Something goes wrong! As a manager, you don't want to take any more chances and start calling customers yourself to explain the situation, much to the employee's displeasure. The frustration over the phone in your ear doesn't make it better: the customer is angry. There is another attempt by the employee to make up for it with a joke, but it doesn't matter anymore. You are now angry too and express this towards the employee. The next day, the employee calls in sick....

This is an example of a labor dispute. In fact, the number of labor disputes has risen significantly in the past year and a half, for example, the average number of labor disputes in 2019 before the corona crisis was on average 17% lower than in 2021, according to Interpolis' Business Monitor. In the past year and a half, a lot has changed for many employees: mostly working from home, adjusted work schedules and different working conditions cause disagreements between employers and employees. Of course, it is always better to prevent conflicts, but what should you actually do when a conflict has arisen?

What you as employer and employee can try to do first is to talk together to see if the situation can be resolved mutually. However, what I (Simone Kolkman, Labor and Health Advisor) often notice as an advisor is that the emotions have often already taken over, both employee and employer often lapse into childish behavior in which they no longer listen to each other, and do not grant each other anything. A constructive conversation is no longer possible. If such a conversation does not succeed, there are a number of steps that can be taken.

company doctor

The first step is to schedule an appointment with the company doctor, who will then act according to STECR guidelines, there are then two possible situations:

  • There is no illness, but there is a conflict. Therefore, the company doctor 's recommendation will state that there is a labor conflict and that employer and employee should enter into a discussion, with or without the guidance of a mediator.
  • There is both illness and conflict. Advice will be prepared on both the illness and the labor conflict as described above.

Keep listening

As with employee sick calls, you should always take an employee with a labor dispute seriously and listen to what the employee has to say. Taking an employee seriously, and continuing to listen will create a basis for a conversation to resolve the conflict, or to properly part ways if the situation has become untenable. Emotions are always present and especially so in conversations about labor disputes. Emotions do not have to be hidden away either, but should not be allowed to take over. It can often be effective to express how you feel and what the situation is doing to you. In this way, you also invite the other person to discuss the emotion and you create more understanding among yourselves towards each other.

Preventing Conflict

Disruptions in the working relationship do not always have to lead to labor disputes; make sure you get there early when you notice problems in the working relationship. Talk to each other, involve the Labor and Health Advisor and see if a sick call can be avoided. This will save you a lot of time, energy and money as an employer. Want to know what else the Labor and Health Advisor visor can do for your organization? Feel free to contact us for more information.