People spend up to one third or more of their adult lives at work, and workplace issues are a common source of stress for many. This is never truer than in the maritime industry, especially in the commercial fishing and charter sectors.
It is impossible to have a workplace where everyone’s roles, expectations, and personalities work perfectly together, without conflict. As such, certain workplace issues may cause negative psychological symptoms.
Resolving issues within the workplace can be a burden for many – as it may rely on the owner, manager, master or a fellow crew member.
Communication skills are the fundamental key to ensuring the resolution is handled both empathically and effectively.
Effective communication requires respect, grace, empathy, active listening for adding value to the person being heard. Let’s look closely at a few dos and don’ts of effective communication for conflict resolution.
Chances are when the person you’re having a discussion with is feeling sick, angry, busy or just having a bad day; he/she will not be ready to listen. Find the appropriate time when you will have their full attention. This will ensure that you’re being heard, and that your message will be received.
When communicating with each party involved, use eye contact, posture/body language, and face the person to focus on what the other person has to say. This is done without interruptions, fidgeting, looking around the room, at notes or worse your phone. Active listening is respectful. It adds value to the person being heard.
Be assertive when sharing on an emotional level without being too forceful or too passive. Own your feelings. It also means to be authentically you by being mindful and by holding your peace while maintaining a caring attitude towards others. Make eye contact, admit your own faults and take responsibility. Do not belittle the other person.
Use active listening skills as above. Listen carefully to what the other person has to say without saying a word until it is your turn to speak. If you need to ask questions, WAIT for the right timing.
Using active listening without interruptions except for clarification, allow for equal time for both sides to be heard. Each individual needs to feel heard and valued.
Leaving the conversation in anger by stomping out is like giving up that there will ever be a chance to resolve the matter which is not good for either party. The trick is to calm ourselves down internally and listen where possible.
Even when we don’t like what the other person has to say we need to use assertiveness to communicate our feelings without withdrawing into awkward silence nor going the opposite way by becoming aggressive. Use the ‘I’ statements as below to express yourself rather than using silence to communicate hurts.
To own our feelings use language like, “When you do this I feel….” rather than using, “you make me feel like this when….” which sounds like an accusation. Blaming others for the way we feel is not taking responsibility for ourselves. Instead use language like, “I feel like [insert feeling] when you say or do [add action or words].”
Example: You never listen to when I give a direction. Or “You’re always late for work!”
The best option is to keep reminding them to do what they need to do and the benefits there of. Only when needing to express our feelings we use the ‘I’ statements, as above.
E.g. A vessel takes a lot of work to keep in order. There aren’t enough hours in the day for only one person to do it all. With each of us pulling our weight it makes for a cleaner and happier environment.
Digging up the past in conversations, arguments or conflicts can backfire to go against what we are actually trying to achieve. The whole point of communication is that one person talks and the other listens. When dredging up the past makes a person become defensive, and they will stop listening. We need to keep it in the present and focus on the subject at hand.
Avoid giving quick advice, even if we know the solution to another person’s problem. Giving quick advice shows that we really aren’t giving our full attention to what they have to say, and we’re not valuing the other person.
Jumping to conclusions is a bias often referred to as ‘inference-observation confusion’ or in Layman’s terms, ‘a communication obstacle’ occurring when we make up our mind before we have all the facts. By doing so we miss out on obtaining the full picture. To avoid jumping to conclusions, use active listening skills with empathy without interrupting.
When listening to others, the trick is to remain neutral by absorbing what they have to say in its entirety before making up our minds. Quick judgements are a barrier to communication. Using empathy and our active listening skills is recommended.
Judging the motives of others is another communication obstacle to be avoided. Allowing others to openly express themselves without being judged for whatever reason is a courtesy, giving the other person dignity with the freedom to be open.
None of us are exempt from making mistakes. We all make them.
Forgiveness is about being able to move on past a certain point. Whilst it easy to develop resentment, it is much better for your own mental health and those around you to discuss, forgive and move on.
Often workplace issues have arisen due to a mental health condition that either party may not have disclosed to date. It is important to keep an open mind and understand the consequences and legal obligations once you have been made aware.
The decision to disclose a mental health condition to an employer/employee can be a difficult one. Employers have a “duty of care” and WHS obligations to their workers and crew members and therefore should consider all the factors when conducting any type of meeting/discussions especially surrounding conflict resolution.
Owners, workers and crew members with any health conditions fear this stigma associated with disclosing in the workplace. Once informed, additional support should always be offered regardless of if there is an issue or not. However, ultimately, the decision to disclose is a personal one.
ADDRESS THE ISSUE, IT ISN’T GOING AWAY!
To bury your head in the sand, and think it will go away with time, or worse still let the parties just ‘sort it themselves’ is dangerous both mentally and physically. Every person deserves to feel safe and happy in the workplace.
It is imperative that you face, deal and resolve any and all issues as promptly and efficiently as possible. You want to have a reputation for a great working environment for all. And you also don’t want any legal ramifications coming in the future.
If for any reason you suspect you are having workplace issues, however big or small, don’t hesitate to contact our office and tell us about your concerns. In our office we have the right person to help you and start you in the right direction to dealing with any issues you may be facing.
