What would you do: Feuding employees threaten project’s success
September 4, 2009 by Jim GiulianoPosted in: Behavior, Communication, In this week's e-newsletter, Latest News & Views, What would you do?
Periodically, we ask three HR managers how they’d handle a difficult situation at work. Today’s problem: The company has an important project that needs the cooperation of two feuding employees.
The scene:
Charlene Silvera almost knocked over HR manager Rob Jenner as they passed in the hallway.
“Oh, sorry, Rob,” Charlene apologized. “I guess my mind was somewhere else.”
“Everything OK?” Rob asked.
“I’ll live,” Charlene smiled. “Although I’m not sure I can live through another meeting with Ed Lopat and Joe Cronin.”
“I guess those two still don’t get along,” Rob surmised.
“Like oil and water,” Charlene said. “I’d love to be able to separate them, but their cooperation is absolutely crucial to the success of our project. And managing those two is becoming a fulltime job.”
“They don’t have problems working with others, do they?” Rob asked.
“No, just with each other,” Charlene noted. “For some reason, you can count on the two of them getting into an argument during a meeting. You can just feel it coming.”
The blame-game
“How about discussing it with them?” Rob suggested.
“I tried that to get to the bottom of the problem,” she explained. “All I got from the both of them was a blame-game – ‘he did this, and he did that.’”
“Is there some way I can help?” Rob said.
“You don’t happen to have a whip and a chair, do you?” she joked. “But, honestly, at this point I’m open to anything.”
If you were Rob, what would you suggest to Charlene to end the feud between Ed and Joe?
Gary Lane, HR manager, Barnstable, MA
What Gary would do: If their full cooperation is crucial to the completion of the project, make that part of their performance standards. And give the manager the authority to make the judgment call on whether they are cooperating – and meeting the standards.
Reason: You have to put the problem in terms that are real and immediate: “You’re required to meet this standard, and failure to do so will be harmful to your success here.” That should get their attention. Or, if it doesn’t, they know they’ll suffer for it.
Tom Petersen, program manager, Eagle River, AK
What Tom would do: Through meetings and exchanging ideas, I’d explore all the possible fixes, but you may want to consider the possibility of just living with the situation. If, in the end, they produce, even though they’re high maintenance for the manager, that could be acceptable.
Reason: Nothing’s perfect, so you have to decide how much “imperfection” you’re willing to live with. It probably wouldn’t hurt to somehow show some appreciation for the manager and what she’s doing to get the two of them to work together.
Michelle Grovner, HR representative, Brunswick, GA
What Michelle would do: This could be a situation that calls for training. Neither person seems willing to take some responsibility or recognize the cause of the problem. That means they probably need some guidance on recognizing their own problems and changing their behavior.
Reason: Sometimes we’ve seen that people are totally unaware of the fact that they’re causing problems. The possible solution is to make them aware and teach them how to change.
Tags: HR
September 8th, 2009 at 7:44 am
This is a difficult situation, but, by recognizing and understanding the varying needs of people at different stages of their life and career could actually improve workplace productivity.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Bring in an outside mediator to meet with the 2 to figure out what is the real reason behind the fighting. There is a need behind each conflict and a mediator would help them figure it out.
Reason: A mediator would be able to take a fresh look at the conflict and help the disputants identify the problem(s). They can then attack the problem and stop attacking each other.
September 8th, 2009 at 4:56 pm
I have alsway believed, bring the ito a room togeather, no discussion of who is a fault, just lay down expectations and goals. People normally work at meeting expectations.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:41 am
Any interpersonal issues must be addressed in an open fashion. I do not allow resentments to build. I have had to do this several times with my employees. I bring them into a private room with me and make a statement regarding the situation. I then let them discuss the issue. Sometimes I have to act as the referee and keep things on track. I think it is always better to have them say their problems out loud rather than allowing the grumbling, the snide comments, the backstabbing, etc. It forces each of them to think about what they are saying and feeling and also allows them to vent. I just have to make sure that I keep in control of the situation and not allow it to escalate. You have to be careful about choosing your timing, don’t do this in the middle of a blow-up when adrenaline has already kicked in or you may find yourself trying to break up a fight and getting hurt yourself. Before I let them leave the room, I make sure they understand what my expectations are and what the consequences will be if their issues interfere with the job.
September 15th, 2009 at 10:23 am
The bottom line is that they are both crucial to the project–and it is crucial that they act professionally to each other. If I were the supervisor I’d call them into my office and explain that to them. I would tell them that the status quo will not be tolerated. Then I would inform them that I am leaving the room for twenty minutes. They are to continue the conversation without me and when I return be ready to give me recommendations on how to resolve the problem.
February 1st, 2010 at 1:29 pm
First, meet with each individually and ask how they would like the problem solved. Second, meet with both and discuss their solutions on how to make it work. If a consensus, great. If not, I agree with the answer that says make it part of their annual objectives and review process. At this point, perhaps bringing in a mediator to free up the project manager is in order. Why should she have to babysit this situation? If they really are important to the organization, the organization should pay for a professional mediator. Difficult situations arise, and managers are expected to handle it. But on-going distractions that could impede the progress and success of the overall project [the priority to the project mgr] warrants additional resources as needed to deal with personnel issues such as this.