Many conflict resolution steps are common sense, however they don't take root until we stop to think about them. Here is a step you can take for a healthier and more productive workplace:
Approach the person you are in conflict with one-on-one. How often do we get frustrated by an encounter with a person and then go tell our co-workers at the coffee machine, our family members at the dinner table, and our friends through an email without ever having mentioned the problem to the person we are frustrated with. Or how often have we found out that someone else has a problem with us through a co-worker, family member or friend when we saw them face to face and they never mentioned a thing? Gossiping about the problem not only fails to address the roots of the issue, it often causes it to blow out of proportion as more people get involved and details get twisted in the retelling of the tale. Most of the time other people don't need to know. If you have a problem, approach the person you are in conflict with one-on-one without getting other people involved. %99.9 of your conflicts will end right here and your peer will have increased respect for you for having the guts to speak up and the grace to not blab what they did around the office.
