Resolving complaints

In the news recently, a jury awarded $61 million to two FedEx Ground drivers who claimed their manager harassed them with racial slurs. The two Lebanese Americans said that in 1999 and 2000, their terminal manager called them “terrorists,” “camel jockeys,” and other epithets they found offensive.

With juries handing out obscene awards nowadays, it would behoove business owners and managers to be hypersensitive toward complaints that employees share with them. In an ideal world, there would be no grievances, and managers would just manage happy people. However, in a realistic world people are wronged and if individuals do not feel comfortable complaining about a situation to their supervisor, it can fester into something worse.

The ability to resolve conflicts is actually an important skill to create a healthy work environment. A conflict occurs when there is a disruptive clash of interests, objectives, or personalities between people and/or groups. It can be caused by personality differences, conflicting interests, goals, or from structural problems in the way work is organized.

Here are some potential benefits that can come from having an open environment where people feel comfortable talking to their boss about a problem: It can improve working relationships, increase productivity because of improved relationships, and reduce the amount of stress in the workplace.

One major conflict that is simmering in the CNMI is the proposed “rescue” of the Retirement Fund. It has the rapt attention of all government employees who plan to benefit from the current retirement program. If the government fast tracks the bill without adequately dealing with their constituents, we predict it will erupt into a major lawsuit that will make the recent FedEx lawsuit look like a garden party. Unfortunately, the resulting lawsuit will demand center stage attention, drain already scant resources, make the lawyers rich, and distract the government and workers from more productive activities that are needed to enhance the economy.

What we find very interesting is that the formerly vocal politicians who always came to the rescue of “the people” are now curiously silent about the retirement issue. Some whose opinions could never be squelched during the previous administration seem to now have disappeared. Life in the CNMI may not always be exciting, but it certainly is not dull.

Sorry for the digression. As we were saying, conflict can be healthy if it is dealt with effectively. Here are four things you can do to resolve conflicts:

First, when individuals or groups confront you with a problem, you must take an impartial position and deal fairly with everyone involved. If you are perceived to favor one person or have a conflict of interest, you will not be able to win the trust necessary for people to be open about the situation. FedEx spokesman, Maury Lane, claimed that other managers testified that the harassment never happened. Certainly something happened for a jury to award $61 million, but the Lebanese drivers may have felt uncomfortable discussing the situation with other managers for whatever reason.

Second, determine the primary source of the conflict. Is it the result of the way the work is structured or is it due to personality differences of the individuals involved? Are differing goals and interests to blame, or do individuals feel like they are being treated unfairly?

Third, find a solution that will not be at the expense of either party. In other words, seek for a win-win resolution where everyone feels they benefit by dealing with the issue. Absolving the government of their obligation to the retirement fund and lending mega-millions from the fund to bailout CUC could be a win for the government and the community, but a major loss for government employees.

Fourth, try to get a solution from the individuals or groups themselves. Avoid imposing a resolution on them by telling them what to do. This may mask the conflict in the short-term, but it will not resolve it. If a solution comes from the people involved with the problem, and they agree to implement it, then it has a higher probability of success. So far, we have not heard the Governor asking for others’ opinions to the retirement “problem,” yet some have offered alternative solutions.

Remember, conflict is inevitable. Avoiding it will only exacerbate the problem and create a defensive climate. Dealing with problems and learning how to resolve conflicts is a valuable skill and a sign of mature leadership.

(Rik is a business instructor at Northern Marianas College and Janel is the owner of Positively Outrageous Results. They can be contacted at: biz_results@yahoo.com)