HomeSituationsWorkplaceTeam conflict
TN/SIT/07
Edition 2027 · effective 1 January 2027
Workplace · Team conflict
A team that used to work now spends its energy on itself.
Unresolved team conflict shows up as missed deadlines, resignations and sick leave long before anyone calls it a dispute. Early, independent facilitation is far cheaper than any of those.
§ 01What it looks like
Recognise it early. The earliest moment is the cheapest.
What you notice first
Small, and easy to explain away.
- Meetings are tense or avoided
- People work around each other
- Good people are leaving
- Small issues escalate to managers or HR
What waiting can cost
Usually more than the original issue.
- Performance and wellbeing
- Retention of good people
- The manager’s credibility
Annual cost of workplace conflict to UK employers, about £1,028 per employee.Acas, Estimating the costs of workplace conflict (2021) · 2019 ↗
§ 02The Neutral route
Usually: Facilitation.
Facilitation lets the whole team rebuild how it works together, without anyone being named as the problem.
Facilitation
The group decides. The facilitator owns the process.
Also used · Binding only if the parties sign an agreementMediation
The parties decide. The mediator never imposes.
§ 03The steps
What a good process looks like.
- Name the impact, not the peopleBefore anything else01
- Bring in an independent facilitator, not a colleagueThe moment independence enters02
- Agree team working principlesWhere the work is done03
- Follow up after six weeksSo it holds04
§ 04Prepare and avoid
What to bring. What to leave out.
(Bring)
01
What has changed and when
02
Business impact you can see
03
Who needs to be involved
04
What support leadership will give
(Avoid)
✕
Waiting for it to pass
✕
Moving people around without addressing it
✕
Using a formal grievance as the first step
§ 05Your version
Every situation is different. Describe yours.
§ 06Related