Nurturing a Culture of Workplace Civility: Anticipating and Managing Conflicts in a Polarized World
The culture of modern America is fracturing. Divisive politics dominate our lives and lead to increasing polarization of opinions, driving wedges between friends, families, and co-workers. Conflicts in the political and social spheres have spilled over into the streets, leading to a rise in civil unrest. Thanks in part to 24-hour news coverage and social media, it can be hard to escape messages of conflict, anger, and strife.
Much as we may wish, the workplace is rarely an escape from the issues of everyday life. Places of employment can, if mismanaged, increase conflict among diverse groups of people with differing worldviews who work in close proximity for extended periods of time. As societal awareness grows more pronounced, workplace disagreements become more frequent, more intense, and more personal.
In the past few months, calls to our employee assistance program (EAP) have increased. Many have focused on anxiety over current political and social events or workplace responses to those events. When there is conflict in the outside world, employees can’t just “leave it at the door” – they bring it with them into the workplace. Having a way to deal with it alleviates anxiety and prevents potential further conflicts within the workspace.
Now more than ever, workplace civility is vital to both preventing and managing workplace conflicts. HR managers are responsible for knowing what steps to take to foster a civil workplace culture and control conflict before it happens, using the civil environment they’ve created to resolve conflict when it does arise.
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