Dissolve those workplace bubbles

Workplaces are changing rapidly. Even the term “workplace” now seems quaint.

Remote and hybrid working bring many benefits – but also drawbacks. One serious drawback is that when there is less face-to-face contact, there is far more potential for misunderstandings and conflicts to develop - and to spiral out of control.

There is also a greater tendency for closed groups and cliques to form, fostered by communications which nobody else can see or hear. These groups can be positive and mutually supportive. But too often they can become self-perpetuating bubbles of anger and resentment. Negative views, behaviours and feelings are echoed and reinforced, without fear of contradiction or even moderation.

Good management can go a long way towards dealing with these issues – for example arranging both online and physical meetings and events within and between different teams; and facilitating open discussions both collectively and on a 1:1 basis with managers.

In addition, there are also codes of conduct and disciplinary/grievance policies which can be deployed when necessary. However, internal procedures and investigations are increasingly complex, time-consuming and divisive – and often lead to destructive external legal cases.

For some organisations, a further measure is the introduction of a confidential internal conciliation service – the appointment of one or more experienced neutral person(s) to promote and facilitate the informal resolution of conflict within the organisation. The service is available on a confidential basis to all employees (and sometimes other stakeholders as well).

In the US and in international organisations, the appointee is often referred to as an ombudsperson or ombuds. I am currently an ombudsperson in an international organisation. In a UK context, this terminology can be misleading, as it suggests an adjudicator role. Conciliators do not adjudicate: they facilitate, communicate and, in some cases, mediate. They remain neutral.

In my next post, I’ll look at the nuts and bolts of an effective conciliation service.

Image credit: Nevit Dilmen, CC BY-SA 3.0 <http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/>, via Wikimedia Commons