Conflict & Aggression in Times of Covid-19

We are paying the social cost of the pandemic in terms of depression, frustration, and aggression. Pandemic is generating worrying levels of intergroup conflicts and also affecting aggression at the interpersonal level. The unprecedented impacts of COVID-19 have produced some ripple effects, such as delays in project completion, stay-at-home or work-from-home orders, phased plans, and layoffs to bring employees to their projects. This entire scenario is creating a rippling effect that is not prominent and appears in isolation. Anxiety, substance use disorder, aggression, depression, and other existing mental health issues are disturbing our working abilities and social life.

Need for aggression and conflict management whilst home working?

No one can possible get along with everyone they encounter in life and when it comes to coworkers it is completely normal to experience tension and conflict that may turn out as aggression. This worldwide pandemic has caused people to be concerned about their financial issues, family’s welfare, and significant limitations on their freedom of travel. This is why people might get more fractious and it is now the need of time to be vigilant about handling tension during working. Conflict management at the workplace has become essential to prevent escalation.

Do we need conflict and aggression management training?

The simplest answer is ‘’Yes we need conflict and aggression management training more than ever.’’

This is a training program to develop a vital skill that is all about dealing with conflicts tactfully and positively. There are reputed and professional companies like ‘’BASIS TRAINING’’ aiming to create the ability in a person to achieve positive results from disagreements or disputes that occur in the workplace. Some serious and unresolved conflicts and tensions are called destructive conflicts that continue to intensify outside of the workplace.

The aim of conflict and aggression management training is not to fully eliminate differences and conflicts between coworkers. The actual goal is to foster a culture of substantive conflict in which people reach common grounds after engaging in respectful discussions, debates, and negotiations. This training promotes healthy and positive discussions that push one to look beyond the box and explore changes or new ways of being and working.

Tips to control aggression and managing conflicts:

Conflict and aggression management training not only prevents the escalation of the conflict but also improves skills to intervene within a dispute to resolve it at initial phases. Here are few suggestions for assisting the employees and ensuring that they can continue to perform successfully when working from home.

• Never ignore workplace conflicts even the minor ones in the hope the issue will diffuse itself. Early intervention is the right decision to deal with any issues.
• Provide freedom and support to the staff so that they feel confident and able to raise their concerns and opinions around conflicts.
• Daily, look for indicators of dispute or disagreement and create a welcoming environment for people with different perspectives, lifestyles, and attitudes.
• Learn to listen actively, always stay calm, and control, and try to listen actively.
• Always see the person, not the problem, and tolerance/empathy should be promoted to reach the solution.

Conclusion:

BASIS TRAINING believes in producing abilities to deal with volatile situations with a hands-off approach. From effective communication to risk assessment, dealing with aggressive behaviors positively, and learning the art of positive body language in conflict management there is a range of subjects to choose from.