University Business - March 2010 - (Page 25)

2006 and 2007. (Due to budget cuts, the program was placed on hold.) But Alvord notes that nine out of the 16 employees who were certified are still employed there. She says mediation works best in resolving conflicts between two people. Problems are usually identified and resolved within a several-hour meeting. Yet employees should never be forced to participate, as resentment or anger could make matters worse. If tension exists between groups of employees, Alvord says, HR then facilitates multiple meetings between the groups. “Make sure you have ground rules set up so that it doesn’t get out of control, you have a managed meeting and employees are respected and understand what you hope to accomplish,” she explains. But if supervisors prefer to handle staff problems on their own, HR also coaches them on what to say and do. Alvord says they explore the root cause of the issue, then help feuding employees discover their ability to become part of the solution. Engaging all sides of a conflict is key to resolving disputes. Employees must believe that they own the problem, instead of dismissing it, saying, “It’s their problem, not mine.” They’ll be more invested in solving it if they understand how it affects them and that they have the ability to help solve it. Regardless of the scenario, Alvord believes HR needs to be involved in employee conflicts, either directly or behindthe-scenes. “Allowing HR to be involved in employee conflict gives us the opportunity to assist managers in a performance improvement process, if necessary, and secondly, to evaluate what’s going on in that work unit, whether training is necessary for the manager or employee,” she says, adding that HR can also provide referrals to the employee assistance program if there’s cause to believe something more serious is occurring. “If managers do this on their own, oftentimes, they can be [negatively] influenced by their own personal emotion that might be tied to that situation.” universitybusiness.com An Objective viewpOint At other campuses, HR may yield to an ombudsman. Back in 2002, Marquette University (Wis.), established its first ombudsman program. Between three and five percent of its 2,600 employees use its services each year, says Kerry Egdorf, the university’s ombudsman. HR or an EAP. Instead, they should work hand-in-hand, offering options to employees that help resolve personality disputes. “At Marquette, we look at it as another opportunity to fulfill our mission,” she says. “It should be viewed as a valuable resource that can help the university enhance its culture of respect.” individUAl SOlUtiOnS Sometimes, people just rub each other the wrong way and there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Or is there? If two employees in the same department constantly argue with each other or undermine each other’s efforts, consider teaming them up on important projects, adds Lina Maria Cristancho, a San Antonio, Texas-based HR consultant. “I’m a true believer of that,” she says, assuming both employees are good performers. “This helps employees find common goals. Believe it or not, when employees know that they will have to work on two or more projects together, they tend to set differences apart in order to accomplish the tasks successfully.” Or maybe one employee is more mature than the other. In such cases, appeal to that employee. Consider this scenario: Jane and Sue work in the same department and are in competition with each other. Jane often gives Sue a hard time, prompting Sue to overreact. HR can ask Sue to “be the better person” by not taking Jane’s comments personally. The next time Jane is rude or difficult, Sue can ask her if she’s okay, if there’s anything she can do to help, or if she did or said something that upset Jane. More than likely, Jane will be surprised at Sue’s reaction, says Cristancho, and apologize. Still, there is no single approach to resolving all employee disputes. The key seems to be variety—offer training, an open-door policy and multiple sources that employees can turn to when conflicts erupt. So instead of hurling coffee cups at each other, they can now discuss their disagreements over coffee. March 2010 | 25 In personality disputes, an ombudsman should work hand-in-hand with HR. She believes such an office must be independent from HR to earn worker trust and successfully resolve disputes. She meets with employees either on or off campus, at any time of day, wherever and whenever they feel most comfortable. “The first thing I do is talk about the purpose of the office, [and] my role as being an impartial, confidential, and informal resource,” she says. “HR will advocate what’s best for the organization and can’t promise confidentiality in all cases. I’m an advocate of fair process. I don’t advocate for the university. I don’t advocate for the employee and I’m not a decision-maker.” She says her role is to help employees discover what their needs and interests are, what options exist and make decisions. The ombudsman office is a safe place where employees can simply vent, identify issues, and explore their options and feelings. Many tend to focus on their own feelings and the other person’s behavior. While it’s important to examine emotion, she says it’s just as important for them to look at their own behavior. One constant source of tension is email. She says employees can’t interpret the sender’s nonverbal cues, tone of voice or body language. So they decide what the sender is thinking or feeling, then project their own feelings on to those e-mails. She helps employees focus on how their own behavior and interpretations may have contributed to the problem. While an ombudsman program can offer added value, it can never replace http://www.universitybusiness.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of University Business - March 2010

University Business - March 2010
Contents
Editor’s Note
College Index
Company Index
Advisory Board
Behind the News
Sense of Place
Financial Aid
Human Resources
Viewpoint
Money Matters
Community Colleges as Economic Saviors
Web Content Needs - Solved
Paths to the Presidency
What’s New
End Note

University Business - March 2010