Consumer Corner: What to do if your colleague drives you mad

The number one tip is don't ignore it, explore it

Consumer Corner: How to deal with tension in the workplace when colleagues don’t see eye to eye

There’s a lot more to workplaces than just plain work. For anyone working with colleagues it can throw up some serious issues with regard to dynamics. 

Of course being a workplace people will be required to remain professional in their interactions with colleagues. 

Often however, colleagues will become friends but what happens when it goes in the opposite direction and colleagues start to develop a professional ‘ick’ with each other?

Your colleagues are generally not people you personally have chosen to spend eight hours a day with and because of that managing those relationships can often be tricky. 

When tension does arise between colleagues this can often lead to a toxic environment in the workplace and let’s face it, nobody wants that in their lives.

HR expert, Clodagh O’Donovan of AdvanceHR says tension in the workplace can be very challenging and can have a far-reaching impact on an organisation. She says that her number one tip is not to ignore it and explore it.

“When workplace tension is ignored, it is like a volcano bubbling away until one small action or inaction makes it erupt. Instead of ignoring the tension, explore it. 

“Talk to the person concerned and ask them where they think it is coming from. It may be a misunderstanding of words or actions and by exploring it, you can try to uncover the reason behind it, acknowledge the impact on each other, and agree on how to interact differently.”

She says that talking should help the situation, adding that by talking to the person and explaining the impact they have on you, you are helping them become more aware and giving the person a chance to change how they interact with you.

“Of course, if this does not resolve the issue or if the other person disregards your concern, you should speak to your manager or your HR Department for support and guidance.”

Ms O’Donovan says that a manager or another colleague could help facilitate an informal discussion to help both parties understand the issue and come up with a plan to work more effectively together.

“If attempts to resolve it directly or indirectly do not work, or if the tension is between you and your manager, you should refer to your organisation’s grievance policy or contact your HR department for support and guidance.”

Alan Devaney, an associate with RDJ solicitors says that grievances can relate to issues with pay and conditions, other employees and misunderstandings.

“It is important to foster a healthy workplace environment that encourages good communication, openness, and, where issues arise a willingness to co-operate, listen and work towards an amicable resolution in the best interests of everybody involved.”

Mr Devaney said that a good grievance policy should allow for the quick resolution of grievances and ensure minimal disruption to the workplace. He says that people should follow the policy and read the wording carefully and do not deviate from the policy.

“There is also a code of practice in the workplace on grievances and this suggests that it is good practice for a grievance procedure to have a number of escalating stages in the process.

“It would start with an informal complaint, moving to the next stage involving management and a further stage involving more senior management, and finally, to the appeal stage.“It is important that the grievance policy and its procedures are applied uniformly. Any failure to deal with complaints in a uniform manner can lead to further allegations of unfairness and discrimination against an employer.”

Mr Devaney says that it is important also to highlight in the policy who it applies to. He says that it is good to use the informal stage of a dispute at work to try and deal with the matter in an informal way.

“This allows an employee to raise an issue with their direct supervisor or line manager with the hope that the issue can be resolved without the need to invoke a formal grievance procedure.

“If an employee is unsatisfied with the results of the informal process, they should be able to raise a formal grievance.”

He also says that once you move into a formal complaint process, the complainant should be requested to put their formal complaint in writing including the relevant facts, dates and witnesses.

“This allows for the efficient management of the grievance process and the planning of interviews and lining up of witnesses.

“Those dealing with a grievance need to be aware of other policies such as bullying and harassment, whistleblowing and health and safety when handling a grievance. Where a grievance relates to a workplace practice, normal work should continue and the employee can be advised that their objection to this practice is noted and being investigated, but they are still required to continue working.”

Ms O’Donovan says that we do not need to be friends with everyone in our workplace, but we do need to be able to work on a professional level with our colleagues and anything that disrupts this needs to be explored and resolved.