Effective Strategies to Deal With Remote Conflicts

Many people with vastly diverse perspectives, attitudes, and cultures come together to work in the same area in the workplace. While it is relatively easy to rely on one another to bring out the best in a project, this is not the case when it comes to getting along and strengthening interpersonal relationships. A workplace dispute is possible when significantly diverse people express their opposing viewpoints, resulting in disagreement. This is especially true for remote workers because conversation based on texts and calls leads to numerous misunderstandings. This might damage not just the healthy workplace culture, but also interpersonal relationships. While disagreements among in-office employees may be resolved effectively, dealing with remote conflicts becomes a tough undertaking. As a result, Amy Gallo explains some effective ways of dealing with distant issues in this Harvard Business Review YouTube video.

How to deal with remote conflicts

Amy begins by stating that text-based discussions are frequently prone to misunderstandings due to our tendency to misread the other person’s words or tone. This is due to the fact that when people speak face-to-face, there are various factors such as body language and expressions that help us comprehend the true meaning of someone recommending something. This is significantly lost when interactions are conducted entirely by text or, in certain cases, over the phone. Amy’s first recommendation for preventing or dealing with remote conflicts is to think through the scenario. Always consider the rational explanation of someone’s conduct rather than the emotional one. Amy recommends starting with a shared aim for resolving any of the remote conflicts. She also recommends avoiding text-based conversations when dealing with remote communication problems since it is generally established that the exact tone of what you want to say is not transmitted in text messages, even if you use the appropriate emojis. She even prefers phone conversations over video calls in such situations since a phone call allows you to focus on the discussion while a video call diverts your attention. Finally, she emphasizes that getting through difficult times is critical not just for your mental health but also for how interpersonal relationships get developed once the disagreement is addressed.

Remote conflicts are one of the most challenging circumstances to deal with, both because of the added strain and the misunderstandings caused by misinterpretation of tone and words. The above text outlines a few useful strategies for dealing with such situations in an effective manner.