Approaches to conflict in the workplace
Approaches to Conflict in the Workplace
This topic is assessed in IBDP Business Management at Higher Level (HL) only.
When workplace conflict arises, both employees and employers have a range of responses available — from informal problem-solving to formal industrial action. The approach chosen reflects the severity of the conflict, the trust between parties, whether collective representation exists and the legal framework in the relevant jurisdiction.
Employee Approaches
Individual grievance procedure: A single employee raises a formal complaint through the organisation's documented grievance process — written complaint to HR, formal investigation, written response. The standard first step for individual conflict over personal treatment, pay decisions or working conditions.
Trade union representation: Where employees are represented by a trade union, the union acts on behalf of members — negotiating over collective pay and conditions, representing individuals in grievance and disciplinary hearings and, where necessary, organising collective action. Trade unions provide collective bargaining power that employees would not have individually.
Industrial action:
| Form | Description | Impact on employer |
|---|---|---|
| Work-to-rule | Employees perform only exact contracted duties — no overtime, no informal flexibility, strict adherence to every procedure | Disrupts operations that rely on goodwill and informal cooperation; reveals the gap between formal job descriptions and how work actually gets done |
| Overtime ban | Employees refuse to work beyond contracted hours, even when offered overtime pay | Reduces capacity at peak periods; particularly damaging for businesses relying on overtime to meet seasonal demand |
| Go-slow | Employees work at the minimum acceptable pace rather than their normal rate | Reduces throughput; difficult to manage legally because employees are technically fulfilling their contracts |
| Strike | Complete withdrawal of labour; the most extreme form of industrial action | Stops operations entirely; legally regulated (notice and ballot requirements in most jurisdictions); reputationally damaging |
Employer Approaches
Collective bargaining: Direct negotiation with trade union representatives to reach an agreement on pay, conditions and working practices — the primary mechanism for managing collective conflict constructively. Mediation: An employer invites a neutral third party to facilitate a resolution. Lockout: The employer prevents employees from entering the workplace during a dispute — the employer-side equivalent of a strike; rare in most European contexts. Agency workers: Using temporary staff during industrial action to maintain operations; legally restricted in some jurisdictions and typically damages the employment relationship further.
At Meridian Logistics, a proportion of warehouse operatives are represented by the Unite trade union. Meridian engages in annual collective bargaining over the following year's pay award, with the agreed settlement applying to all operatives regardless of union membership. This formal process has historically contained conflict at the negotiation stage rather than allowing it to escalate to industrial action.