Let’s be honest, we've all been there - you walk into the building, and you can cut the tension in the air with a wooden spoon, it’s that thick.

A quick hello to the receptionists is met with a brief glance and an even briefer smile, eyes shifting between the floor and the monitor...

Your Practice Manager powers sense a disturbance in the Force, and a grimace on one person’s face while the sound of sobbing/raised voices (delete as appropriate) emanates from the restroom (aka “place furthest away from the front desk”) tells you that you’re going to be busy today...

You move onwards, ever forward into that erstwhile Fortress of Solitude that is your office, and as you settle down and take a quick swig of your chosen beverage, someone comes into the office for a “quick chat”.  She (let’s call her ‘Pauline’) tells you that she can’t work with “her” anymore (let’s call this one ‘Jean’), and wants to make a complaint, or work on the summarising on a different day or shift.

You are telling Pauline how you will look at resolving the problems between her and Jean, while in the back of your mind (besides working out the rotas for this week and next to see if it works), that other, more grown-up voice asks you in no uncertain terms – how are you going to sort this one out?

To paraphrase an old bumper sticker slogan – Conflict Happens. When your staff spends 30 or 40 hours a week together, something will kick off – disagreements about how to book appointments, what happened to the teabags, the latest office gossip, or just plain rudeness to one another – that will disrupt the way you work. It doesn't just hurt one or both parties, but it affects your staff, your productivity and how people feel about working here. If you don’t settle these kinds of issues, then it could result in a stressful workplace, drop in motivation, good people leaving, patient dissatisfaction, increased absences, and a lingering reputation for not dealing with the problem. Clearly, unresolved disagreements are not good for your Practice’s health.

When your staff are not getting on, re-opening those lines of communication is a tender process, and needs to be approached with caution. You can’t just ignore it and hope it goes away, or that it fixes itself – there will be lasting consequences if you handle it with an iron fist as opposed to the velvet glove. You can call it “Conflict Management” if you want, “Mediation” is a more common term, but both mean that it is critical to handle the situation effectively, whether it’s avoiding arguments, disputes, or ultimately, any legal action that may result from not dealing with it properly. There’s a plethora of guidance available on the process itself, including our own guidance in the First Practice Management (FPM) site, but the actual application, the physical human representation of “these people are in front of me, what do I do that won’t make it worse” scenario is where you may find people not communicating, watching their words, pointing fingers and assigning blame – what do you do?

Address the problem ASAP

Let’s say there’s been a heated argument between two members of staff – they both storm off to opposite ends of the building, telling someone on the way that so-and-so said this and that, or something similar. You think it’s childish and distance yourself from it, but this just makes it an unresolved problem that will fester for as long as you let it. You need to deal with this now so it doesn't become a bigger problem for you or the staff. If you have to give it some time, then let’s call it a “Tactical Withdrawal” – once people have calmed down, then agree to meet up and discuss the situation. Either way, it needs to be addressed and/or resolved as quickly as possible. Problems arise not from something that was said, but form something that wasn’t said.

Don’t take sides, even if you want to

Work with both individuals from the start. If you meet them separately, make sure that they both understand that what they discuss may be shared with the other. As the Manager, you are in a position to call the shots, and you may need to use that information to clarify with the other person. If you don’t let them know from the start, they may think you are taking sides or breaking their confidence.

Look at things with neutral and objective eyes – what has happened? Is it a regular occurrence? What are they doing/not doing to cause conflict? A common one I’ve dealt with is comments about each other’s work, a comment made out of turn meant as constructive criticism comes out as accusations or bullying. Point out any facts, e.g. “I’ve noticed that you do

Find out what happened

You need an unbiased version of events – your first meeting with each party should be separately so each person can tell their story and you can find out what they want out of the process. This is the best time to advise them that you are an impartial participant in this process, and not to take sides or make the decision for them - your aim is to help them both to understand each other and come to an agreed way forward.

From your management point of view, you also need to stay impartial, and look at this as a “business” problem – your concern is about the workplace performance, rather than how these employees feel about each other. It sounds a little remote, but it will help you to distinguish between workplace mediation (an appropriate managerial task) to personal counselling (an inappropriate task that needs a qualified person).

Hear the issues – together

They saying goes “there’s three sides to every story – yours, mine, and the truth”. You should bring both parties together so they can put their sides of the story to all three of you (you being the impartial mediator, that is).

Begin by summarising the main areas where you agree or disagree, and clarify how the meeting will go, preferably with some uninterrupted time to carry out the meeting. Somebody will be waiting for the other person to admit they were wrong, and that’s not going to happen.

Explore the Issues

Now you have identified the issues, you can work with the two parties to talk through their problems, and get them to understand what has led them to this point, or to at least respect their differences and not to let them disrupt the working environment.

You want to shift their focus from what has happened to “this is how we will deal with it” from now on, looking for some constructive ideas on how they will work together from this point forwards – they might not be best buddies, but you want them to do the job and be professional.

The end of mediation – aka “My work here is (almost) done”

If all goes well and you have all reached an agreement, then the mediation is at an end. Conclude the meeting with a summary of what has been agreed. The way forward is that the solution is acceptable to both parties, and your role as the arbitrator ensures that one person isn’t going to be overpowering the other.

This isn’t about winning – it’s about being constructive and practical about how you resolve the situation. They will have agreed a plan to help them work together when they are back on the Practice floor, and this should be treated as a work in progress – refer to it over the next few days and weeks, and discuss with each of them how it is developing, how they feel and how the relationship is between the two people.

In addition to the above, FPM members can obtain further information via the FPM website. Alternatively members can also email specific questions about employment issues to advice@firstpracticemanagement.co.uk where your question will be treated in confidence and normally answered (by email) within two working days of submission.