Using Empathy And Emotional Intelligence To Navigate Workplace Conflict In The Covid-19 Era
Workplace conflict is an unfortunate reality for anyone who works with other people. A workplace of any size contains some degree of difference in values, life experience and personal motivation that inevitably creates disagreement among co-workers, while customer-facing employees can face conflict on an hourly basis. There is no question that a workforce with diverse backgrounds and viewpoints fosters creativity and problem-solving, and sometimes, sharing moments of conflict with customers can be an opportunity to strengthen bonds with fellow employees. Unfortunately, other times, these moments of conflict escalate into stressful and tense situations – and these instances have been magnified by the Covid-19 pandemic, as everyone is coping with some additional layer of uncertainty, anger and frustration.
Among the most common emotional drivers of conflict in the workplace are anger, anxiety, and fear. Coworkers and customers may be experiencing financial challenges, disruptions in daily routines or distance from friends and loved ones – all direct consequences of the pandemic. Meanwhile, uncertainty about the future intensifies fear and anxiety; for example, the health of an elderly loved one, the question of job security or sending children to school are now constant ruminations that can be emotionally draining. Such heightened emotions trigger cognitive responses that underlie combative or defensive behaviors that contribute to conflict.
As we learn to live and work in a more conflict-prone Covid-19 era, consider a few emotionally informed approaches to help prevent workplace conflict.
Successfully handling customers
It is no secret that customer-facing jobs are highly stressful, and turnover in these occupations is strongly linked to conflict with customers. As described by phone service company aircall, “the paradox of the crux of delivering excellent (and profitable) customer service and liv[ing] to fight another day is to get personal, but not take it personally.” This requires training employees in real-time resilience. Employees need to develop the ability to not let negative comments or interactions with customers influence behavior with other customers or worse, impact them emotionally on a personal level, which could negatively impact family once the workday is done. Fortunately, resilience can be taught, and methods like mindfulness and meditation are very effective in cultivating a mindset that both protects workers’ mental health and improves customer service outcomes.
However, now that distance and face coverings are – for the most part – a new social norm, there is another significant area of potential conflict that customer-facing employees need to navigate. It does not help that masks have been severely politicized in the United States, so asking a customer to wear a mask can potentially be received as an attack on that person’s freedom. Employees need to be trained in how to deal specifically with this scenario in a way that prioritizes the employee’s health and safety. Despite the old adage “the customer is always right,” that might not ring true in 2020, when customer-facing employees are considered “essential frontline employees” taking daily risk to their own health.
Encourage and empower employees to assert the rules of the organization and prioritize their own health. Give guidance on how to speak with a non-mask compliant customer and equip employees with the organization’s policy and any applicable local laws so that they can be easily accessible and referenced in a moment of tension. Underscore the role of empathy in customer success and its ability to disarm particularly combative customers.
Navigating tense situations with colleagues
Of course, the guidance above must also be practiced within the organization itself and extends naturally to non-customer facing employees. Though many regions have re-entered lockdown, others will begin to open up, meaning employees are returning to the office and navigating new safety protocols and social dynamics. Employers must ensure that every employee feels comfortable expressing and practicing his or her own level of caution, and power dynamics must evolve to allow that. For example, an intern living with his or her elderly parents might need coaching in how to ask an executive to wear a mask or maintain distance.
Like most workplace mental health issues, leadership has an important role to play in setting the tone for these interactions. Even if the decision-makers at an organization are less cautious than some, or perhaps even disagree with the face mask requirement, Covid-19 safety can be framed as a mental health issue in that employees may experience anxiety and alienation if they feel they are being put at risk. To achieve this, a culture of empathy and openness is key.
Practice emotional intelligence
It is also helpful to consider the implication of the months of isolation that colleagues have faced. For example, as one Oregon-based counseling service explains, “when people become so disconnected from one another for such a long period of time, we lose familiarity and comfort with social interactions. We forget social norms with one another and begin to feel uncomfortable or even nervous about getting together.” As a result, formerly gregarious or warm colleagues may be experiencing new, unfamiliar social anxiety and act differently once back in the office. As we all emerge from this difficult year, it will be important to practice emotional intelligence by staying attuned to behavioral nuances in others – and ourselves.