The most important factor in resolving conflicts is to identify the fact that employees and employers will always come into loggerheads. A method of resolution must be devised to curb the situation before it results in destruction once it is accepted that one person will always get annoyed and the other offended. In the case of ABC Corporation, Kareem feels angry and is bitter that he has been fired for underperformance. He expresses the bitterness by securing an attorney to sue the manager. He argues that he had been religiously discriminated and thus fired. The manager, on the contrary, does not take blame for having fired the employee. He thinks it is his duty to keep the number of calls at par. Productivity is his primary concern and nothing less is acceptable. From the views collected, all the interviewed individuals have mixed expectations and personal perspectives. Janet, for instance, accepts that Kareem has been productive until he suddenly starts taking frequent breaks from work. On the contrary, her concern also seems to be on the fact that there are no formal communications within the corporation. She says, "Thomas does not talk to any of us... He is a bit intense, and when Thomas makes his mind up about something, we are all expected go along with it... He called me into his office and said that he had seen it fit to terminate Kareem and requested me to make myself available to witness the conversation since I was Kareem's supervisor. All the same, it is quite evident that as much as Thomas's department is quite productive and is credited for its contributions to the overall success of the company, communication is poor and workers perform under abject fear of getting fired. Kathy says, "It is an intense environment, and employees are expected to be at their cubicles and answering customer calls all day. Productivity standards are crucial to the manager. I have seen several people come and get fired here for the littlest things.
Both Janet and Kathy conjure to the fact that Kareem was a hard worker though at least that is expected from all employees. Janet acknowledges the fact that she would occasionally credit Kareem for good work. The primary concern that triggered such action from the management is the fact that Kareem took frequent breaks without informing either Janet or Thomas. For a company as strict on productivity as ABC, tolerating such activity is unbearable. It is quite vicious to have fired Kareem in such a manner without taking the toll to speak about the issue with him. All the same, Kareem too would have made an attempt to speak out instead of working in silence.
Lack of proper communication is identified as the main issue causing such circumstances as Kareems. The department should realize that good communication is reflexive. Good communication involves choosing the right words to use at the right time, listening with the mind instead of just the ears and getting messages skillfully across the whole department. The company should ensure that proper communication strategies are implemented within the department. The manager happens not to possess adequate communication skills. Though thoroughly familiar with the primary objective of the company, an intense atmosphere exists within the department. Every employee including the supervisor is quite intrigued by the fact that they have to work intensively to keep the high call numbers rolling.
Reference
Watson, S. (2010, July 14). Ten tips for effective workplace communication. Retrieved March 5, 2017, from http://money.howstuffworks.com/business/starting-a-job/10-tips-for-effective-workplace-communication.htmLevitt, S. (2015, October 22). How to: Resolve conflicts at work. Retrieved March 5, 2017, from http://www.success.com/article/how-to-resolve-conflicts-at-work
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