Question

As a manager I have two employees, one Chinese, who is annoyed because another employee, who is American, is taking out their anger on her which she feels is unfair as she has not done anything to provoke such aggression. She is also emotional because she hasnt been sleeping well because she has to attend a friend's wake which adds to her emotion.

The other employee , an American, is mad because he hasnt had a proper sleep because of the construction that is happening around his area. He is also mad because he was not able to vist relatives because of a sudden need to work and as a result has become irritabel and sarcastic.

Can you explain how I can consider their emotions when I need to make decisions about them

Answer 1

Workplace anger is an issue that has acquired grave proportions in modern times. The causes are varied and may or may not have to do with the situation at the workplace

In this scenario, the problem seems to be of a personal nature. The lack of sleep due to construction activity in the vicinity is the root cause of anger that the American employee has transferred to the workplace. The Chinese employee is also dealing with emotional loss due to the loss of a friend. Under ordinary circumstances, could it be assumed that the Chinese employee would have been a bit more resilient even though she has not been the cause of the anger of the American employee even though it is, of course, unjust to be the victim of the anger of another when one is not at fault.

To resolve a conflict in the workplace, certain approaches may be taken:

1) Convince both parties to come to a mutual agreement to resolve the conflict.

In this scenario, you can be an arbitrator or a mediator and have both employees voice their issues face to face and have them come to a mutually acceptable agreement. It may happen that both sides are unaware of the issues facing the other party. They may even each other more sympathetically and you could resolve the matter amicably.

2) Support the position of one employee over another

Do you think the Chinese employee is unfairly treated as she is not the cause of the anger that is directed towards her? And moreover, she is going through a grieving process due to the loss of her friend? Do you think the American employee has a right to bring his personal issues to the workplace? Did the Chinese employee react adversely in the workplace on account of their personal issues? Do other employees react in this manner? What about discipline in the workplace?

3) Make your own decision and force both employees to follow the decision.

In case both parties are not able to come to a conclusion or in case the appearance of impartiality is to be maintained considering that race can also be an issue in this scenario, one may come to one's own conclusion.

A way out could be to either change their work times or seating arrangements in a way where they may not have to interact with each other constantly. In case communication for work is to be done, it could be through email or such mode of communication where face to face communication is kept to a minimum. and work proceeds smoothly, at least until the situation eases naturally or through intervention.