Conflict, Workplace

Conflict is so common in the workplace that one can safely say, “It goes with the territory.” But the types of conflict are varied.

Many Kinds of Conflict

The most commonly recognized workplace conflict is between labor and management. The dwindling power of American labor unions has not lessened tensions between those who manage and those who produce, especially in those organizations that have retained a hierarchical structure. Management wants to minimize unit costs; labor wants to maximize compensation and benefits. Finding creative ways to increase productivity can sometimes meet the wants of both groups. But when increased productivity is achieved by fewer persons doing the same amount of work in the same way, the physical and psychological effect on the work force can be devastating.

Pity those persons who daily work at the interface of labor and management: the first-line supervisors. These are the persons who are called upon to see that management’s plans or directives are carried out—sometimes against their own convictions. These are the persons who are called upon by the work force to communicate its complaints and wants to a management that is sometimes not interested in listening. To make matters worse, the highest-ranked labor representative, who gets paid on an hourly rate for overtime, can often have more take-home pay than the lowest-ranked management representative, who works the same number of hours but gets no overtime pay because he or she is a salaried employee.

There can be conflicts in the workplace when an employee whose style is collegial works in an organizational culture that is very autocratic. For a long time there has been conflict over dress codes, but that is changing as younger employees keep pushing back the boundaries. Even IBM, whose male executives and sales personnel always wore dark suits, black shoes, white shirts and a conservative tie, is starting to weaken. But observe the dress of most male business travelers at airports; they still are invariably clad in dark suits, black shoes and, perhaps, a colored or striped shirt.

A great source of workplace conflict arises from tensions between work and family. The percentage of parents who are holding down a full-time job continues to climb. Approximately two-thirds of married American women are in the paid work force. Single parents, most of whom are women, have little choice about work: either enter the work force or be dependent on family or society for support. The need to care for family while holding down a full-time paid job creates tensions that spill over into the workplace. And the demands of the workplace create tensions that spill over into the family. What does a working parent do when a child develops a sudden illness and will not be accepted by the normal caregiver? Or suppose an employee’s aged parent falls at home and needs immediate help? Does the employee take a vacation day? call in sick? In either event, the employee’s supervisor is confronted with an unexpected staffing problem. Work must be reassigned, and there is resentment among all affected. If the family emergencies happen too frequently, conflict develops.

Most employers have yet to find ways to reduce the work-family tensions that nag so many of their employees. In the case of the birth of a child, U.S. federal law now mandates that employees be allowed to take unpaid leaves of absence. But companies do not look upon such leaves with favor. Early reports show that while mothers will take leaves beyond their employer’s normal maternity policies, fathers seldom take any leave. Why? The workplace views an unpaid leave of absence as proof of the father’s lack of commitment to the organization.

In short, much of the American workplace is still not “family friendly.” When an employee puts the family ahead of the job, there is conflict at the place of work.

Add to the family-work tensions the fact that many people are working longer hours, either by choice or by job demands. In her book The Overworked American, Juliet B. Schor deals with the strange fact that although the standard of living of the American worker has increased significantly since the 1950s, the per capita hours worked have gone up instead of down. From 1969 to 1987 the annual hours of paid employment in the American labor force increased 163 hours, equal to four extra weeks of work per year. Schor suggests that our insatiable desire for more material possessions may be the reason we choose to work more hours. A more likely cause, however, is that the drive for greater productivity and the downsizing of the work force in many organizations have put greater demands upon a smaller number of people. Whatever the reason, when the workplace gets more time, the family gets less.

Conflict can break out as coworkers compete for promotions. There is conflict when a boss takes credit for the ideas or contributions of his or her workers (see Office Politics). Conflict arises when an employee has been given an unfair performance appraisal (see Firing). When senior employees hog all the best weeks for vacations, there is conflict.

Women in the workforce bear additional burdens of conflict over those listed above. Women continue to be overrepresented in those jobs that are lower on the pay scale. Retail sales, fast-food outlets, nursing homes, clerical support for managers and professionals, child care and domestic services are all heavily populated by women, and they generally do not pay well. To make matters worse, women generally still receive less pay than men for the same job or one of equal value. It is unjust and makes for conflict in the workplace.

The advancement of women into managerial jobs, law partnerships, directorships and CEO positions has been very slow, despite more than a generation of highly capable women in the work force. To the term glass ceiling has been added an even more devastating term for women—the sticky floor. Not only is there an invisible barrier preventing women from ever reaching top positions, but many women are glued to jobs at the bottom of the pay scale. With more injustice, there is more conflict.

To top it all off, women at every level of the work force constantly must be alert to sexual harassment or discrimination. It can be intentional and as blatant as being asked to trade sexual favors for job advancement. Or it can be unthinking, as when all the men in a work unit go out for a drink late on Friday afternoon but forget to invite the one female associate of equal rank.

What has been said about women in the work force applies also to African-Americans, Latinos and persons from Asia. Hard as it is to believe, Jews still suffer from discrimination in some sectors of the American work force. Conflict arises as minority persons constantly overhear jokes that demean their race, sex, color or religion.

A Christian Response

What is a Christian to make of so much conflict in the workplace? How is the Christian to deal with so much injustice and conflict? Several fundamental truths about conflict and work will help Christians answer these questions.

First, conflict is a part of life; it is not peculiar to the workplace. The Bible is filled with stories involving conflict. Jesus told his disciples that to follow him could result in conflict of fathers against their children and brothers against brothers (Matthew 10:21). Conflict is a manifestation of humans’ self-centeredness, that is, original sin.

Second, the place of work is part of God’s creation and is just as much under God’s care as the place of worship. What goes on in the place of worship on Sunday is intended to help us deal with the place of work on Monday. Churches can help their members deal with conflict by providing adult-education programs on conflict resolution, personal time management, discrimination and ways to bring about change. Some congregations encourage small groups to meet regularly in order to share conflict issues in their daily lives and receive suggestions and support from other Christians. Many church judicatories have professional mediation resources available to assist in specific conflict situations.

Third, we need to recognize that the place of work is where we respond to God’s call in our lives. As baptized Christians, we affirm that God calls all people into ministry. We respond to God’s call through faithful ministries in our places of work, our homes, our communities and our church. With the assurance of God’s presence, we are confident in facing conflict wherever it is encountered.

Fourth, we use the gifts we have been given by God to deal with conflict in the workplace. Some types of conflict call for reconciliation between parties. Some types of conflict call for education and new ways of doing things. Where conflict is the result of injustice, we may have to immerse ourselves in deeper conflict in order to correct the injustice.

Finally, we need to remember that the place of work does not define us or own us. We are children of God and are owned by God. That is our identity; our identity is not our job. It is difficult to remember this in the heat of daily work, but when we take the time to reflect on our lives, we will know that no matter how much conflict there may be in the workplace, it cannot separate us from a loving God.

» See also: Conflict Resolution

» See also: Listening

» See also: Justice

» See also: Management

» See also: Multiculturalism

» See also: Office Politics

» See also: Power, Workplace

» See also: Stress, Workplace

—William Diehl