How to Handle Employee Conflicts in Your Cleaning Business
Over the years we've been lucky that most of our employees got along with each other. But there are times when you put oil with water and discover they just don't mix. And when employees don't get along, it can cause problems all around – from co-workers to supervisors to clients.
How do you handle it when employees have conflicts?
Some people just don't want to deal with it so they take the path of least resistance and simply ignore the problem – or avoid it at all costs. But as the owner, you must deal with it head on and as quickly as possible.
When you have employees that are at odds with each other, it's best to meet with them one on one. Let each employee know you'll be speaking with the other employee one on one as well.
Let's say your employees are Julie and Sandra. Follow these steps to mediate their conflict.
- Start by asking Julie to tell you her side of the story.
- Then meet with Sandra to get her side of the story and to share what Julie said. Ask Sandra why Julie might be feeling the way she does. Then ask Sandra what she'd like to see happen ideally in regards to this situation with Julie.
- Next, hold the same meeting with Julie.
- Now you'll have a meeting with both Julie and Sandra.
Let them know that now is the time to get everything out in the open, so don't withhold anything because they're not going to get another chance to readdress this situation later. You want to make it clear that this meeting is going to put an end to the problem once and for all, and that you're holding them both accountable for making the relationship work from this point forward.
Also set a ground rule that there is to be no attacking or name calling. Everything discussed must be in a calm manner and with a spirit of constructive criticism. What you're doing in essence, is trying to get them to walk in the other's shoes so they understand how their co-worker is feeling.
One thing that is likely to happen is that the employees will start talking directly to you. Julie might start out by saying something like, “she did this, and then she did that”, as if the other employee weren't even in the room. What you need to do is stop the conversation right away and redirect her to speak directly to Sandra, using “I and you” instead. This is not going to be comfortable for some of your employees, but direct communication between them will work best. You're just the mediator trying to help them fix their problem.
Also encourage your employees to explain things by saying “this is how I feel”, or “can you understand why I would feel that way?” This also helps to avoid the “who's right” and “who's wrong” confrontation because feelings are never right or wrong.
The Result
One of the things that was important in our company is that the equipment be kept clean and maintained. We once had two employees that always seemed to be at odds with each other regarding the floor maintenance equipment. When John had a floor to do he would complain that the Mike didn't clean the auto scrubber inside and out, so he always had to clean it before starting the next job. Then Mike would complain that John left the extension cords in a pile and lost the putty knife. It was always something!
So we had a meeting with John and Mike individually, and then together as described above. During the meeting with the two of them together, John admitted that indeed, he was to blame for part of the problem. With this admission, Mike also shared the blame. When we asked how they'd like to proceed, they came up with a plan to go through all the equipment together and clean it up, organize it and take an inventory to make sure nothing was missing. Once that was done they both agreed to adhere to the checklist we created to make sure everything was cleaned and maintained after each floor job.
At the end of the meeting we explained that from now on we expected them to demonstrate more open communication with each other going forward, and asked if we had their commitment to do this from now on. Once we had that commitment, we also asked if they both understood that if the situation doesn't improve or happens all over again at some point in the future, our response will be disciplinary action rather than a friendly meeting like this one.
When you handle employee conflict in this way you've done a very important thing – you've given them a chance to explain their side of the story and then come up with a solution they can live with. And while you played the mediator role this time, you've made it clear that if it happens again, disciplinary action will result. You've treated them like adults and made them accountable for their own behavior – a win-win for everyone concerned.
Also keep in mind that as much as you care about your employees, you don't have control over their issues with each other. But you can mediate their differences in an atmosphere that lets them have their say while solving their co-worker problem. When you address these issues quickly and with openness, it maintains their dignity and enhances your position as the leader. When you treat your employees with dignity and respect, they'll see you as a caring leader that listens to their concerns. You can't ask for a better formula for employee retention!
Here is How to Train Your Janitorial Supervisors to be Great Leaders
Are you tired of promoting employees into janitorial supervisor positions only to be disappointed by their poor performance? Do you wonder why your best cleaners don't make good supervisors?
This is a comprehensive series of 7 videos for training janitorial supervisors. There is over 2.5 hours of content here and they will never remember it all if you try to do it all at once. Break it up and do a little each week over time, or schedule it out over a couple months.
Every Janitorial Supervisor on Your Team Needs This Video Training - Learn More Here
Visit our Store for Certification Training Programs
