The three conflicts surrounding the city's management and the firefighter
The first conflict emerged when the city major demanded no more over time payment for the city firefighters. The fire fighter's management should recruit 25 more employees to cover the need for the overtime needs. Secondly, there is an a difference in how the city management and the firefighters see the overtime. The city's central view is that overtime pay is an increase in salary for the firefighters above the major's earnings. On the other hand, the firefighters see the overtime payment as a sacrifice for them since they have to spend more of their time away from their families as they help the public against the fire outbreak problems. Finally, the firefighters have also got used to the income from the overtime. Therefore, taking it away will mean financial hardship for them together with their families. Consequently, these three factors are the leading causes of conflict between the firefighters and the city manager in the current situation.
Short-term outcomes if the conflict is not resolved
The two significant short-term impacts of the conflict are that the firefighters may take unofficial actions such as work slowdowns and higher absenteeism among the firefighters. A higher level of work absenteeism results in lower productivity of employees. Mainly, some firefighters' absenteeism would still mean that more work will be required to be done by the present employees. As a result, it will even need overtime sacrifice from the current employees. Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) (2021) reports that overtime is used to cover 47% of employees' absences. The co-workers are perceived to be 29% less productive when they are covering for the absent employees. Therefore, high firefighters' absenteeism will lead to low productivity. Additionally, firefighters' slowdowns reduce their productivity and efficiency. That would mean that their working rate would significantly decrease.
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Long term outcome if the conflict is not resolved
The long-term impacts of the conflict will include resignation from the job. Since the major's decision does not favor the firefighters' wellbeing, they are more likely to resign if the conflict is not resolved. Moreover, the organization will lose many experienced firefighters as a result of the conflict since they will resign, living only the new unexperienced employees. Secondly, the conflict will also lead to a distorted perception of the firefighters. Employees always hold strong perceptions about their various activities. Conflict may lead to a change in their perception of the organization, and as a result, their view of the organizations' goals may change, affecting their service delivery.
The possible actions to resolve the current overtime payment-related conflict
The current conflict can be resolved entirely if the city manager and the city managers rethink their position on the current firefighters' overtime hour cuts. Besides, they also need to meet with the union representatives to arrive at a mutual agreement. The following are the three possible actions that can help in resolving the conflict:
The firefighters' hourly pay should be increased to help them adjust the overtime payment decrease, which they have become accustomed to relying on for their families and daily needs. That will help the firefighters overcome the financial hardship that they are likely to experience due to the overtime pay cut. As a result, the offer may resolve the current conflict.
The officers in charge of training should be given some stipend incentives for the services they render for the newly recruited firefighters' training in the organization. That will help provide the experienced firefighters some moral also to train the freshly recruited firefighters. Besides, the offer will also cover up for the income they are about to lose due to the atonement abandonment of the overtime offer they have been enjoying.
The management should also consider giving the officers a transitional period to phase into the pay cut since the overtime pay will no longer be offered. That will provide the firefighting officers with adjusting their lifestyles as per the changes in their income. At the same time, they maintain a better quality of life that the officers deserve to have.
Plan to create a more positive work culture
Two essential components of a work culture that prevents negative conflict
Work culture components can help prevent harmful work conflicts such as the one evident in the current scenario. For instance, the following details are vital in this caser.
Investing more time into negotiations will eventually depict the commitment of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement. Negotiation is a critical method that people can use to settle their difference (Brett & Thompson, 2016) . It is a method that parties can reach an agreement as they avoid arguments and disputes.
Concession-making enables both the firefighters and the city manager to move towards an agreement, and it also shows the motivation of each party to move forward. A concession may help raise the other party's level of aspiration if the submission is interpreted as a signal of an individual's weakness.
Two new essential requirement components for a candidate’s ability to effectively manage workplace conflict
Must show an active listening ability – this capability is essential for conflict management. It helps one make a note of the phrases the other party makes then respond by using their wording. That demonstrates that one was actively listening and assisting in clearing up any confusion about an argument.
Must show emotional intelligence – It describes one's ability to read and understand one's emotions and those of others. That is important for the management of conflict since it prevents escalation.
Interview questions for assessing a candidate’s conflict resolution skills
Think about a situation whereby you disagreed with an idea or direction that the boss suggested. What did you do to relay your disagreement professionally? If not, what did you think about the situation?
There is typical disagreement about decisions, directions, and mission and vision when working with a group. Tell us about a situation when you handled a conflict. How did you approach the particular case, and what was the resolution?
When thinking about your experience with resolving a disagreement and conflict, how would you rate the skills you used to handle opinion differences? May you give an example to illustrate such skills?
Two methods of evaluating improvements in employee relations
Having good relations with the employees is critical for the success of an organization. Besides, it is a goal that can be achieved with time. The following are ways one can use to evaluate employee relation improvement.
Determining employee turnover – A low turnover is an indication that the company or organization is experiencing strong employee relations (George & Wallio, 2017) . When the city management treats the firefighters right, then they will not look elsewhere to get jobs. They will be more willing to stay within the organization for a longer time as they grow professionally.
Assess the company's collaborative environment – A stronger employee relations means the management versus employee dichotomy has been eliminated and replaced with collaboration. All the parties within the firefighting department are together, working towards achieving a common goal.
References
Brett, J., & Thompson, L. (2016). Negotiation. Organizational Behavior And Human Decision Processes , 136 , 68-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2016.06.003
George, J., & Wallio, S. (2017). Organizational justice and millennial turnover in public accounting. Employee Relations , 39 (1), 112-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/er-11-2015-0208
SHRM. (2021). Employee Absences Have Consequences for Productivity and Revenue, SHRM Research Shows . SHRM. Retrieved 4 March 2021, from https://www.shrm.org/about-shrm/press-room/press-releases/pages/employeeabsencessurvey.aspx.
