Cipd conflict management survey

Less than half (46%) of employees agree that ‘my organisation has effective procedures for resolving interpersonal conflict’.
However, a much higher proportion (80%) say they know how to report bullying or harassment in their organisation.

There’s a slightly different story when employees are asked how effective their people manager was in dealing with conflict they experienced, either an isolated dispute or incident or ongoing difficult relationship:

The report highlights the key challenges people professionals face in helping their organisations handle conflict effectively.
The emphasis is on recognising and nipping conflict in the bud, responding quickly and sensitively to complaints, and ensuring people managers are equipped to manage conflict accordingly.

The CIPD has also published a second edition of its guide to mediation with Acas (CIPD 2013b).
The current report forms part of an ongoing CIPD research programme that aims – given the contextual changes described above – to shed further light on the current state of play of workplace conflict.