Getting along

It doesn’t necessarily have to be drawn out or violent but people tend to assert themselves – sometimes in annoying ways – in social situations. And the most common social situation that people find themselves in is the workplace.

If you run a one-man shop, you probably don’t have a problem with employee conflicts. (If you do, you might want to see a good psychologist!) Most other workplaces, however – including automotive repair shops – are a breeding ground for petty jealousies, miscommunications, and the kind of personality quirks which drive people crazy.

Jamie Holmes opened the first Master Mechanic franchised auto service shop in Toronto back in 1986. Having been in the trade since 1979, he’s seen his share of conflicts but they’ve never been too disruptive.

“There are conflicts no matter what – in any business,” he says. He firmly believes that people who have chips on their shoulders or who don’t want to cooperate with others and don’t listen to direction won’t last long in this business.

Holmes sees money as the most frequent source of friction. “If work isn’t handed out fairly or evenly amongst the technicians, then conflicts arise,” he says. “In a number of shops it’s an incentive-based bay. You get paid for what you do, and, consequently if the technicians don’t feel it’s being handed out fairly and justly among them, that’s what usually causes the greatest amount of grief.”

He says good managers can avoid this by not showing any favoritism between the technicians they manage. “It’s up to the manager of the shop, the one who controls the work, to make sure it doesn’t happen.”

Employees with real personality quirks can be the biggest challenge to manage, however.

“You can’t change anybody’s personality,” says Holmes. “Either they get along or they don’t. I’ve certainly never fired anybody over a personality conflict but I’ve had people leave because of personality conflicts.”

Robert Music, owner/technician at Access Automotive Repair, Ltd. in Edmonton, says personality problems are the leading cause of conflicts in his experience.

“You don’t see if they have a personality problem when you hire them. It usually shows up a few weeks or a month down the road,” he says. “There’s not much you can say… They get their temper up pretty quick for no reason. You try to persuade them [to calm down] and if they can’t, you have to let them go.”

Nipping problems in the bud is the best way for a manager or owner to avoid conflicts says Victoria, BC-based human resources consultant Carol Sachowski.

“A good employer will take the time to wander around the organization and observe what is happening,” she says. “If the employer is listening… they’ll pick up if there’s disharmony. The employer’s business is their investment and they should be spending a lot of time protecting their investment. And protecting that investment would be not only to have harmony with their clients but also harmony within their staff. They don’t want to be sabotaged from within.”

Here are her top suggestions for avoiding or resolving conflicts in the workplace.

1. Communicate
Sachowski believes if technicians know what’s expected of them and how things work in a shop, a lot of conflict can be avoided. Shop owners should set the ground rules early and enforce them strictly. Most of all, lead by example. If the technicians see liberties taken by management, they can hardly be blamed for doing the same thing themselves. And when those liberties lead to conflicts, you’re in no position to mediate.

2. Act promptly
Conflicts can arise quickly, spurred by the most seemingly insignificant events. The urgency in dealing with the problem immediately is clear. During disputes, the owner is losing man-time and productivity. Worse, “the work is now shoddy because they’re so frustrated with themselves that they’re not concentrating on what they’re doing,” says Sachowski. Once a minor conflict manifests itself, don’t give it room to grow. Tackle issues immediately, even if it’s a little uncomfortable, because left to fester, they can create a cancer in your shop.

3. Be tactful
When resolving conflict tact, diplomacy, and common sense are the words of the day. “Conflict resolution does not have to be an episode out of Jerry Springer,” says Sachowski. “It can be quite simple if you get the emotions deflated out of it. But first you have to understand where the emotion is coming from. Often, in a small business, especially in a male-dominated business, they will not want to spend a lot of time having that conversation.”

Sitting the employees down individually or in a group, letting them cool off and figuring out the root of the conflict will usually settle the problem.

4. Make no assumptions
The employer has to find out what all the facts of the situation are. What’s going on? Can the employees articulate what’s taking place? What’s their expectation? Why are they angry? An important question to ask is how the employees can see the situation being resolved.

Strangely, often the warring sides will cite the same solution.

5. Move on
Once the situation has been cleared up, don’t let the embers stay hot to flame up another time. Make changes to prevent a flair-up. Be more present in the bays for a time if that’s necessary.

Few of the people Holmes worked with ever held grudges so moving past the original conflict was fairly easy. “You do your best to resolve the issues and then everybody moves along,” he says.

He tries to foster an atmosphere of cooperation in his shop, where technicians will pool their resources and help each other out. “In smaller shops you usually work together. You have to. You have no choice,” he says.