Resolving Conflicts

 “You are a department manager in a mid-sized company that provides technology support services.  You have ten employees who are required to maintain a high level of technical expertise and deliver excellent customer service.  One of your employees, who has been with the company for two years, is performing at a substandard level and you have received numerous complaints from customers and coworkers.  In addition, this employee has displayed confrontational behavior which has created a hostile environment.  You must now meet with this employee and deliver an ultimatum regarding the need for immediate improvement or dismissal.”

As a department manager of a mid size company if I had an employee that was not working according to the company’s guidelines the steps I would take to resolve the issue is as followed: 

I would take to notify the employee of his options of need for immediate improvement or dismissal is to first call the employee into my office.  I will then speak to her/him in a polite and calm manner about the situation at hand since I am aware of their confrontational behavior.  I will focus on the situation at hand and its facts and be rational.  I will stay away from gossips and what else I have heard from other employees.

While interacting with the employee I will be sure that my posture, facial expression and tone is of a calm nature and will be assertive rather than aggressive.  I will then ask for their side of the story and listen to them intently so that I understand what they are saying to my fullest and position. 

Then I will communicate in a clear and positive fashion of what I want.  I will let my employee know that I am willing to be flexible because of their loyalty to the company but will also offer my recommendations and suggestions.  I will also as the employee again what he/she sees that can be done to improve on their current situation to see his/her viewpoint.  This will help me to better understand the employee’s logic and his process in thinking.  Maybe that will also allow me to more easily resolve the issue. 

If the problem is more than I can handle then I will inform my supervisor or whoever is above me to take action.  If the problem gets under control I will notify my supervisor or higher authority of the results and what the employee agreed upon working on. 

I will also inform the employee of the other people I will be notifying so that he/she is not caught off guard or anything of the sort.

In conclusion that is the following method I would use in attempt to resolve a conflict with an employee.