Ideally, a modern workplace is somewhere where all employees treat each other with dignity and respect, and managers will be careful monitor how happy and satisfied their employees are. An employee who is bullied, harassed, feels irrelevant or unwanted, or worse is likely to quit. Companies suffer financial losses from high turnover rates, so conflict resolution in the workplace is something to resolve quickly before someone quits due to distress. Human resources (HR) departments work hard to minimize conflict resolution in the workplace, but all the same, conflict resolution in the workplace will happen, so steps should be taken when it does. This can range from talking it over with a manager all the way to hiring legal help to address serious conflict resolution in the workplace. A somewhat related concept may be hiring divorce lawyers or divorce mediators when a marriage ends.
Settling Workplace Conflict
What constitutes workplace conflict? It often involves clear cases of bullying, harassment, or mistreatment, whether verbal or physical. This may range widely, from unwanted physical advances or even striking another person, all the way to antagonistic comments or behavior based another employee’s age, sex, religious faith, ethnic background, disability status, or more. Conflict may also involve denying an employee their rights, pay raises, or promotion opportunities for similar reasons. Unfortunately, sexism, racism, and xenophobia are not entirely absent in the workplace, and workers with special needs, such as those on the autism spectrum or those with Down Syndrome, may face bullying.
If this happens, the victim may take some steps. Ideally, they can and will speak to all relevant managers and simply talk it out, to avoid complex and expensive legal actions on everyone’s part. Often, conflict resolution in the workplace is due to misunderstandings or accidents rather than true malice. If an antagonizing party really did intend harm, then the victim party may talk it out with them with mediators on hand to keep the conversation productive. The victim is urged to note all facts about the mistreatment case(s), such as people involved, when various incidents occurred, and more. The victim is also urged to stay emotionally composed, since outbursts may make a bad impression on others, and an iffy case might get thrown out as a result. If the case is serious enough, and/or if the antagonizing party is refusing to cooperate, the victim may work through the HR department to hire legal help. Litigation may follow, or even a court case in extreme cases. Here again, carefully documenting the facts and keeping cool are very important so the case moves forward as intended.
Divorce
Divorce is the legal end of a marriage, and it may happen for a number of reasons. A spouse may seek divorce if their spouse was unfaithful and marriage counseling cannot reconcile them, or divorce may be sought if the other spouse is being abusive toward other members of the household with no sign of stopping. Divorce may also follow serious drug or alcohol abuse on the other spouse’s part. Other divorces are much less dramatic, such as if the spouses realize that they are not compatible after all, or if they have very different lifestyles or spending habits.
What to do next? Smaller divorces cases might not warrant the trouble and expenses of court and lawyers, so the spouses may hire mediator services. A mediator is a neutral third party who helps both spouses offer productive and fair ideas while negotiating the divorce terms on their own (as opposed to using lawyers). Mediation services are also typically much cheaper and more private than a full-blown court case, which the spouses may appreciate.
Bigger divorce cases may call for lawyers, especially if the household had a lot of assets, and/or if abuse took place, and especially if children under 18 years old are involved. A spouse may hire a lawyer from a local divorce law firm and file the paperwork, and the other spouse may hire their own attorney. Through their lawyers, the spouses may battle over bank accounts, vehicles, the house, or even family jewelry or a privately owned business. In cases of abuse, the victims may relocate to a different, private residence during this proceeding and interact with the other spouse only through their attorney.