Having a formal policy and process designed to address these issues can help deal with conflict swiftly and fairly, which can help de-escalate a situation and prevent future conflict. Create a formal policy and process for workplace conflict resolution-Sometimes, social unrest will cause conflict between co-workers due to differing beliefs.Simply stating that your organization is committed to supporting employees and their mental health in the midst of social unrest can go a long way. Communicate your commitment to supporting employees-When employees feel that their managers and company care about them and their needs, they are more likely to remain engaged and happy.
Your EAP should include resources that help employees navigate emotional stress that they may be experiencing due to social unrest.
It’s important to remember that every employee is different and will be affected by social unrest in their own unique way. In addition, creating and communicating a plan today can help set expectations for your company as a whole. This practice will allow you to be more aware of when social unrest is most likely to occur and take a proactive approach to protecting your business, which may include altering business hours, assessing property vulnerabilities and avoiding unnecessary conflict should an event occur.Īddressing Social Unrest in the Workplaceīeing prepared to address social unrest in the workplace can help equip managers to deliver the support and resources that employees may need. First and foremost, make sure you stay informed via local authorities, news outlets and social media about potential events or issues that could lead to social unrest within your community. As such, you may have concerns for the safety of your business and your employees. In some cases, your business may be located in an area that’s experiencing social unrest. For example, employees may be looking to see whether your organization will be making policy changes to address the social unrest or how you will be supporting employees during these times. Others may be looking to your leadership to see how they will respond to social unrest. The emotional stress some employees may be experiencing can have negative effects on their work, their personal lives and their work relationships. For example, they may be experiencing many different emotions due to the social unrest, resulting in low engagement and difficulty focusing. It may be difficult for some to focus solely on work. Social unrest can affect employees in many different ways and will affect each employee differently. However, in some cases, these peaceful gatherings can escalate and spiral out of control.
These gatherings are often called in response to things like social and racial injustices, politics and discrimination. “Social unrest” is a broad term that is typically used to describe situations in which a group of people come together in the form of a protest, strike or riot to effect change about an issue.
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To support employees as effectively as possible, promote employee safety and prevent workplace conflict, employers are faced with the challenge of how to effectively manage employees during these times of social unrest. Numerous recent events have led to unrest, which has permeated all areas of society, including the workplace.ĭuring these times, employees may be experiencing poor mental health and low engagement. Social injustices, civil rights and discrimination issues affect all employers and employees across the country.