques – before it develops. Left unchecked, little disagreements can lead to splits in your workforce, high turnover and unnecessary recruitment costs. Prevention really is better than the cure, so we’ve compiled a list of seven easy ways to help you prevent workplace conflict before it becomes an all-out confrontation.

1. Have regular check-ins: Whether it’s a weekly one-on-one or informal chats, knowing that you’re there to hear employees’ worries builds trust and encourages solutions over conflict. Create a space that’s completely confidential and encourage that everything will ‘stay in the room’ to put them at ease.

2. Encouraging good mental health: Offer training or online resources (there are plenty of great free ones) to give employees the tools to empower them to deal with any frustration, stress or anger issues, or improve their work/life balance so there’s less chance of any skirmishes down the line.  

3. Watching for verbal cues: These may be the most obvious signs of a brewing conflict, but can be easy to misinterpret so it’s vital to be observant rather than accusatory. Repeated talk about drama, whispering or closed-door chats between colleagues can be signs of discontent, as can exclusion of a colleague at meetings and on email threads.