Work-Life in the Pandemic—How Can We Prevent Conflict Now?

An article by Sonja Nielbock

“In person, I would have already noticed the conflict by April. During these digital-only times, months had passed before I learned about the conflict. The situation had become entrenched by then,” a supervisor tells us.

Misunderstandings and dissatisfaction can easily arise if colleagues meet digitally only. If teams merely see each other in video conferences and communicate via email and other media the rest of the time, conflicts may simmer for a long time before being detected. While some problems may simply disappear, others may escalate over time, leading to hostile work relationships or emails being interpreted in a one-sided manner. Trust can erode to such an extent that the conflict requires intervention and decisions by supervisors.

This article aims to raise awareness of the sources of conflict and gives advice and recommendations for conflict prevention.

Sources of conflict

In addition to the common sources and causes of work conflicts, such as unclear responsibilities, wrangling over competencies, etc., 2 factors may be crucial: employees’ diverse living conditions, on the one hand, and different outlooks, values, and feelings related to the pandemic on the other.

Societal issues have taken on a whole new meaning at work. The pandemic’s impact on life, coping strategies, and underlying conflicts of values can particularly affect team situations. Those who deny the coronavirus danger and those who have developed great fear of infection may work on the same team.

On-site, work conditions in a field of activity are substantially equal. People working remotely, however, are facing sundry challenges and responsibilities: some live with children in cramped rooms with no separate workspace; some share small apartments with many inhabitants, while others have houses with a garden or balcony. Some live alone and suffer isolation in the winter. Other colleagues care for sick and at-risk family members and acquaintances, or follow the developments of the pandemic in the media—very different strains and stresses that can hardly be compared or evaluated in a ranking.

Some people miss socializing with colleagues very much, while others can focus well at home alone and are more satisfied than in the office. On-site, individual life situations played only a minor role in team communication. But things are different now. The pets and children of some colleagues make regular appearances in office video meetings, while other coworkers reveal less. Supervisors face the challenge of finding a good balance. They must keep a respectful distance and protect employee privacy, while trying to get in touch to find out how everyone is doing and what support they need. Exhaustion due to long-term multiple burdens, e.g., home schooling coupled with working from home, can be one source of team conflict; withdrawal in the form of not staying committed to the work area and no longer identifying with the University as a whole can be another issue. Team conflicts can arise when these different situations collide within one group. How can we ensure equal work requirements despite varying conditions?

Individuals respond to the pandemic very differently. The duration of the pandemic has led to the polarization of values and beliefs about what behavior and rules are important—the poles are shaped by basic needs and fears: security versus freedom; fear of getting sick through social contact versus fear of being alone and restricted. None of these needs and feelings can be argued away.

Approaches to conflict prevention

Now more than ever, supervisors should make time to ask their staff open-ended questions and listen to them. Your team doesn’t need quick good solutions to feel better; it needs an open ear. It is crucial that you find a balance between respecting and ensuring privacy and showing a genuine interest in how each and everyone is holding up at home or on-site. This is easier if you knew each other before the pandemic and are working together with mutual trust. It gets difficult if supervisors do not trust their staff, or if employees are suspicious and behave cagily. In that case, it is important to consciously foster contact and trust and allow for contrasting views and values.

Supervisors can benefit from advising at this time. HR Development and the Center for Health and Workplace Cooperation help you prepare for the described situations and the upcoming transition from home to a new combination of on-site and remote work. Coaching and exchange with colleagues provide practical ideas and suggestions for shaping a team approach that helps prevent conflict.

We also gladly conduct short telephone and video calls to support supervisors and staff.

A few tips:

Conflict prevention essentials in virtual meetings

• “It is what it is”—accept situations and make the best of it.
• Transparency and clarity: put into words what works and what doesn’t.
• Adjust expectations.
• Consciously connect and shape contact in the work area or team.
• Foster strong workplace relationships.
• Create a work culture characterized by mutual support, exchange with colleagues, and supervisory duty of care.
• Understand that changes stir emotions that must be dealt with.
• Run clearly structured meetings.
• Make time for all of this.
• Prevent conflict to avert time-consuming and energy-draining situations.
• Stay alert for early warning signs and address them.
• Also address facial expressions, e.g., suggest an exchange about “thinking faces,” etc.
• Critically examine long discussions: What are we really talking about? Who decides this?
• Be aware of power struggles and talk about common goals.
• Exchange and align expectations with each other.
• Communicate clearly.
• Listen closely.
• Set boundaries: make clear what is acceptable and what is not.

Join our German-language in-depth conflict prevention workshop on 28 September 2021, 1 pm, online: Wie vermeiden wir Konflikte im digitalen Raum? (How can we prevent conflict in the virtual workspace?)