Workplace Conflict

       There are many causes for conflicts in the workplace. Conflict exists in every organization and to a certain extent can indicate a healthy way of exchanging ideas and creativity, but majority of the time it results in negative consequences that result. The main causes of conflict in the workplace between co-workers are communication(miscommunication), the attitudes of the employees, having honesty or having no honesty, treating others fairly, and different work habits. Every worker wants to feel accepted and recognized amongst their fellow employees and bosses. Every person wants to enjoy going to work everyday and be respected and have a sense of belonging between their co-workers and bosses.
       From personal experience, I worked at Taco Bell for over a year and I had witnessed many conflicts, not just between customers but also between my co-workers as well. While I went to work everyday, I noticed that there was a lot of favoritism occurring in the workplace. Many of my managers would favor a certain employee or request a certain person to work with them, and they did not ask any other worker, even if there was a certain employee that was better at the job. Even if the employee that they chose was not very skilled at the job, they would still ask them to work because they favored that individual. There was a lot of taking sides in the workplace also, which resulted in conflict. This type of conflict was caused by not treating others fairly and not treating the rights of the employees well enough.
      Many of my co-workers would also arrive at work and walk into work having a bad attitude. They would come in feeling down, depressed, sick, annoyed, or even negative. My managers would tell them to smile and get in a good mood and to be friendly to the customers, but they still would not change. One of my co-workers was in a horrible and negative mood his entire shift and as soon as it was his turn to clock out, he just walked right out the door without even saying goodbye to anyone. The attitudes of the employees brings a lot of conflict to the workplace because the attitudes are contagious. Once one of the employees are in a bad mood, then the managers get in a bad mood, and then the customers get in a bad mood because the workers are in a bad mood.
     Some steps that you can take to handle a conflict at work would be to realize that some conflicts are inevitable at work, to handle conflicts sooner rather than later, to ask nicely and to invite the other person to talk about the situation. Different people have different perceptions and solving workplace conflicts requires finding a common ground and trying to understand the other person's point of view. Also, do not wait for the conflict to go on, try to end the conflict before it gets worse. Workplaces are very stressful environments and personal conflicts between co-workers can make it even more stressful.